Chapter 43: Taste-Test

1.

“You can really do it?”

Yura shot up from her chair, eyes wide, staring at me.

She’d made the request, but it seemed she hadn’t expected it to be possible.

“Yes, it’s doable. Just trust me.”

“I-I’ll trust you!”

She eyed me skeptically but shook her head and clenched her fists.

Noona’s eyes wavered too, but she stayed silent. That must mean she trusts me too.

“To recreate the dish, we’ll need to start with the ingredients, right?”

I turned to Yura.

“First, think of the ingredients you feel were ‘probably in there.’”

“Which one should I pick? Grandma’s or Mom’s?”

“Let’s start with your mom’s. Grandma’s is relatively simpler.”

Yura missed her grandma’s cooking for her mother’s sake.

So, our focus was katsu curry.

That’s likely the one etched more vividly in her memory.

“Let’s start with the curry ingredients.”

“Okay!”

Yura took a deep breath, nodded, and carefully scanned the shop’s ingredients.

“Noona, you join in too.”

“Me?”

Noona pointed at herself, tilting her head. She hadn’t expected to cook.

“Yeah. If it’s just me and Yura, you’d have nothing to do. Plus, if all three of us make it separately, we get more samples. That increases the odds of matching Yura’s memory.”

Noona hesitated, then nodded.

“Alright, I’ll pick too.”

“Don’t check out yet. Just add to the cart. If we buy first, viewers might think we’re copying each other.”

We needed to minimize any room for suspicion.

“Okay!”

Recalling the scenes from Feast of Memories, I carefully selected ingredients.

‘Sirloin, potatoes, carrots. Onions. Apples too. Butter was this brand. And the curry was that one.’

I chose meticulously, aiming to match the memory.

💸 [Nickname: Anonymous] donated

🪙 30,000G!

💬 This’ll work? There’re hundreds of Japanese curry types! Every household makes it differently—how do you figure it out? Her description’s so vague too.

Yura flinched at the voice. Seeing her shrink, irritation bubbled up inside me.

“Some of you keep throwing shade.”

My voice was low, but the anger was clear.

“If you’re just gonna complain, leave. You’ll call it staged even if I nail it, right? Let’s save each other the trouble.”

💸 [Nickname: Anonymous] donated

🪙 30,000G!

💬 Look at her attitude lolol Should be grateful we’re watching, what a joke haha

“Yeah, screw you.”

I raised my middle finger and opened the donation management window.

The donor’s name, amount, and message appeared.

“You think ‘anonymous’ makes you invisible? ‘Sagagak,’ it’s not anonymous.”

💸 [Nickname: Sagagak] donated

🪙 30,000G!

💬 Yeah, I know~ With her attitude, this stream’s gonna tank soon lol Don’t come crying to us later.

“Nope, won’t happen. Get lost.”

I raised my middle finger again and blacklisted their ID, blocking them from viewing or donating.

『Live Viewers: 21,321』

“If anyone else wants to leave, now’s your chance.”

I spoke politely after calming down. But no one left.

『Live Viewers: 22,699』

If anything, the viewer count grew.

“Alright, seems we’ve dealt with the trolls. Shall we check out our ingredients?”

“Is that okay? What if I picked weird ones and wasted points?”

“You bought them to cook, right? Then it’s fine.”

“Okay.”

“On three, we buy together. One, two, three!”

At my signal, we purchased the ingredients. Bags appeared before each of us.

“Who’s first?”

“I’ll go. Mine’s probably the worst.”

Noona stepped up. We nodded.

“I got carrots, potatoes, and pork. For curry, this brand.”

Her ingredients were typical for curry.

“Nothing special?”

“When you described it, Yura, I had no clue what to do. So I went with safe choices.”

“Must’ve been tough.”

Noona switched to informal speech, but Yura didn’t mind.

“Next, Yura-nim, your turn.”

I softened my tone slightly—it felt too stiff.

“Okay! I chose beef sirloin, onions, carrots, and potatoes. This curry brand!”

“Yura’s safe too. Haryul, your turn.”

I pulled out my ingredients.

“Beef sirloin, potatoes, carrots, garlic, ginger, onions, apples. Butter and this curry brand.”

“Oh! I forgot butter!”

Yura’s ears perked up.

“Buy it now, then.”

“Won’t that make it unfair for you?”

“This isn’t a competition—it’s collaboration. Change ingredients if you want. I won’t, though.”

“Why not?”

“If all three of us change, it’ll throw off the balance. If I waver, it undermines my credibility. Plus, I’m confident.”

Yura looked up at me, eyes sparkling.

“Cool…! Okay, I’ll add butter but keep the rest!”

“…I might change some.”

Noona said cautiously.

“Do what you want.”

I replied lightly. Freedom of choice was always on the table.

“I’ll add onions and… butter.”

“Got it.”

I nodded, flipping the screen.

“Now, katsu ingredients.”

Here, we were mostly aligned.

Just sirloin versus tenderloin.

The rest—egg wash, flour, breadcrumbs—varied only in ratios.

‘The difference comes here, though…’

Katsu was less critical than curry.

Curry defined the flavor structure, katsu handled form and texture.

Curry was the star, katsu the supporting actor.

“Ingredients are set. Let’s cook.”

I manipulated the space, duplicating the kitchen.

Based on mine, three independent stations appeared.

“To your stations.”

Noona and Yura carried their ingredients to their kitchens, awkwardly touching the counters, exploring the unfamiliar space.

“I’ll put walls between the kitchens for focus.”

Translucent barriers rose, blurring visibility but allowing conversation.

“When you’re done, ring the bell. Don’t worry about order—go at your own pace.”

I placed cameras on each kitchen’s ceiling, letting viewers switch perspectives in real-time.

“Let’s begin.”

I took a deep breath and stood at my counter.

Time to summon Yura’s remembered flavors.

‘First, a touch of holy power.’

I channeled magic and holy power into our ingredients, ensuring Noona and Yura’s dishes would taste real.

‘Let’s do this.’

I thinly sliced onions, microwaved them for four minutes.

“Normally, caramelizing onions takes over 30 minutes on low heat. Microwaving removes moisture faster.”

I explained briefly to viewers, continuing.

Microwave sounds echoed from the other kitchens.

“Phew…”

I peeled and grated an apple. Diced potatoes small and soaked them in water.

“Soaking potatoes removes bitterness.”

Listening for copycats, I heard water splashing.

💸 [Nickname: Anonymous] donated

🪙 30,000G!

💬 Every time you share a tip, they copy you???

“No! I already knew that! Haryul just did it first!”

“Right!”

“Yura, saying that makes me look less credible!”

“But it’s true! I can’t lie!”

They started bantering.

I chuckled, retrieving the onions.

I melted butter in a pot, added onions, and sautéed on medium heat, sprinkling salt.

The onions’ sharp aroma softened, blending with butter’s richness, stirring appetite.

“This color means it’s ready.”

When the onions browned, I added grated apple, garlic, and ginger.

“Lower to low heat. Simmer until moisture reduces.”

💸 [Nickname: Anonymous] donated

🪙 30,000G!

💬 Why grate apples?

A donation during cooking.

“Grated apples add a soft, fruity sweetness. Subtle flavor.”

I heated another pan on medium, added oil generously, and seared the sirloin.

“Cutting into bite-sized pieces.”

I seasoned with salt and pepper, searing just the surface, then removed it.

Potatoes and carrots went in next.

“Lightly sear these too.”

I combined meat and vegetables in a large pot, added water, and simmered for 10 minutes on medium.

“Uwah!”

“What do I do! What do I do!!!”

Frantic voices came from beyond the walls. I laughed softly.

‘Can’t expect much from their cooking.’

I turned off the heat, added curry roux, and stirred until melted, then simmered on low.

“Fifteen more minutes, and the curry’s done.”

Next, katsu. Simpler.

“For katsu, meat prep is key. Leaving tendons can make it shrink when fried, ruining texture.”

I pointed to the membrane under the sirloin, explaining.

“Remove tendons or score them. I’ll score.”

I sliced the tendons, then gently pounded the meat with a mallet.

“Pounding tenderizes it. Season with salt and pepper, then rest.”

I prepared flour, eggs, and breadcrumbs. Mixed eggs with water and flour for batter.

“This is the batter.”

I spread breadcrumbs on a wide plate.

“Prep’s done. Time to fry.”

I poured oil into a large pot and heated it.

“Dip the tenderized pork in batter, ensuring even coating.”

I rolled the coated meat in breadcrumbs, covering it thoroughly.

“Oil at 170°C—perfect.”

I checked with a thermometer and fried the katsu.

The sizzling and savory aroma filled the air.

I fried for five minutes, flipping occasionally.

“Remove loose breadcrumbs to keep the oil clean.”

I fried three katsu pieces. The curry was perfectly simmered.

“Time to plate.”

I scooped white rice onto a wide plate, poured rich curry over it, and sliced the katsu with a knife.

Crunch—

The crisp sound brought a smile.

“Place it, and it’s done.”

I set the katsu atop the rice and curry. A visually stunning dish.

Ding—

I rang the bell.

‘Hope the katsu turned out well.’

I’d tried to match the memory, but I wasn’t sure if it was exactly like her mother’s.

‘Since it was store-bought…’

Soon, two more bells rang. I removed the walls.

“Both done?”

“Y-Yes!”

“Done…”

Both looked exhausted, faces pale. I glanced at their plates.

The curry looked decent, but the katsu was off.

One was charred black, another dripping oil.

💸 [Nickname: Anonymous] donated

🪙 30,000G!

💬 That katsu looks ROUGH lol

Both turned at the donation, embarrassed.

“Who’s first?”

“Mine’s probably the worst. Try it.”

Noona spoke calmly, but her eyebrows drooped.

“Alright.”

Yura and I sat at the central table. Noona carefully placed two plates before us.

Brown curry and pitch-black katsu—almost coal-like.

“C-Can we eat this?”

“I don’t think so. I’ll set it aside…”

Noona removed the katsu.

“Let’s try the curry.”

We clasped our hands.

“Thank you for the meal.”

“Thank you for the meal!”

I scooped curry and rice, tasting it.

“Hm.”

Very average.

Slightly sweet, standard curry flavor, decently seasoned. Nothing special.

“It’s okay, but it’s nothing like the curry in my memory…”

“I knew it.”

Noona tasted her curry, visibly disappointed.

She hadn’t been confident, but she’d hoped.

“Still tasty.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

Noona brightened.

“I-I didn’t say it was bad! Just different from my memory!”

Yura hurriedly clarified, taking another bite.

“I know. But this is about recreating your memory, so it’s a fail…”

“Can’t be helped. It’s not easy.”

“Let’s move on from the failure. Yura-nim, your curry’s next.”

“Okay!”

Yura jumped up, and Noona sat beside me. Yura returned with her plate.

“This is my katsu curry!”

“Hm, the katsu’s…”

Better than Noona’s, but soggy from un-drained oil.

“This looks tough to eat too.”

“Frying katsu is harder than it seems…”

Yura sheepishly moved the katsu to another plate.

“Let’s try the curry.”

We grabbed new spoons.

“Thank you for the meal.”

I took a bite of curry and rice.

“Hm…”

Sweetness spread, with caramelized onion and buttery richness blending smoothly.

“Wow, this is good!”

Noona’s eyes widened as she chewed.

“R-Really?”

“Yeah, definitely.”

“I was worried it’d be bad…”

“Yura, how close is this to your memory?”

Yura lowered her head.

“Very different… I tried, but it’s not even close…”

She spoke glumly. Noona patted her shoulder.

“It’s still tasty. That’s enough. Cheers.”

“Right, at least it’s good.”

“Now, only Haryul’s dish left.”

Noona shot a meaningful look.

“You were so confident. How close is it?”

“Expect greatness.”

Smiling, I stood, grabbed my plate, and set it on the table.

“Wow…”

“It looks so good!”

“Try it.”

I spoke politely. Noona casually picked up her spoon, while Yura gripped hers tightly with both hands.

“Thank you for the meal!”

Yura paused, spoon near her mouth, eyes wary.

Taking a deep breath, she finally took a bite.

‘Is it the same?’