First, the ingredient I started with.
“Wait, that’s seafood, isn’t it?”
“In Astram, where there’s no sea, to have this much seafood…!”
“But isn’t that a sea bug? Are you seriously planning to cook with sea bugs?”
“Ugh…! I can’t understand the Lizardman’s taste!”
It was shrimp.
The Coconut Company had gathered various products from the eastern continent and brought them to Astram, and this shrimp was one of those products.
Whether there were Goblin Mages or Shamans among the company members or they used artifacts to preserve it, the shrimp was kept quite fresh.
Carefully, I peeled the shrimp’s shell.
Normally, when preparing shrimp, the tail is often removed for easier eating, but since the goal here is also to show off to others, I decided to leave the tail on.
The visual of the shrimp’s red tail sticking out from the fried coating is impactful in itself.
After finishing the shell preparation, I split the back and removed the intestines.
Since the intestines of any creature tend to be bitter and fishy, it’s better to remove them unless you’re specifically cooking them.
Then, I washed the shrimp thoroughly to remove any remaining shell or intestines.
After removing the moisture on the shrimp’s surface, I seasoned it with a bit of salt and pepper. That’s it for the shrimp preparation.
With the shrimp ready, next was the coating.
No need to hide it—I’m making shrimp tempura.
But at the same time, what I’m making isn’t ordinary shrimp tempura.
While shrimp is indeed a rare ingredient in Astram, it’s not something exclusive to the Coconut Company.
Even the VIP Auction at Silverheart Company imports various seafood magically to sell to a select few VIPs.
But this is something no other company would handle.
Thinking that, I laid out the items I had purchased to make the coating.
The first plate held flour, the base of the coating.
The second plate held egg wash, which would act as an adhesive to keep the coating and shrimp together.
Since this shrimp tempura is characterized by a creamy flavor, I added cream to the egg wash to enhance the creaminess and give it a rich, milky aroma.
The third plate held the ingredient that would provide the crispy texture and be the main body of the coating.
For ordinary tempura, breadcrumbs made from dried bread would be used here…
But what I’m using isn’t breadcrumbs—it’s a special product from the Coconut Company, something no other company in Astram has.
It’s a processed product made from the fruit that gives the Coconut Company its name: Coconut Long.
As the name suggests, Coconut Long is made from coconuts. It’s that ingredient often sprinkled on Southeast Asian dishes, resembling snowflake cheese, giving off a coconut aroma.
Its true form is the inner part of the coconut, commonly known as the flesh (the inner part of the seed, where nutrients are concentrated), dried and finely shredded.
“What are those white, translucent crumbs?”
“Didn’t that lady just tell me it’s sawdust?”
“Using sawdust in cooking? Typical Lizardman taste…”
“No, think about it logically. Cooking with bugs and sawdust? That can’t be.”
As I divided it onto the plate for cooking, the onlookers muttered in disbelief.
While they were shocked by the rare ingredient when I was preparing the shrimp, they stared in amazement when I placed the Coconut Long on the plate.
Seeing their reaction, I became more certain.
Indeed, coconuts haven’t been imported to Astram yet.
I had half-expected this when Yuri couldn’t properly explain what Coconut Long was during her sales pitch.
Despite appearances, Yuri is the daughter of the Blossom Count family.
That means she’s tasted most of the luxurious or famous foods at least once or twice.
Even Yuri seemed to have never heard of Coconut Long, let alone coconuts, suggesting that coconuts are a plant native only to the western continent, not the eastern one.
“Hmm… Cooking with sea bugs and sawdust. I can’t accept this situation.”
“No, doesn’t it make you curious? What kind of dish will they make with sea bugs and sawdust?”
“Now that you mention it, I am curious…”
Anyway, with this reaction, it seems attracting attention is going smoothly.
I rolled the shrimp in flour, then the cream-mixed egg wash, and finally the Coconut Long, ensuring an even coating.
Normally, when making shrimp tempura, you’d straighten the shrimp’s back to maintain its shape, but for Coconut Shrimp, it feels more fitting to keep the shrimp’s natural curve.
Once all the shrimp were coated, I checked the pot on the makeshift stove I had set up on the side of the table.
I had preheated the cooking oil, and when I dipped a wooden chopstick into it, bubbles formed on the surface.
Just right.
Around 180 degrees.
The perfect temperature for frying not just pork or beef, but meat in general.
After confirming the temperature, I started placing the Coconut Long-coated shrimp into the pot one by one.
Sizzle.
At the same time, the Coconut Long coating on the shrimp’s surface met the hot oil, creating a lively frying sound.
The stimulating yet refreshing sound of oil bubbles rising and popping.
“Ooh…!”
“To think they’d fry sea bugs whole in oil…”
“What a stimulating sound.”
Even I had to admit that the sound of frying was captivating enough to draw the crowd’s attention.
Boiling, grilling, stir-frying, steaming, mixing—there are countless cooking methods, and if you ask which is the tastiest, it depends on personal preference. But if you ask which method is the most audibly stimulating, I’d say frying.
The sound of frying is so stimulating and captivating.
And after capturing their attention with sound, next is smell.
The fragrant aroma of Coconut Shrimp frying in hot oil soon filled the air.
Tap tap.
As the first shrimp was fully fried and removed to drain the oil, the aroma that had been faintly escaping the oil barrier now exploded, filling the space.
The savory aroma of tempura, combined with the soft, creamy scent of Coconut Long.
“…Gulp.”
“Swallowing saliva at a Lizardman’s cooking? Are you sane!? …Gulp.”
“You’re swallowing too!”
“T-This is…! My body’s acting on its own!”
As I fried each shrimp, I also prepared the sauce to accompany the Coconut Shrimp.
The ingredients were mayonnaise, pickles, onion, and vinegar.
The process was simple.
Finely chop the pickles and onion, mix them with a spoonful of vinegar into the mayonnaise.
It’s not a meticulously crafted sauce, but it’s good enough for a quick tartar sauce.
Fried seafood just isn’t complete without this sauce.
Plating the Coconut Shrimp and placing the tartar sauce in a smaller bowl, it was done.
Clatter.
“Here. It’s done.”
Today’s lunch.
Eastern-style Coconut Shrimp.
And quick tartar sauce.
.
.
.
As the dish was completed, the crowd, which had been chattering during the cooking process, fell silent, all eyes on my creation.
It was truly strange.
The always noisy market was now filled with silence.
Gulp.
The sound of someone swallowing broke the silence.
“Hmm. Judging by the reaction, the dish seems to be a success… Anyone want to try?”
“…T-Try?”
“What? Did that Lizardman just say ‘try’?”
“Is he really offering to share the dish he worked so hard on?”
The crowd, flustered by my offer, began to stir.
But I could sense their growing curiosity and appetite.
“This Coconut Shrimp, made exclusively with ingredients from the Coconut Company. Anyone want to try? I’ll give you a chance to sample a piece.”
Murmur murmur.
My words caused a ripple of confusion.
But.
“B-But this is made from goods sold by Goblins.”
“And it’s cooked by a Lizardman…”
“It smells delicious, but… fried bugs and sawdust? That’s a bit…”
“Suspicious…”
While their appetites were stirred, they hesitated, exchanging uneasy glances.
“As expected… It’s not easy.”
If prejudice against Goblins could melt away with just one dish, I wouldn’t have gone through all this trouble.
It was disappointing that no one stepped forward to try, but attracting attention with the cooking was already half the battle.
Even if I couldn’t get them to try it directly, the promotional effect wasn’t a complete failure.
Sharing the finished dish with Tirmel, Yuri, and Mina would still have some promotional impact, even if not as much as a tasting.
As I was about to suggest we eat it ourselves, a voice called out through the crowd.
“Ah! Kurt! Finally found you!”
That was when.
A voice calling my name cut through the market crowd.