Volume 10 Chapter 25 Shiratama Anmitsu
My magical kitchen has a cute little cooking station next to it, complete with adorable chairs for Eir-Eir and the other. As soon as Mer-Mer, who was perched on Sir Ciel's shoulder, jumps onto the fluffy macaron cushion and curls up, they start to snooze away. Eir-Eir and the other all huddle together and sit cutely.
"So, Lydia. What are you making? Strawberry parfait?"
Mr. Lucian asks, and I think for a moment, then snap my fingers.
"Since we've already had strawberry parfait before, I thought we could switch things up and make some sweets this time."
As I clap my hands, ingredients pop up on the counter with a poof! They appear with star-shaped sparkles. It feels like the goddess's kitchen has become even more delightful than before. Or maybe that's just my imagination.
"Is that flour?"
Sir Roxas raises an eyebrow, looking puzzled.
"It's sticky rice flour."
"sticky rice flour...?"
"Sir Roxas, have you never had it? Then I'll make some for everyone!"
Now that I think about it, I'm wearing a fancy dress, but somehow I've put on an apron over it, probably thanks to the goddess's kitchen. It's a cute apron with lots of frills. Maybe it reflects my taste, as the whole kitchen is decorated in lovely whites and pinks.
"You add lukewarm water to this flour and knead it."
After washing my hands in the goddess's kitchen sink, I fill a small pot with water and bring it to a boil. I gradually add the warmed lukewarm water to the sticky rice flour in a bowl, kneading it as I go. The flour quickly forms into a lump, becoming chewy and soft. It's about as chewy as Eir-Eir and the other.
Seeing the texture of Med in the glass tube, which looks all chewy and wobbly, made me want to create something similar.
"It's just flour, but it changes shape so much just by adding hot water."
"That's right. Making mochi can be quite a task, but turning sticky rice flour into shiratama is easy."
Sir Ciel seems impressed, and I smile back.
"Once it gets to about the hardness of an earlobe, we'll roll this into bite-sized balls."
"Even if you say it's like an earlobe, that's kinda tricky."
Mr. Lucian said that, so I pointed to my ear with my slightly white, glutinous rice flour-covered hand.
"You should touch it to check."
"Is it okay to touch?"
"...Lucian. If I see any ulterior motives in your words, I'll have the animals bounce you around."
"What kind of situation is that? Sounds kinda fun, though."
Sir Stefan seems really mad. I wonder what it's like to be bounced around. I kinda want to try it too.
"We have a lot to make, so can you help? We'll roll them into bite-sized balls, and we'll use black sesame seeds for the eyes and nose, so you can shape them like Eir-Eir and the others if you want."
"I see. That sounds fun. Can they be any shape?"
"Yep. But if they're too big, they'll be hard to eat, so please keep them small."
"Got it. Roxas, you can do this, right? It's just rolling them."
"Y-Yeah, I can do that."
When Sir Rail said that, Sir Roxas looked really happy. Now that I think about it, Sir Roxas has always been told to stay still during cooking, so he's never helped out before.
I figured rolling the dumplings would be fine for him, so I decided to ask everyone to help with that. In the meantime, I started boiling water in a big pot to cook the dumplings.
Sir Ciel is making a dumpling shaped like Ms. Famine.
Mer-Mer, who had been sleeping, lifted her head and let out a little "kyu," looking a bit envious, so I started making a Mer-Mer shape too.
Mr. Lucian is making a Nel-Nel shape.
We're lining up round little bunny shapes.
Sir Stefan is making a shape of his dad.
It seems tough to recreate the fluffiness, and it's turning into a floppy-eared dog face.
Sir Rail and Sir Roxas are making Eir-Eir shapes.
Sir Rail's Eir-Eir looks nice, while Sir Roxas's is a bit bigger and rounder.
But they all look cute.
We keep dropping the finished dumplings into the boiling water one after another.
Boiling away, the soft, bouncy shiratama floats up from the pot.
I scoop it out and dip it in ice water, then place the magic red bean paste I conjured into a glass bowl, arranging the cute shiratama around it.
I add little black sesame seeds for eyes and attach noses to the ones that need them.
I decorate with syrup-soaked mandarin oranges, vibrant cherries, and strawberries.
Inside the glass bowl, the little animals jiggle and shake.
They're so adorable.
Until now, I've been pretty busy, cooking even when I didn't have much time.
It felt great to make this dish with a relaxed heart, especially to help out Med, who had already finished her work ages ago.
"Done! Everyone, it's animal shiratama anmitsu together!"
Eir-Eir and the others gathered around, flapping their hands excitedly.
I made a lot, so there's plenty for everyone
After finishing all the cute decorations for the animal shiratama anmitsu that I'd love to sell as a product through Lobelia, I smiled, feeling accomplished as I admired the neatly arranged shiratama anmitsu.
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