Side Story 55. Heavenly Sweet Gold (2)

Countless dishes exist in the Central Plains.
Naturally, there are more than one or two sweet foods as well.
There were many dishes that captured people’s hearts and souls with their sweetness.
There were snacks like mooncakes and tanghulu, and there were also bread-like foods such as naiyou zha gao.
And there was also almond tofu, with its soft and springy texture.
It was a beautiful food made soft with rice and fragrant with apricot kernels.

But Cheongho didn’t know such dishes.
He had only made the dish Yi-gang had taught him.

Its main ingredients were eggs and sugar.
Flour and honey were needed as well.
Because both honey and sugar went into it, one could taste an intense sweetness.

Cheongho took the completed dish out of the oven.
Special cooking tools were needed to make it.
First, a wooden mold of suitable size had to be fitted together.
Then every inner side had to be lined with paper brushed with oil.
The prepared batter was poured inside and slowly baked in the oven.

After baking it for about thirty minutes, the top would cook to a golden color and take on a glossy brown hue.
At that point, nine-tenths of it was complete.
Since the top had a slightly burnt taste, Yi-gang’s method was to cut that part off.

Then it was cut into a rectangular shape.
When placed on a plate afterward, it looked as though a golden ingot had been set there.

“Complete…”

Cheongho muttered that, and Jin Li-yeon wiped the sweat from her forehead.
Looking only at the finished product, it seemed simple, but in truth, it was not.
It was a dish where baking it to the perfect point was important.
When Cheongho declared it complete, cheers burst out.

“Complete, it is complete! What in the world is that dish!”

The commentator shouted that as well.
Indeed, the dish’s appearance was unusual.
Compared to Central Plains dishes that pursued splendor, its form might have been too simple.
But because it resembled gold, in that sense, it stirred people’s curiosity.

Cheongho brought the dish before the judges.
The judges also seemed curious about the dish’s identity and leaned forward with interest.

“This is…”

Wang Ho-cheol let out a low murmur.
Cheongho recalled the time he had made this dish with Yi-gang.
Yi-gang always made extraordinary foods, so even these judges, who seemed to have eaten every dish under heaven, would surely not recognize it.

However, Cheongho could not properly pronounce the name of the dish Yi-gang had taught him.
The name Yi-gang had laughed and changed it to was “Sweet Gold from Heaven.”
Shortened, Heavenly Sweet Gold.
Was it not quite a good name?
Just as Cheongho thought that and was about to tell the judges the name of the dish,
Wang Ho-cheol slapped his knee and shouted.

“Is this not Gasujeora!”
“……”
“Gasujeora! It is a dish of Portugal.”

A chill ran down Cheongho’s spine.
Gasujeora (加須底羅). It was clearly referring to that gasudella or castella Yi-gang had mentioned.
On top of that, Wang Ho-cheol seemed to know that it was a dish from a country called Portugal.
Could it already be a famous food in the Central Plains?
Unlike Cheongho’s worry, fortunately, it was not to that extent.

“I did not know you could make a dish that can only be tasted in the palace… Even among special-grade chefs, only a few know the exact recipe!”

Wang Ho-cheol was impressed.
Fortunately, it did not seem to be a dish that could be commonly eaten.

“However, this time, it isn’t that surprising.”

Seok Sung muttered that.
Since the competition began, Cheongho had continued to make surprising dishes.
But Gasujeora did not shock them.

“Unless there is something different about it.”
“No, it is different.”

At that moment, Cheongho spoke firmly.

“It is different from other Gasujeora.”

Yi-gang’s Gasujeora would be different from ordinary Gasujeora.
Cheongho was certain of that.

Back then, Yi-gang had moved his arms like mad while cooking.

“Huuup!”

What he held in his hand was a bundle made by bending metal chopsticks together.
Yi-gang had named it a whisk.

Chal-chal-chal-chal-chal-chal!

The speed at which he stirred the batter was tremendous.
There were no especially special ingredients in the castella Yi-gang was making.
Egg yolks, sugar, and flour. The only unusual point was that it contained suyou, which Yi-gang called butter.
But what was clearly different from the orthodox recipe was that it had to be stirred tremendously before adding the flour.

“Damn it. Without a machine, the body suffers.”

It seemed to be a troublesome task even for Yi-gang, who was a master.
Yi-gang grumbled, which was rare, then diligently shook the whisk.
Then something astonishing happened.
The mixture of eggs and sugar gradually began to swell.

“Are you curious?”

When Cheongho, sitting on top of the cupboard, tilted his head, Yi-gang asked that.

“You are beating air into the egg mixture. Then very tiny bubbles are formed.”

The watery egg mixture had gained viscosity and become thick before long.

“Originally, it’s hard to do by hand, thankfully I have internal energy.”

Yi-gang mixed flour into the foamed egg mixture.
After putting that batter into the mold and placing it in the oven, he took out something new.

“And this is my own secret method.”

It was something like a water bottle made of wood.
He did not know what liquid was inside, but he could hear it sloshing.

“If you shake this…!”

Yi-gang began shaking the wooden bottle like mad.
This time too, it was shaking that surpassed human ability.
It was to the point where one felt sorry for the wooden bottle, as if it might break.

“Hoo, hoo… Do you want to try too?”

Cheongho’s eyes sparkled, so Yi-gang asked.
Cheongho nodded, and Yi-gang smiled as he handed him the bottle.
Since Cheongho, who had no hands, would not be able to shake the bottle, Yi-gang watched to see what Cheongho would do.
As expected, Cheongho could not shake the bottle right away and merely tapped it this way and that.

Then he suddenly bit the bottle with his teeth.
Soon, he began shaking his head wildly.

Chal-chal-chal-chal-chal.
“Hahaha.”

Yi-gang laughed.
Cheongho eventually collapsed from dizziness, and Yi-gang had no choice but to take charge of the rest of the cooking.

The taste of the completed Gasujeora was truly…

And the Cheongho of now had hands.
Just as Yi-gang had done, he could shake the water buffalo milk inside the bottle.
The water buffalo milk mixed with sugar had become thick.
He poured this over the golden Gasujeora.
It looked as though clouds had been placed on top of it.
Exclamations burst from the judges.

However, someone muttered indifferently.

“Hm, is that all?”

The one who threw cold water on the mood was none other than Ahim.

“Compared to mine, it is an extremely simple dish.”

The dish Ahim appeared holding on a plate.
It was a dish that did not seem lacking at all compared to Cheongho’s food.

“Baklava. It is a dish of Persia.”

The dish Ahim brought looked like square pieces of bread poured over with glossy honey and sugar, with crushed brown and green nuts placed on top.
In other words, it was extremely splendid.

“Since we finished at the same time, whose dish will you taste first?”

The judges whispered among themselves.
Meanwhile, Cheongho and Ahim stared each other down.

“Then let us taste the red side’s dish first.”

This time, the red side was Ahim.
Ahim served the baklava onto the judges’ small plates.
The judges examined this mysterious foreign dish from various angles.
All of them had already eaten Ahim’s food once.
They all knew how extraordinary Ahim’s food was.

They picked up the baklava with trembling hands and ate it.

Crunch.

A clear sound rang out.
Baklava was a food made by stacking layers of thinly rolled dough.
In other words, it had a texture far crispier than it looked.
And the sweetness of honey soaked into every layer of the pastry.
It was a thrilling sweetness, as if sparks were flying inside one’s head.
One could say it was excessive, but what about this flavor?
The richly melted fat and the texture of roasted nuts fully carried that sweetness.

Last time, everyone had shed tears after eating Ahim’s food.
Then what about now?

“Hahaha.”
“Wahahahaha!”

The judges all burst into hearty laughter.
Then they looked at one another with pleased smiles and repeatedly burst into laughter again.

“It is so delicious that laughter comes out. That is what this is.”

Ahim smiled as if satisfied.
The judges, who had tasted food with serious expressions, now looked like innocent children.
The judges devoured the baklava in an instant like mischievous children. Every one of them looked happy.

“It’s an excellent dish.”

However, there was one among them who did not laugh.
He was certainly smiling, but he did not burst into open laughter like the others.
It was Seok Sung.
This time too, he did not eat the food and only smelled it.

Ahim’s eyebrow twitched.

“Why do you not eat?”
“My stomach feels heavy.”
“……”

Ahim smiled faintly.
But his smile looked cold instead.

“Then next is the white side’s dish.”

Only after Seok Sung said that did the other judges come to their senses.
But their expressions were still softened, and it was clear that the afterglow of the baklava remained.

“Yes, well, we should taste it.”
“Let us do that, let us do that.”
“Though I’m a bit full.”

‘This is dangerous.’ Cheongho felt that.
The judges had already lost interest in Cheongho’s food.
With sweet food, one inevitably grows tired of it after eating.
Moreover, Ahim’s food was not ordinarily sweet, so from the moment Cheongho’s turn was pushed back, his odds of victory must have fallen.
Wang Ho-cheol and the other judges put Cheongho’s Gasujeora into their mouths.

“……”
“…Ohh.”

Then their eyes widened.

“It is tastier than I expected.”
“This aroma is extraordinarily soft. And how can it be this clean? It is sweet as well!”

The evaluation was better than expected.
But that was all.

“Hm… But it also seems a bit plain.”

Even the speed at which they ate was different.
In contrast to the baklava, which they had devoured in an instant, no one finished Cheongho’s Gasujeora.

“Huhuhu.”

In the end, Ahim couldn’t help laughing.
He had tried to see Cheongho’s face full of despair, but Cheongho was unexpectedly calm.
But that composure would soon collapse.
Just as Ahim’s mood improved, something caught his eye.
Ahim lost his smile in an instant.

“Mm.”

Seok Sung. He, who had not eaten food even once until now, was eating Cheongho’s Gasujeora.
The judges also looked at Seok Sung.
What change of heart had come over that eccentric old man?

“It is delicious. Truly delicious.”

He did not stop at a single bite, but ate every last bit of the Gasujeora placed before him.
A brief silence passed.
Seeing Seok Sung wipe the corners of his mouth elegantly, Ahim opened his mouth.

“Why?”
“What do you mean?”
“Why did you not even touch my food, yet eat that young Daoist boy’s food?”

Seok Sung suddenly burst into laughter.

“Euhehehet, hehehe. Yes, you are asking why… I ate it because it looked safe.”
“Because it is a Daoist’s food?”

Seok Sung didn’t answer and lifted the plate on which Ahim’s baklava had been placed.

“It’s not because he is a Daoist, you fool.”
“……”
“I simply learned who that boy is.”

Ahim glanced at Cheongho.
He knew the boy was unusual. He even knew that he was a Daoist belonging to Azure Forest.
But was there something else Ahim did not know?

At that moment, Seok Sung dropped the plate containing the baklava onto the ground.

Crash!

The plate shattered, and the baklava he had painstakingly made rolled across the dirt floor.

“Did you think all things in the world lay beneath your eyes?”

The atmosphere chilled coldly.

“So you knew.”

Ahim no longer smiled either.

“Then you must also know that today is the day your life ends.”

Ahim’s eyes shone bright red.

“Rise.”

It was not said to Seok Sung or the judges.
At that quiet word, dozens of people in the audience seats rose to their feet.
Every one of them had eyes glowing red.
They were Crimson Fighting Fiends.