"I've got the wheat flour. I couldn't find cabbage or yams exactly as I know them, but I found decent substitutes. Eggs are sorted, too. As for meat for the stock, I bought some chicken, so that should do the trick for now. I'll have to pass on the aonori since it's just seaweed here, and as for the sauce and mayonnaise... I'll just have to give up on those. There should be a sauce for things like grilled skewers, though. I'll have to make do with that."
Rei let out a sigh as he reviewed the ingredients he had scavenged from the market.
While he hadn't found actual cabbage or yams, he had purchased Kiberuku vegetables and Jacob potatoes, which looked close enough. He was quite satisfied with his haul. Normally, he would have headed straight to a blacksmith shop to commission an iron plate for takoyaki, but he first needed to see if he could even pull off okonomiyaki or takoyaki without kombu or dried bonito flakes. There was no need to commit to custom hardware just yet.
As he walked toward the Coral Inn of the Blue Sea with Seto, a familiar stall caught his eye. It was Arktos, the stern-looking man who had first recommended the inn to Rei, and he was already busy grilling fish.
"...Well, I might as well give it a shot here," Rei muttered.
It was just past nine in the morning, and the area around Arktos's stall—usually swarming with people—was relatively quiet. Rei approached the vendor. Even Seto seemed to remember the delicious grilled fish from this stall, letting out a happy purr as it followed close behind.
"Hmm? What's up, Rei? You too, Seto. You hungry? Want something to eat?"
"No, I didn't come to buy anything today. I’m actually working on a new dish. I was wondering if you'd be willing to taste it and give me your opinion?"
Arktos considered the request for a moment before snorting and nodding. "Sure, why not. I've got time before the lunch rush. Besides, if you're making something new, that means I get to eat, right?"
"Exactly. I'd appreciate the feedback."
"Hmph. Honestly, the adventurer who defeated the Lemures decides to start cooking? What is this world coming to? Fine, come on back. I've got a few magic item cooking utensils; if you need to use them, I'll show you how."
"That's a huge help. Seto, wait here. Why don't you munch on these for a bit?"
Rei placed several pieces of raw dried fish on a borrowed plate. Though they weren't grilled, Seto chirped happily, snapping them up with its beak. Rei watched with a side-glance, figuring that raw or cooked, good fish was good fish to a gryphon.
Rei handed a pot of water to Arktos. "Could you bring this to a boil for me?"
"Sure."
Arktos set the pot over a low section of the charcoal. Rei quickly chopped the chicken and added it while the water was still cold. Since he was only making a single portion, it didn't take long for the water to start simmering.
"Making a stew?" Arktos asked.
"No, this is dashi... a soup base, essentially."
"...Don't you usually add herbs to cut the gaminess?"
"Oh, right. Do you?"
Rei tilted his head. He knew his way around a kitchen, but in his old world, instant dashi packets were the norm. He had never really made stock from scratch, especially for something like okonomiyaki where he would usually just buy the premixed flour.
"Normally, yeah," Arktos said. "Want me to add some?"
"Ah, yeah. I'll leave that to you."
Arktos moved with practiced ease, adding long green onions, ginger, and onions to the pot. Rei watched, feeling glad he wasn't doing this solo. Rei tried to recall bits of trivia from cooking shows. He asked Arktos to pull the pot before it reached a rolling boil and moved to the next step.
He chopped the squid, shrimp, and octopus, minced the Kiberuku vegetables, and used Arktos's grater to process the Jacob potatoes. Once the chicken dashi had cooled, he whisked the wheat flour and eggs together, skimmed the foam off the stock, and mixed it all into a batter with the chopped ingredients.
"Doesn't look very appetizing," Arktos remarked, staring skeptically into the bowl.
Rei ignored the comment and had Arktos heat up the iron plate. He poured the batter on. "You can also layer the ingredients on top of a base of batter, but I personally think it's better when it's all mixed together."
"I see. And now you just flip it?"
"Yeah. You have anything I can use for that?"
Arktos handed him a metal tool that, while slightly different in shape, was clearly a spatula. Rei realized it made sense to have one in a world with steaks. He successfully flipped the okonomiyaki—a small test piece about twenty centimeters across.
"Ho... not bad for an amateur. This okonomiyaki looks a lot better now that it's actually cooking."
"Right? You usually flip it a few more times, but since this one's thin, it should be done soon. Arktos, can I use your fish-grilling sauce?"
"Eh? Sure, go ahead."
Rei drizzled the sauce over the seafood okonomiyaki. As the sauce hit the hot metal, it sizzled and sent an incredibly savory, charred aroma wafting through the air.
"Not bad," Arktos muttered, his nose twitching. "Not bad at all."
"See? It's done. Give it a try."
Rei cut a piece and handed it over. Arktos took it with a fork and bit in. Rei smiled inwardly at the sight of Arktos eating it with a fork—it felt oddly exotic. He served a piece to Seto, who chirped and began pecking at it eagerly.
Rei took a bite. The first thing that hit him was the sauce. It wasn't specifically balanced for okonomiyaki, so there was a slight discord, but as far as sweet and savory glazes went, it was quite good. The umami from the seafood filled his mouth, complemented by the crunch of the Kiberuku vegetables and the fluffy texture of the Jacob potatoes. It was missing the finer points like red ginger or aonori, and the chicken dashi wasn't a perfect match, but it was still objectively delicious.
"This is... wow. It's actually good," Arktos said, his stern features melting into surprise. "I didn't think something made so quickly would taste like this."
"Guru!" Seto let out a cry, its round eyes pleading for seconds.
Rei gave Seto another piece and shared the rest with Arktos. "It's called okonomiyaki—literally 'grilled how you like.' Usually, it's made with long green onions or meat."
"Grilled how you like, huh? The fluffiness comes from the potatoes, right? I can see a few ways to improve it..."
"I'll leave the perfecting to you," Rei said. "I'm just reproducing something from memory."
"Reproducing?" Arktos tilted his head.
"It's not common knowledge here, but I was raised by a mage in the mountains. He had books with recipes for dishes that have since disappeared. This was one of them."
"A lost art, eh? Interesting. Rei, do you mind if I sell this? Or tell others about it?"
"I don't mind. But... you might want to worry about the crowd first."
Following Rei’s gaze, Arktos saw that nearly a dozen people had already gathered around the stall, lured in by the violent power of the charred sauce aroma.
"Uh, Rei... could you give me a hand? I don't think I can handle this many people solo when I just learned the recipe."
"I guess I have to. What about ingredients? I only have what I bought for myself."
"Wait... hey, you!" Arktos barked at a regular in the crowd, handing him some copper coins. "Take this and go buy more Kiberuku vegetables, Jacob potatoes, and wheat flour. Now!"
"Huh? Me? Pops, I'm a customer!"
"Shut it! Just go! I'll make your meal free today. But if you bring back poor-quality stuff, I'll have your head!"
"Y-Yes, sir!" the man screamed, running off.
Arktos set more water to boil, already turning the leftover dashi chicken into a side dish. "Rei, let's make as much as we can. It's going to get chaotic."
"Got it. You handle the prep, and I'll do the grilling."
"Set the price at three copper coins for now."
"Isn't that too cheap?"
"Whatever. We're focusing on this today anyway, and I want to see how it moves."
They fell into a rhythm, the smell of sizzling batter drawing even more people.
"Oh, Rei-san? What are you doing here?"
"Rei? Wait, are you a street vendor now?"
Rei looked up to see Hendeka and Miroir standing there. It was a stroke of bad luck for them to arrive at such a peak; they were immediately drafted into service as temporary staff.
That day saw the highest sales in the history of Arktos's stall. Okonomiyaki became a local specialty overnight, eventually spreading from the City of Emocion to the rest of the Kingdom of Mireana and beyond.