#1145 The King of Fried Food

Hey there, it’s me again.

My grand plan for a mixer is finally showing signs of success.
Right after the event, I’ve already spotted a few new couples here and there.

When I first pitched the idea, everyone was all, ‘Are you out of your mind?’ or ‘Do you even know how guys operate?’
...But look at them now!

In the end, love always wins!!!

It’s all thanks to my using every last scrap of knowledge and guesswork to pull off this mixer!
Sure, we never did get around to the King’s Game, but oh well…!

There are even couples who are already thinking about marriage, which is fantastic.
Building a family and raising the next generation is how a country survives, after all.

Still, I have a few regrets about the mixer we held the other day.

Yes, the whole King’s Game situation is part of it, but…!

On top of that, there’s another vexing problem…about the fries.

No, the fries themselves were a huge hit. Everyone devoured them till not a crumb was left on the plate.

So, fries were totally fine. But there’s a realm you just can’t reach with fries alone.

In a lively drinking party, there’s one more crucial dish that stands alongside fries.

Karaage...!

Fries and karaage.
These muscle-bound brothers of the party menu are what truly ignite a mixer full of young people!

Sashimi and stewed giblets are for when you’re older.

But we couldn’t serve karaage at our last mixer…!
We didn’t have the supply chain for it yet.

Surprisingly enough, I’d never actually made karaage before...

You’d think I would’ve tried making it a long time ago, but maybe I’m just too old.
I can’t handle greasy stuff as well these days.

Anyway, I’ve decided to finally tackle making karaage, which I’ve been unconsciously avoiding all this time.

That way, I can host an even more exciting and wholesome mixer.

***

“Uwooooogh!!! I’ve come ‘cause I smelled something delicious!!!”

Veil.
She’s here already, huh.

Normally, whenever I whip up a new dish, she just appears out of nowhere, eager to be the first taste-tester.
But barging in before I even start cooking is a new one.

“I can’t contain myself waiting for your new recipe, Master! I, the glorious Grinzel Dragon, Veil, will lend a hand so we can finish it at supersonic speed!!!”

What’s she even going on about?
Usually, a character who lives for food would just get in the way, but for some reason, Veil’s different; she actually helps.

She’s gotten pretty good at cooking on her own these days.
She can even make ramen from scratch.
If I say “Do the prep,” she’ll handle it all.

“All right! Then let’s team up and make some karaage, Veil!”
“To the kitchen we gooo!!!”

Time to make karaage. Step one: chicken.

“Well then, to make karaage, we’ll need to go hunt some chickens first.”
“This is already a step you’d never see on a normal cooking show.”

Can’t be helped.
This isn’t some TV studio—this is a fantasy world.
We don’t have supermarkets neatly stocking chicken parts.

If you want a particular cut of meat, you’ve got to do a monster hunt and break it down yourself.

And so, we head into the mountains in search of a bird-type monster.

“Master, are we going to my dungeon?”

Yep.
Chickens don’t exactly hang out in cave dungeons.

We enter the mountain, and soon we run into a bird monster that looks like a chicken at a glance, but actually flies. Its name? Frie D. Chikin!

Being a monster from another world, it’s insanely strong and bombards us with a variety of attacks!

“Bump of Chicken (Chicken Impact)!!!”

Gwooooh?!

“Colonel Thunders (Thunder Magic)!!!”

Gyeeeeh!!!

After a fierce battle, we finally bring it down.
Thank you for your life.
I promise we’ll elevate you to your highest calling: as a delicious meal.

Meanwhile, while I was busy gathering ingredients, Veil took care of everything like we planned.

“Master, I went ahead and prepped the marinade and batter.”

She’s definitely the type who can handle all the basic prep on autopilot.

All right, we’ve got everything ready!!!
Time to get cooking!!!

We’ve got the chicken cut into the perfect size!
Thighs and breasts!

As for livers, hearts, and tail pieces…those would work better for yakitori.

We marinate the thighs and breasts in a mix of seasonings, letting all that flavor seep in!

“Ooooh, so that’s how you get flavor into the meat itself, huh?”

Exactly.
Once the meat has that robust seasoning, it’s no wonder younger folks love it.

After the chicken is well-marinated, we coat it in a blend of flour and starch.
Make sure every inch is covered...then plop it into the hot oil!!!

Veil, is the oil at the right temperature?!

“Leave it to me! My Dragon Breath has heated it to 96 million degrees!!!”

That’s way too high.
The chicken would evaporate in a second.

Also, no regular oil even reaches that temperature. Are you sure it’s normal oil?

Yet, somehow, it still fries up just fine.

Once done, we drain the excess oil, toss on some shredded cabbage, and voila, karaage complete!!!

“Uwoooaaaaah! It’s finally finished, huh?! It looks amaaazing!”

Veil is practically beside herself with excitement at how good it turned out.

This is the mixer’s lethal weapon: karaage.
Serve it up with fries, and the youngsters will be smiling from ear to ear.

High-calorie, rich, and greasy.
Who among today’s youth could resist that? Nobody.

All right, let’s taste it!
Time for a sample!

“Okay, time to drizzle some lemon over it!”

Hang on.
Why’re you jumping straight to that?

“Huh? Because you’re supposed to squeeze lemon juice over karaage, right?”

Where’d you pick that up?
I’m not against lemon, but deciding whether or not to use it can spark a war at a drinking party!!!

“Well, I don’t know the details, but you never know till you try! Here goes...lemon juuuice!”

Hey, hey, hey! Wait!
Don’t crush a whole lemon in your hand!
Do you realize how much juice is in there?!

So, you know about lemon, but not the right amount?!

 “People haven’t been appreciating my dragon strength lately, so I wanted to show off a bit. Awesome, right? A piece of fruit squishes like a raw egg when I squeeze it!!!”

Yes, yes, we know you’re strong because you’re a dragon!
But this is not the time or place to flex your muscle power, is it?!

Sure, lemon’s fine. But at least try it as-is first!
That’s the normal way to enjoy food!

“You’re right! Let’s dig in while it’s piping hot, without any toppings!”

Crunch… psshh…!

“Holy mooooooooooly!!! This is delicious! The outside’s so crispy, and the chicken’s all tender and juicy inside! There’s so much flavor squirting out every time I bite— Aaah, my mouth is on fireeeeeeeeeee!!!”

Looks like it’s a big hit.
Freshly fried food does pack some serious heat.
Was there really that much juice?

“If I weren’t a dragon, I’d have scorched my mouth! But hot is what makes it so good! Food is always best fresh off the stove!!!”

Veil’s hype is off the charts.
Mm, the karaage itself turned out awesome, too.

And that means we’ve got yet another key item to power up our mixers.
Our nation’s mixer game just got a whole lot stronger!!!