In the ordinary life of Crayon Shin-chan

Chapter 1561 The Sauce for the Assorted Stew

Seeing their appearance, the owner smiled and asked, "Since you're here, would you like something to eat?"

"Is it possible?" Hiroshi asked uncertainly, after all, the other party had said it couldn't be done.

"I can make anything except scrambled eggs," the owner said as he walked into the kitchen, then looked at a bookshelf next to him: "I remember there's a cookbook here."

"...She doesn't seem capable of making anything decent." Looking at the other person's expression, Hiroshi's lips twitched, and he said speechlessly.

"I feel so," Mingxu nodded in agreement. After all, this guy didn't look like someone who could cook. Who would read a book to cook?

"Let me see, let me see." The boss was searching over there, and Xiao Xin had also run over and started rummaging through the things.

"Oh! I found the cookbook!" Shin-chan said, pulling it out and flipping through it. "Hey, this page is about okonomiyaki!"

"Huh? Ah." Upon hearing this, the shop owner subconsciously glanced at the note and saw the handwriting. His expression froze. "There's a note about my husband here! Ah! It mentions the secret sauce here!" the shop owner exclaimed upon seeing the contents.

Hiroshi and Akira quickly went over to take a look, and saw a few lines of small, crooked pencil writing on the cookbook: "The soul of the sauce lies in the heart. Two spoonfuls of red miso, three hundred milliliters of kombu broth, one spoonful of mirin, a little sugar, and finally add half a spoonful of Mom's pickled plum paste - this is the sweet and sour taste that Xiaomei likes, so add a little extra secretly."

When the shop owner saw the "mother's pickled plum paste," her eyes instantly welled up with tears. She murmured, "So...so he always remembered that I casually mentioned liking my grandma's pickled plums..." As she spoke, she wiped away her tears, then suddenly perked up, tied on her apron, and said, "You wait! Today I'll let you taste my husband's 'secret sauce'—a modified version of mixed scrambled eggs!"

Guangzhi and Mingxu looked at each other in bewilderment. Mingxu whispered to Guangzhi, "Dad, is she going to use a cookbook as a recipe book to develop new dishes on the spot?"

Before Hiroshi could answer, a loud crash came from the kitchen. The owner poked his head out, holding a broken bowl: "Oh dear, the kelp broth seems to be expired... Can I use cola instead?"

"Cola?!" Hiroshi and Akira exclaimed in unison. Hiroshi felt his temples throbbing. "Wait, Madam, cola and kelp broth are completely different things, aren't they? What will the sauce taste like if we make it like this?"

Shin-chan, looking on with anticipation, sidled up to the kitchen doorway: "Cola! I love cola! Adding it in will definitely make it sweet!"

The shopkeeper's eyes lit up, as if she had found a kindred spirit: "That's right! Little Xin is so smart! Adding cola to the sweet and sour flavor makes it even more in line with 'Xiao Mei's favorite flavor', doesn't it?" As she spoke, she unhesitatingly twisted open a bottle of cola and poured it into the pot, the hissing sound of bubbles accompanied by the bubbling of the caramel-colored liquid.

Mingxu sighed, rubbing his forehead, "Now look what's happened, the assorted stew is going to turn into a 'Cola stew'..."

Hiroshi watched as the owner frantically added miso to the pot, but his hand slipped and poured in too much. The black sauce instantly overwhelmed the color of the cola. He covered his face in despair: "It's over. Now even the sweet and sour taste is gone. It's turned into a culinary disaster."

The owner, however, confidently stirred the sauce in the pot with a spatula, giving them a thumbs-up as she spoke: "Don't worry! The essence of cooking is innovation! Look at this color, how appetizing!" As she spoke, she scooped up a spoonful of sauce and tasted it. She frowned at first, then relaxed, "Hmm... it seems a bit salty. Let's add a spoonful of sugar to neutralize it!" Hiroshi watched as she scooped in a large spoonful of sugar, and the sauce in the pot began to bubble and simmer, its color deepening.

"Dad, it smells... a little strange," Mingxu whispered, pinching his nose. The sweet, cloying smell mixed with a salty, fishy odor was truly indescribable. Xiaoxin, however, was completely unconcerned, even tiptoeing to peek into the kitchen: "Big sister, is it ready yet? My tummy is about to burst!"

"Almost done!" the boss said, then suddenly exclaimed "Ah!" and pulled a small jar from the cupboard. "Oh right! There's also this!" Guangzhi and Mingxu leaned closer to look and saw that the jar was labeled "Chili Powder." Before they could stop him, the boss had already poured half a jar into it.

"Now it has layers!" she said with satisfaction, stirring the sauce in the pot. The sauce immediately released a pungent, spicy aroma.

Hiroshi felt a throbbing pain in his stomach. He swallowed hard. "Um... Madam, we can't really handle spicy food..."

"Oh, it's alright!" The shopkeeper waved his hand, scooped up a spoonful of sauce, and held it to Shin-chan's lips: "Shin-chan, you should try it!"

Without thinking, Shin-chan opened his mouth, but as soon as he swallowed, he jumped up, his face turning bright red: "Spicy! Spicy! So spicy!"

He covered his mouth and stomped his feet. Mingxu quickly handed him a water glass, and Xiaoxin picked it up and gulped down more than half of it before he calmed down.

Looking at Shin-chan, the shopkeeper suddenly clapped his hands: "Ah! I remember now! Dried plums! We also need to add dried plum puree at the end!"

She turned around and rummaged through the refrigerator for a small jar of dried plums. Without even bothering to remove the pits, she chopped them up, skin and all, and threw them into the pot. The sauce in the pot turned a deep brown, with bits of plum flesh floating on top, making it look like a whole "experiment."

"Alright! The secret sauce is ready!" The owner came out carrying the pot, a proud smile on his face. "Now let's make the assorted stew!"

Guangzhi and Mingxu exchanged a glance, both seeing the word "It's over" in each other's eyes. The owner poured the prepared sauce onto the hot iron plate with a "whoosh," instantly sending up a thick cloud of white smoke. Accompanied by a sizzling sound, the strange aroma of sweet, salty, spicy, and sour flavors filled the entire small shop.

"Here! Try it!" The owner ladled the charred assorted vegetables onto a plate and pushed it in front of them. Shin-chan curiously picked up his chopsticks, took a piece, and chewed it a couple of times. Suddenly, his eyes lit up: "Hmm? It seems...not bad?"

Hiroshi and Akira were stunned. Hiroshi hesitated and picked up his chopsticks to take a bite. He frowned at the complex taste at first, but upon closer inspection, the salty aroma of miso, the slight sweetness of cola, the sourness of dried plum, and the aftertaste of chili powder were strangely blended together. Although it was not delicious, it had a unique flavor.

"How is it?" The boss looked at them expectantly. Guangzhi and Mingxu exchanged a glance and silently put down their chopsticks. A few pieces were fine, but any more would be too much.

Looking at the books on the counter, Mingxu suddenly noticed a line of small print: "Those are the secret sauces I researched, simply put, the Duofu Osaka-style okonomiyaki sauce!"

"Huh? So you didn't make it yourself..." Hiroshi was stunned, and everyone gathered around to look.

The shopkeeper took the book and read the line Mingxu pointed to: "It's cheaper to buy it on special days at the supermarket in front of the station... This information is fantastic!" The shopkeeper became even more delighted as he spoke.

"So, why are we bothering with this?" Mingxu looked at the culinary disaster he had just eaten.

"The secret sauce is the same sauce sold in the market."

"Okay, let's try again!" With that, the boss took out a bottle from the kitchen, made the mixed scrambled eggs again, and poured it on. A fragrant aroma wafted out, completely different from the previous one.

Everyone started eating together, and the owner nodded: "Yes, that's exactly the taste!"

"It is indeed delicious. The combination of this mixed scrambled eggs and the sauces sold in stores creates a miraculously wonderful flavor."

"This is the classic scrambled eggs flavor." Shin-chan nodded in agreement.

"At least it's better than that thing before," Mingxu muttered to himself.

"Thank you so much. This way I can continue running the shop my husband left behind. It's 250 in total." The shop owner said, pressing a few buttons and smiling at Hiroshi.

"Huh? You want to pay?" Hiroshi was stunned.

"Because it's business," the boss said with a grin.

"Sigh~" Hiroshi sighed. Oh well, it's not that expensive.

After paying and finishing their meal, everyone said goodbye and went home.

This experience was quite unique!

(*￣︶￣)~