The New Chef by kaoruhana
The New Chef
A/N: First Entry for SessKag Week!
Prompt: Nature and Eternity, Fertility and Growth, Youth and Vitality
Also cross-posted on tumblr and AO3!
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It was still dark when he pulled up behind the parking lot of the restaurant. He parked the car, centering himself for a moment, and took a deep breath. Once ready, he exited the car, locking it, and made his way to the door of his restaurant.
He unlocked the door by punching in the number code and then cracked it open, entering inside. His hands quickly found the light switch to his right, illuminating the back entrance. A few steps in, he turned on another light, eyes taking in the gleaming kitchen.
Rows of stainless steel countertops lay before him, clean and ready to use again today. Baskets and colanders stood ready at the side to house the farm fresh products that Koga would be bringing by later in the morning. Knives stood ready in a knife block, pans and pots hung from the ceiling. He admired the kitchen for a moment: his source of pride and joy.
This was the kitchen where he realized his culinary dreams, this was the kitchen he had refurbished from scratch after moving back to his hometown, away from the hustle and bustle of Tokyo. This was the kitchen that had helped him start a farm to table revolution in this rural countryside town in Japan, that helped him earn three Michelin stars.
This kitchen was his home away from home.
Done with the assessment of his kitchen, he set about preparing for the day by checking things: ingredients in the fridge and freezer, the quantities of rice and dough and cooking spices.
He had to think about what he had and what he could use to make the food for tonight’s dinner guests.
By the time he was done with his inventory, Shippo arrived with Koga, the two of them hauling in the day’s produce from the bed of Koga’s old pickup truck. They brought in boxes and crates of vegetables, a basket or two of fruits and tomatoes, and a large bag of shiso leaves ready to sort through and clean.
Sesshomaru stared at the boxes of ingredients set out before him. Koga stood off to the side, arms crossed waiting for an assessment of today’s vegetable bounty: okra and bell pepper, eggplant and a few goya, and as always the large box of ripe and juicy summer tomatoes.
Sesshomaru fingered the okra, testing the tip of each and checking to see if it seemed likely to give way. He nodded at the ones that did and frowned at the handful that were just a touch overripe. Each bell pepper and eggplant was prodded to check for firmness and brought up to smell before being set aside. The tomatoes were ignored, set aside for the assistant cook Shippo to begin preparing them.
Shippo knew what he was looking for in the tomatoes. They’d already planned soup for the day a few days ago.
“Only 11 goya?” Sesshomaru asked as he came to the end of the pile of veggies. He ran a hand over them, feeling the spiny ridges, turning them to check the coloring and ripeness.
“Got another batch too, but they won’t be ready till the end of the week.” Koga answered, pushing the sleeves of his plaid shirt up. “These were gonna go bad by then though so I thought I’d bring them over.”
“Hn.” Sesshomaru eyed the goya frowning. He wondered what to do with them.
He turned to address Koga again, ready to thank him for the food when the door to the kitchen banged open, and a young woman entered. She wore dark jeans and a pair of sneakers, a tank top with a sweater tied around her waist. Her hair was set up in a bun on top of her head, and she bent down, hands on her thighs, panting.
Sesshomaru moved his hands off the goya, brows furrowing, and eyes narrowing.
“Who are you?” He demanded.
The woman straightened, still a little breathless. “I’m sorry I’m late.” She explained. “I’m Higurashi Kagome: the new trainee chef.” She adjusted her sweater, tightening the knot. “My car got stuck in a mud pit back on the road coming here, and I had to jog here. Is it okay if I duck out after the lunch rush to get it?”
Sesshomaru dusted his hands on his own jeans.
“Higurashi you said?”
The young woman nodded, straightening fully now, standing tall and proud. He glanced over her. She didn’t look much like a chef, but his mentor Kaede-san had sung nothing but glowing praise on this woman she was sending to help him with the restaurant. Her first impression wasn’t impressive, but he admired her dedication to her new job.
“Hmm.” He looked away from her then at the array of ingredients before him. Even though Kaede-san had recommended her, he wouldn’t accept Higurashi in his kitchen just yet. Maybe a test or two to test her skills would be beneficial to see how useful she would be in his kitchen.
He picked up a goya and addressed her. “If you’re as good as Kaede-san said you were, then I suppose I should set you to work immediately.” He pointed to the eggplant. “We’ll serve eggplant tempura with cold soba today, and make the tomatoes and bell peppers into a summer salad with shiso garnish. Fried okra will go well with the dish along with some rice. But…” he held up the goya, “what should we do about this I wonder?”
Kagome walked forward, further into the restaurant’s back kitchen, pushing past Koga to look at the array of ingredients set out on the workspace. She stopped in front of the basket of goya on the other side of the table from Sesshomaru.
“May I?” She asked.
He arched a brow, inclining his head in an indication for her to go ahead, placing the one in his own hands into hers.
Her hands took the bitter, spiny vegetable, bringing it up to eye level. She looked at it carefully, checking the freshness and smelling it.
“Do you have onion?” She questioned after a few moments. “And some black salt and tofu...and soy sauce? We could stir fry it into a side dish.”
Sesshomaru crossed his arms leaning back against the fridge door behind him. “I don’t think we will have enough to feed the thirty guests booked for tonight.” He answered.
Actually, they would, if they adjusted the menu. He wondered if she would be able to pick up on that and make adjustments accordingly.
“You will.” Kagome assured, setting the vegetable down again and piquing his curiosity. All we have to do is make the tomato and bell peppers into a soup and serve the goya dish as a salad course.”
Sesshomaru frowned, crossing his arms again, golden eyes narrowing thoughtfully as he thought about her suggestion. Koga’s eyes darted from Kagome to Sesshomaru and back, shocked that someone would dare to question Sesshomaru’s menu choices in his own 3 Star Restaurant.
Shippo faltered slightly in washing the tomatoes, nearly dropping a few as the other cook’s eyes widened too. Miroku, who had come in from the front door a few minutes ago, stood behind him and stared concerned at the sight.
They all waited with baited breath to see what Sesshomaru would say.
“Make a sample batch of the soup and curry.” He commanded. “Let me taste it before we change the menu drastically.” He pushed away from the fridge and reached over to grab an apron from a nearby hook.
“Get to it Higurashi. I’m only giving you one hour.”
He wondered if she would rise to the occasion, to the challenge he was presenting her. He liked the way her mind worked, the adjustments she suggested for the menu. Now, she just had to prove they were feasible.
Kagome grinned as she took the apron from him. “That’s more than enough time.”
She approached Miroku and Shippo asking about the location of various ingredients and cooking equipment, even tasking Miroku with setting out a pan of sugared water for her.
“Just sugar in water?” He asked carefully. “And only three tablespoons?”
“Just sugar in water, maybe dissolved a bit but not enough for a sugar syrup. Just something to soak the goya in.”
Miroku nodded, setting the bowl of sugar water out for her. She cut the goya into thin rounds, seeds attached, tossing them into the water and giving them a quick mix. Next, she diced the onion and a bell pepper and crushed two tomatoes in a mortar and pestle along with some shiso. Sesshomaru raised an eye at this, but withheld judgement.
He had never thought to crush tomato and shiso together, but seeing her work with the ingredients now he could see the potential. The shiso would contrast well with the tomatoes and bell peppers, adding a minty, citrusy, basil like flavor to the dish. He wondered what else she would do and looked on curiously.
She set a large pot on the stove, threw in some sunflower oil, and, once the oil was warm, added the tomatoes and shiso. The sizzle and the aroma that came next had Sesshomaru raising a brow. She placed the bell peppers in the pot next, followed by salt and pepper, stirring all of the ingredients once before letting the vegetables cook down on their own.
Higurashi then placed a hot wok on the stove, heating it until it was blistering hot and smoke wafted off the pan. He waved to Miroku who nodded, throwing on the hood ventilation above the stove to take care of some of the smoke. She ignored it all as she spooned three tablespoons of sesame oil into the pot followed by sliced tofu and soy sauce, the ingredients sizzling and crackling beautifully in the perfectly seasoned wok.
As she did all this, Sesshomaru watched her with assessing eyes, taking in every act: the way she cut the vegetables, which knives she used, how much seasoning and ingredients went into each dish she made.
When the goya and onions hit the pot together, he stepped closer inspecting the wok. She added in a dash of sugar, some mirin for taste, and salt for flavor. And then she tossed the wok expertly, her small dainty hands having no trouble handling the large, hot, cast iron pot.
Sesshomaru was growing more and more impressed.
When she finally presented the soup and the goya salad, he had to admit, the smells coming from the food were enticing.
He dipped a spoon into the soup, blowing gently and bringing the mouthful to his lips. He’d seen her add spoonfuls of yogurt to the dish before blending it together in the pot, and wondered if the soup would taste like Indian curry.
Instad, it tasted rich and creamy, the sweetness of the tomato balancing the tartness of the yogurt and the spicy-sweetness of the red bell pepper. The shiso added a rich citrusy flavor to the dish, the perfect hint of summer in a seasonal soup.
“Hn.” He set the soup spoon down, and used his chopsticks to lift a large bite of the salad, onion and goya mixing in with the chunk of soya covered tofu.
The sugar in the sauce offset the bitterness of the goya just enough to make it palatable, the onions and shoya tofu and mirin doing the rest of the job in making the dish come together and alive.
“Hn.” He finished his bite and set his chopsticks down.
The entire kitchen awaited his verdict.
“Acceptable Higurashi.” He finally stated, a small grin appearing on his face. “Welcome to Chisan Chishou.”
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Who's excited for SessKag Week? I AM!
Note: Chisan Chishou according to my sister who actually studied Japanese means "Farm to Table" (or at least the closest translation of it).
Goya: if you've never had it, it IS bitter! We eat it in Indian cooking, and I can't stand it, but the rest of my family loves it! It's an acquired taste.