Mister Ajikko 34

Mister Ajikko Chapter 8

Tonkatsu without Deep Frying?!


Page 156

On Grave marker: Showa 57, 30th April

Ajiyoshi Takao


Page 157

Mum: It's been 5 years...
Mum: since Dad has passed away...

Mum: A lot of stuff happened since then, right?
Mum: Thanks to you, the running of the restaurant has been smooth sailing!

Mum: He was known as Housai* of Shitamachi.
Mum: Let's make him even prouder, okay?
*T/N Note: Take this to mean that Youichi's dad is a super famous chef. Shitamachi is a large area in Tokyo.


Youichi: Ehehe!

Mum: Well, let's wrap up this visit.
Mum: Why don't we have a bite to eat on the way back?

Youichi: Bye, Dad.

Youichi: ...Eh?

Youichi: Who's that?
Youichi: Someone is placing flowers on Dad's grave!

Mum: Ehh...could that person be an acquaintance of Dad's from Aomori?
Mum: What is he doing here?!

Dad's Acquaintance: ---Ahh, Mrs. Ajiyoshi! Youichi-kun!


Page 158

Mum: Ehh?!
Mum: You're closing the ekiben* store you've started twenty years ago?!
Ekiben refers to bento (lunchboxes) sold at or near railway stations ("eki" in Japanese).

Mum: But isn't your ekiben one of the specialty products to buy in that station?
Mum: Or even around the whole Aomori prefecture?

Mum: Furthermore, it's a taste that's been handed down by my husband.
Mum: I can't believe you're closing...

Dad's Acquaintance: Of course, that was the case in those days...
Dad's Acquaintance: But now, I can barely sell 5 boxes in a day.

Dad's Acquaintance: It's all because another bento store opened on the other side of the station!
Dad's Acquaintance: Their bento are delicious and have such a great reputation that they are selling like hotcakes, to the point where my bento are being ignored!

Dad's Acquaintance: This month, my contract with the station is ending.
Dad's Acquaintance: I thought that this may be the right time to close the store.

Dad's Acquaintance: I then remembered your husband who helped me during the beginning years of the store. He gave me a lot of advice, and I can't thank

him enough for that.
Dad's Acquaintance: That's why I came today to give him a report on what's been happening.


Page 159

Youichi: My dad's special bento is gonna disappear...?
Youichi: My dad's bento, which became a specialty product, is gonna end?

Youichi: Mister!
Youichi: How many days are left before your contract ends?

Dad's Acquaintance: Hmm, let me think...
Dad's Acquaintance: Around...ten days or so...

Youichi: Ten days, huh...

Youichi: Mister, I'll help you out!
Youichi: I'll make your store famous again!

Dad's Acquaintance: Ehh?!
Mum: Youichi!

Youichi: The bento that was created by my dad...
Youichi: I'll make it come back to life!


Page 160

Youichi: Uwah....
Youichi: Aomori is really far, isn't it!

Youichi: So then, where is that store?
Youichi: That store that's so popular?

Youichi: Wah!

Crowd: One bento! / Two here!
Crowd: Four for me!! / Oi, Give me three---!


Page 161

Bento competitor: Okay okay, please line up properly!! / Three for you, right! And five for you!
Bento competitor: All right, all right!! Thanks for buying!

Leftover customer: I gotta hurry! The train's about to depart!

Youichi: ....So...
Youichi: WHere's your store, Mister?

Youichi: Haha...
Youichi: Looks like it's going to be a tough bento fight.

Label on box: Original!
Maku no Uchi Bento
Oikawa Brand

Youichi: Now....
Youichi: First, we'll taste-test our competitor's product!


Page 162

Youichi: Wow! The servings of both the rice and side dishes are huge!
Youichi: The rice is tightly and neatly rolled up!

Youichi: The Maku no Uchi bento is really the king of bento!
Youichi: There are so many types of side dishes, I can't decide what to eat first!

Youichi: Okay, let's start...
Youichi: with Maku no Uchi's main dish: tonkatsu!


Page 163

Youichi: Delicious!

Youichi: The meat is tender and juicy...
Youichi: when I bite into it, the taste of the meat just fills my mouth!

Youichi: But the best part about the tonkatsu is...
Youichi: this coating!

Youichi: It's crispy when you bite into it while still being soft...
Youichi: It's not heavy and it doesn't reek of oil either, and it actually goes well with the meat!

Youichi: Furthermore, there's barely any greasiness and it's fluffy and light...
Youichi: Also, the oil that comes from the coating doesn't spoil the taste of the other side dishes or the rice!

Youichi: This has to be some high-quality panko*!
Youichi: Oridinary panko can't possibly produce such crisp and light coating.
*Panko is bread crumbs but processed in a different way to give a crispier texture and absorbs less oil.

Youichi: This panko probably...
Youichi: came from dried bread that's been smashed by the store itself!

Youichi: That's why it could produce this crispiness like a blooming flower!
Youichi: The coating...plus the meat..a truly unbelievable tonkatsu!

Youichi: Next is...!


Page 164

Youichi: This salmon teriyaki!

Youichi: Yum! It's good!

Youichi: The tare sauce* is exceptional!
Youichi: It's not overly sweet or spicy, a perfect condiment for the salmon!
Tare sauce (pronounced in two syllables) is a dipping sauce often used in grilling.

Youichi: Hmm...
Youichi: This hidden taste...

Youichi: ...It's ginger!
Youichi: There's ginger added to the sauce!

Youichi: The ginger adds some heat to the sauce...
Youichi: greatly boosting the deliciousness of the salmon teriyaki!

Youichi: Tonkatsu and salmon teriyaki...
Youichi: Both of these dishes have been perfectly designed!

Youichi: Now for the tamagoyaki*...
Tamagoyaki is an omelette that's been rolled over many times.

Youichi: There's even hanpen* inserted inside!
Youichi: It's fluffy and has a light taste!
*Hanpen is the East Asian kind of fish cake, made from surimi.


Page 165

Youichi: Now for the veggies!

Mum: Even those...
Mum: are really fresh!

Youichi: Moving on to...

Youichi: the turnip and...
Youichi: the pickled cherry blossoms!

Mum: Yumm, amazing!
Mum: The fragrance of the cherry blossoms is refreshing, while the amount the saltiness is just right! Ekiben just isn't complete without this!

Youichi: Next is the rice.
Youichi: Normally, a long time has passed when an ekiben is opened and the rice is eaten, and by that time, the rice becomes sticky and mushy...

Youichi: But the hardness of the rice here is just right...
Youichi: and it's not sticky at all!

Youichi: Wahh!!
Youichi: That was delicious!

Youichi: The side dishes, the garnish, the rice, These 3 elements of an ekiben are extremely important.
Youichi: No matter where it is being sold, there's no doubt it'll be a bestseller!


Page 166

Crowd: Amazing, you won't feel like you're in Aomori until you've eaten the bento here! / Yup! Yup! Before, I used to eat the bento from Kikuchi-Ya... /

But now that I'm eating the bento from here, I've stopped eating theirs.

Bento Competitor: Hyohyohyo!
Bento Competitor: It's a given that our store will triumph!

Bento Competitor: Over here is the vigor of a sunrise!
Bento Competitor: But over there, it's definitely closure for them!

Bento Competitor: In just 10 days, they'll close shop...
Bento Competitor: When they do, we'll set up another brach there, and we'll be able to sell twice as many bento!

Crowd: Ahaha! Awesome!!
Crowd: I look forward to it! In the meantime, 1 bento for me!

Youichi: The time limit is until the end of this month...
Youichi: Just 10 days!

Signboard: Specialty Bento Kitchen Kikuchi-Ya


Page 167

Dad's Acquaintance: So, You-chan...
Dad's Acquaintance: There are many things that make up a bento, so what kind of bento wil you make?
Youichi: Hmm...

Youichi: This is a challenge between by the taste passed down by my dad and Maku no Uchi!
Youichi: I'll fight back with all the same side dishes and ingredients that Oikawa uses, but all improved in taste!

Youichi: First is the main side dish...
Youichi: the tonkatsu!

Youichi: The Oikawa tonkatsu's coating was crispy and...
Youichi: the tonkatsu didn't feel oily at all!

Youichi: I reduced the amount of lard and used salad oil instead...
Youichi: By doing this, I'm trying to see if the greasiness will decrease!


Page 168

Dad's Acquaintance: Yum! It has a good taste!

Dad's Acquaintance: The coating is light and fluffy to the last bite...
Dad's Acquaintance: It's crispy, the meat is juicy and the taste as a whole comes through very well...this tonkatsu beats Oikawa's, no doubt!

Dad's Acquaintance: As expected of the skills passed down by Takao-san!
Dad's Acquaintance: With this, the tonkatsu is done, right Youichi?

Youichi: No...It's no good!
Youichi: This tonkatsu can't possibly beat Oikawa's!

Dad's Acquaintance: Ehh!!
Mum: Why not, Youichi?!

Youichi: This tonkatsu is not suited to be in a bento!
Youichi: Look at this!

Mum: This is...?
Mum: It's just tonkatsu on rice...

Mum: Ahh!!


Page 169

Mum: The oil is...
Mum: sticking to the sides of the box!

Youichi: If that happens, the other side dishes as well as the rice would be soaked with oil.
Youichi: The taste will change completely and won't taste good anymore!

Youichi: In Oikawa's bento...
Youichi: the side dishes weren't greasy, and they used a wonderful homemade panko to make the tonkatsu.

Youichi: But that special combination isn't easily copied.
Youichi: With only ten days available, we have to find another way!

Mum: What if we place some paper under the tonkatsu to soak up the oil?

Youichi: That's no good.
Youichi: The oil would just soak through the paper.

Dad's Acquaintance: But, Youichi-kun...
Dad's Acquaintance: if tonkatsu is deep fried, there's nothing we can do about the oil that comes out of it, right?


Page 170

Youichi: No, there is a way to do it!
Youichi: If I do it right, the oil won't seep out!

Mum: Ehh!!
Dad's Acquaintance: What kind of method is that?!

Youichi: Look closely, Mister!

Dad's Acquaintance: Wh...WHATT!!
Dad's Acquaintance: Whata re you doing?! If you throw the oil away, how will you deep fry the tonkatsu?!

Youichi: I'm not deep frying tonkatsu!
Youichi: I'm just going to pan fry them!

Dad's Acquaintance: Pan...pan...
Dad's Acquaintance: Pan frying tonkatsu?!

Youichi: Add oil 1 centimeter deep into a frying pan!
Youichi: That's all the oil you'll need!


Page 171

Dad's Acquaintance: What is this?!
Dad's Acquaintance: It looks exactly like a deep fried tonkatsu!

Dad's Acquaintance: Wah...


Page 172

Dad's Acquaintance: It's amazing!
Dad's Acquaintance: The heat penetrated through and the meat is plenty juicy!

Youichi: The coating is made thin so the heat could penetrate easily!
Youichi: With this, the other elements in the bento won't be drenched in oil!

Dad's Acquaintance: The meat juices are flowing non-stop...
Dad's Acquaintance: what will it taste like?!

Youichi: Wait!
Youichi: Don't use that yet!

Youichi: Try...
Youichi: and eat the tonkatsu without any sauce!

Dad's Acquaintance: Ehh?!

Dad's Acquaintance: It's...
Dad's Acquaintance: delicious!!


Page 174

Dad's Acquaintance: There isn't any oily smell...
Dad's Acquaintance: and the coating is very light!

Dad's Acquaintance: It's crispy, fluffy and soft...
Dad's Acquaintance: Pan frying also gives a good fragrance!

Dad's Acquaintance: The tenderness and juiciness of the meat is spectacular!
Dad's Acquaintance: The taste is on par with deep frying...wait...it's even better than deep fried tonkatsu!

Dad's Acquaintance: Furthermore, it's not exuding oil all over the box!
Dad's Acquaintance: This is the best side dish for a bento!

Dad's Acquaintance: However...!!

Dad's Acquaintance: This tonkatsu doesn't need a sauce to taste good!
Dad's Acquaintance: How in the world did you do it?!