Mister Ajikko 43

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Mister Ajikko
Chapter 8 Squid Curry [tn: chapter 43 overall]
※In the picture, there are faces of members of STUDIO SID. How many do you know? (Answers are at the bottom)

Upside down text at the bottom: Terasawa (the left sand cloud), Kurabata (the sand below the crab), Shidaya (the rock on the right), Hayashi (the bubble above the rock), Kozue-chan (the crab)

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Youichi: Adding the feet of the turban shells to the curry roux...

Youichi: will bring out the savoriness of the flavor of the sea!

Youichi: With this, / the roux is complete!

Youichi: All that's left
Youichi: is to choose the things to go into the curry!

Youichi: Alright! I'll head back to the fish market,
Youichi: and try to pick them out myself.

Banner: Central Wholesale Market


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Youichi: Hmm... what should I go with?
Youichi: There are so many varieties, I can't choose.

Fishmonger: Hey, kid, are you gonna buy?
Fishmonger: All of the fish here are fresh, ya know.

Youichi: So annoying~
Youichi: and I'm not a kid~

Youichi: That's...

Youichi: Konishi Kazuya!!

Youichi: He came here after all, huh...
Youichi: This market is the largest around this area.

Kazuya: Blue mussels, asari, scallops, and...
T/N Note: Asari is the Japanese name for the species of clam Venerupis philippinarum.
Kazuya: Include those prawns and crabs as well.


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Another fishmonger: You alright, mister? Can you carry'em?
Youichi: How...

Youichi: I see, Konishi-san got a lot of types of shellfish.
Youichi: He's probably planning to make a shellfish curry.

Youichi: Oh, another one.

Youichi: It's Shimonaka-san this time!
Billboard in the background: Turban shells

Bodyguard: We've searched in the other markets, and
Bodygaurd: we believe that this place sells the best of what you're looking for.

Motoyuki: Hmph...
Sign next to fish: Kinmedai
T/N Note: Golden-eyed snapper (Beryx splendens)

Motoyuki: The color, luster, shape and springiness are all fine.
Motoyuki: This place really is the best.

Motoyuki: Give me all these kinmedai!
Motoyuki: These ones that are all lined up!

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Youichi: Kinmedai... a white fish!
Youichi: I've heard about it before... white fish matches really well with curry!
Handwritten text: What's this kid doing?

Bodyguard: Get them to the refrigerated truck, quickly!
Bodyguard: We mustn't let the freshness degrade even a litte bit!

Youichi: They're even using a refrigerated truck.
Youichi: They're rich...!!

Youichi: Konishi-san is using a lavish amount of shellfish in his curry.
Youichi: Shimonaka-san is using a white fish in his seafood curry.

Youichi: I don't see Kazuma around, but
Youichi: he may have already bought his.

Youichi: What should I
Youichi: use as my main ingredient?

Youichi: Prawns.

Youichi: Asari.

Youichi: Blue mussels.


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Youichi: If it's fish, there's hundreds or even thousands of types.
Youichi: Which of them should I use!?

Fishmonger 1: Hey!

Fishmonger 1: Don't go fiddling with my merchandise for no reason!
Fishmonger 1: What happens if you ruin its freshness?!

Fishmonger 1: This isn't a place for children!
Fishmonger 1: This isn't a playground, go home, go home!

Youichi: Why you...!

Fishmonger 2: You idiot!
Fishmonger 1: Wha-

Fishmonger 2: How rude can you be?!
Fishmonger 2: A child is still a customer!

Fishmonger 2: The child from before
Fishmonger 2: bought a splendid spiny lobster from us, right?

Youichi: Mister, about that child...!
Fishmonger 2: Hmm!?

Fishmonger 2: Oh, you know him?
Fishmonger 2: He had a protruding tooth around here, spoke with a Kansai dialect and was really lively.

Youichi: That's Kazuma!

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Youichi: He's gonna use spiny lobster in his curry! / But spiny lobster isn't a regular ingredient in curry! / What kind of curry could he be making?!

Youichi: Konishi-san's using shellfish, Shimonaka-san's using white fish, and now Kaqzuma is using spiny lobster!
Youichi: If I don't use something original and surprising, I won't stand a chance at winning!

Youichi: Mister!
Youichi: Other than shellfish, fish and prawns, is there anything you recommend today?

Fishmonger 2: Not fish, shellfish or prawns...
Fishmonger 2: Hmm...

Fishmonger 2: What you want is squid then!
Fishmonger 2: They're huge, the flesh is springy, it's our best produce!

Youichi: Squid, huh!

Fishmonger 2: Yup! You won't get such quality squid anywhere else!
Fishmonger 2: Curry you make with this will definitely stand out!

Youichi: Mister, give me fifty squids!
Fishmonger 2: Fifty it is!


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Sign: Hinode Eatery

Youichi: Hmm, that mister was right, the squids are thick, fleshy and look wonderful.
Youichi: It'll be a really good ingredient for curry.

Youichi: Okay, time to get serious!
Youichi: It's my turn to show the skill of Ajiyoshi Youichi!


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Youichi: To the roux that smells of the seashore thanks to the turban shells,
Youichi: I'll add the squid.

Youichi: Scoop some rice next to it...

Youichi: Mum!
Youichi: It's time for you to taste-test.

Mum: It's delicious!

Mum: The squid is tender and sweet, and fits perfectly with the roux!
Mum: I didn't know squid goes so well with curry.

Mum: The aroma of the seashore is really coming out as well.
Mum: This seafood curry definitely brings to mind an image of the sea!

Youichi: Yeah,
Youichi: you're right!


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Youichi: It was pure coincidence that I discovered squid as an ingredient.
Youichi: The fact that squid goes so well with curry is a big discovery!

Mum: Even the rice that you used for the curry is cooked nicely,
Mum: it's fluffy soft, and wonderful.

Youichi: Rice...
Youichi: The rice!?

Mum: ...?
Mum: What's wrong, Youichi!?

Youichi: The roux has the bounty of the sea packed into it,
Youichi: the ingredients I put into it gave it the best seafood flavor.

Youichi: But this rice...
Youichi: This rice doesn't fit in with the curry!

Mum: Ehh!?


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Youichi: The rice doesn't have the flavor of the sea at all!
Youichi: I can't call this rice part of seafood curry!

Mum: The rice...
Mum: doesn't have the flavor of the sea, you said?

Mum: But there's nothing you can do about it, right?
Mum: It's something that can't be helped.

Mum: The only way you could get the flavor of the sea into the rice is if you steamed the rice in the roux.
Mum: But if you did that, you'd get in something akin to watery porridge.

Mum: Nobody would think that that's delicious,
Mum: much less even eat it.

Youichi: Right, there's no way I'm steaming rice in that way.
Youichi: But it's necessary for the rice to have that flavor!

Youichi: I need the rice to be packed with the scent of the seashore somehow!
Youichi: That's the essence of a seafood curry!

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Mum: Hmm~

Mum: Unreasonable.
Mum: You're being unrealistic.
Mum: Time and again, why must you always aim for such perfection~

Youichi: Mum.
Youichi: Take a look.

Mum: Wow~
Mum: The squid smells really good.

Youichi: If a steak has all those juices in it,
Youichi: then squid might produce a large amount of savoriness of the sea.

Youichi: The savoriness has to permeate the rice.
Youichi: If not, the seafood curry won't have any meaning.

Mum: You're right.
Mum: It's as you said.

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Youichi: But...
Youichi: How will I do that?

Youichi: How will I get the savoriness of the squid
Youichi: to soak into the rice perfectly!?

Youichi: I got it!
Youichi: If I use that method...

Youichi: it'll probably work!
Youichi: The umami flavor of the squid will envelop the rice completely!

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Mum: Dumping rice onto a frying pan...
Mum: Are you frying rice? How is that related to the squid?

Mum: Curry powder!?

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Youichi: Okay!
Youichi: Done frying!

Mum: What is... this is just dry curry, isn't it?
Mum: Where is the umami flavor hiding in there?

Youichi: Hehe~
Youichi: The umami flavor-adding starts now! This is the curcial moment!

Youichi: Take that squid over there.

Mum: This?


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Mum: What is he thinking of...!?

Youichi: Ah, wait!
Youichi: Don't slice it, Mum!

Youichi: I'll use
Youichi: the squid whole!

Mum: What did you say!?

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Youichi: I did it, it's perfectly done!
Youichi: This is my seafood curry!

Youichi: Yahoo~
Youichi: I did it~ I did it~

Mum: Seafood...
Mum: curry?

Mum: I can that there's seafood, and there's curry, but
Mum: where's the rice that's essential to the dish!?

Youichi: Rice?
Youichi: Did you say rice?

Youichi: Look at this, Mum!


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Mum: Ah...
Mum: AHH!

Mum: That dry curry is...
Mum: inside the squid!?

Youichi: Okay, Mum, time to taste-test!
Youichi: Have a bite!


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Mum: Gulp.

Mum: Delicious!

Mum: The umami from the squid has perfectly diffused through the rice!
Mum: The rice itself is superbly packed with the umami flavor of the sea!

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Mum: The squid is wonderfully tender as well!

Mum: The feet of the turban shells has given the roux a marvelous aroma of the sea.

Mum: The roux, squid and rice have combined and...
Mum: their flavors all melt together in my mouth.

Mum: The roux, ingredients and rice all give out the aroma of the sea. They meld together to form a harmonious flavor.
Mum: This is definitely it! Youichi-style seafood curry!

Youichi: This is it!? No way, it all starts from here!
Youichi: I need to give it my all... / No matter what it takes, I'll advance to the next round!!