[Creative Fiction x Recipe] Virtual Izakaya 'Shukoroku' Episode 31: Egg-Topped Somen and Sake
Introduction
Today's dish is 'Egg-Topped Somen,' where somen noodles float in egg whites, served with soy-marinated egg yolks and meat miso.
Enjoy a story of sake and heart-easing moments unfolding in a virtual izakaya, along with recipes and ingredient introductions.
Main Story
Step through the noren curtain and be enveloped by a small world.
Words unravel in sake, and stories are shared over appetizers.
What shall be recorded tonight?
Rio Shirasaki rarely gets lost.
In the five years since she started her own business, she has gained confidence that she knows the complex layout of government offices in Tokyo and the numbers of the alleys better than Google Maps. However, that night, she didn't know where she was walking.
"...I feel like it was around here."
Documents in her commuter bag on her right, her jacket in her left hand. The clock hands pointed to 5:30 PM. After finishing a permit application at the ward office just past evening, she had started to head home, but for some reason, her feet had changed direction.
She suddenly remembered a single document.
—Application for restaurant business, late-night liquor service, and entertainment business permit.
Five years ago, shortly after she became independent, she had handled a name change procedure for a certain izakaya. The name of the shop was, if she recalled correctly, 'Shukoroku'.
"...Found it, this is it."
The pale light of a lantern gently illuminated the plain white noren curtain without any writing on it.
If she remembered correctly, the name of the applicant at that time was 'Ikkon Mashiro.' She couldn't forget it just from the look of the characters. It had a ring to it, like a pen name.
Rio quietly stepped through the noren. The inside of the shop was surprisingly quiet.
"Welcome."
Seeing Mashiro turn around, Rio tried for a moment to match him with the document in her memory. His posture was straight, and his movements were calm. The impression was a little different from the ID photo on the resident record submitted back then, but there was no doubt he was the person behind the name.
"Just one person."
"Please, sit wherever you like. How is your appetite?"
"Well, it's a bit hot and I don't have much of an appetite..."
"Understood."
At that reply, Rio's memory suddenly clicked into place.
Shuto Takeshita, a teacher she had worked with recently, had tweeted on social media that there was an izakaya where you didn't order food, but decided the menu through just a brief conversation. Could that have been this shop?
"It's egg-topped somen."
While she was thinking about that, the food had already arrived at the counter. The bowl placed in front of her defied her expectations. In what was likely egg white, glossy somen noodles were swimming in the foam, and in the center sat meat miso and a deep orange egg yolk.
"...A somen version of egg-topped rice?"
"Yes. Just like egg-topped rice, please mix it well before eating."
Rio felt it was a shame to ruin such a beautiful balance, but as instructed, she stirred the contents of the bowl with the tip of her chopsticks. Then, she lifted a mouthful of somen, coated in egg yolk and meat miso. The foam of the egg white melted silently on her tongue. Then came the punch of the soy-marinated yolk and the meat miso. The somen transformed it all into a pleasant sensation as it slid down her throat.
“If you’d like. It’s a special junmai from Takashi.”
As Rio was absorbed in her somen, a small sake cup was placed on the counter. It was filled with a clear liquid.
“Thank you.”
She set down her chopsticks, picked up the cup with her fingertips, and took a sip. It was chilled, but not overly so, and the umami of the rice clung to her tongue. Then, the acidity seemed to wash it away afterward. She picked up her chopsticks again and slurped the somen. The richness of the egg harmonized perfectly with this moderate acidity.
“—This sake goes well with eggs, too.”
“Eggs are surprisingly versatile when it comes to sake. The key is the balance of temperature and saltiness.”
“Actually, I’m the one who handled the name change procedure for this shop five years ago.”
“Yes, of course I remember. Thank you for your help back then. The name ‘Shukoroku’ must have seemed strange, didn’t it?”
“Yes. To be honest, at first, I didn’t even know how to read it.”
At those words, Mashiro showed an apologetic smile.
By the time she finished the somen, the egg white foam had completely vanished. That fleeting nature left a mark on her heart. A meal that doesn’t remain in records, but only in memories. It seems such dishes truly do exist in this world.
The sake cup was empty, and Rio let out a deep breath.
“—I feel like I can get through this summer, too.”
Rio passed through the noren curtain once more. The second time, she felt as if she were wrapped in the sensation of being a white cloud floating in the sky.
Watching Rio’s back as she left, Mashiro Ikkon returned to the kitchen. Tonight, another sake appetizer had been recorded.
Back to Episode 1
Back to Episode 30
Continue to Episode 32...
Magazine: Virtual Izakaya 'Shukoroku'
Bonus Recipe
Separate the egg into white and yolk. Marinate the yolk in soy sauce, mirin, and sake, and leave it in the refrigerator overnight.
Make the meat miso. Stir-fry 150-200g of ground pork in sesame oil until the surface is nicely browned.
Add grated garlic and ginger, and cook until fragrant.
Add 1 tablespoon each of miso, soy sauce, sake, mirin, and sugar, and simmer until thickened.
Boil the somen, rinse under running water, then whisk it in a bowl with the egg white until foamy.
Top with the meat miso and the soy-marinated egg yolk.
Ingredient Introduction
Somen: A flat 1,000 yen. A summer staple.
Ground pork: Frozen ground meat is convenient to have on hand. Plus, it's pre-portioned.
Sesame oil: With sesame oil, the aroma is everything.
Miso: Delicious and low-sodium. It keeps well, so buying in bulk is a good deal.
Takai Tokubetsu Junmai: To go with the egg-topped somen.