[Creative Fiction x Recipe] Virtual Izakaya 'Shukoroku' Episode 29: Bitter Melon and Myoga Ginger Pasta and Sour
Content Introduction
Today's dish is the refreshing, bitter, tropical summer 'Bitter Melon and Myoga Ginger Pasta'.
Please enjoy the stories that unfold in the virtual izakaya, the heart-warming tales, and the introduction of recipes and ingredients.
Main Story
Pass through the noren curtain and be enveloped in a small world.
Words unravel in the sake, and we talk over appetizers.
What shall be recorded tonight?
As I ran up the station stairs, a swirling heat brushed against my face. The heat stored in the concrete felt as if the ground itself were angry. Hiroshi Haga glanced at his watch and shrugged his shoulders. 5:52 PM. Eight minutes until the promised time.
I turned into a narrow street a little way from the station. The steamed air seemed to stick to my throat. Sweat soaked into the back of my T-shirt, and the backpack straps dug into my skin. Even so, today of all days, even this heat was something to be welcomed.
I was meeting Waku Akutsu, an aspiring novelist I had connected with through an Instagram DM. It started with an essay collection called 'The Poetics of Chairs' that I had read. The recommendation comment on the obi said, 'It was a book like a chair that sits in your memory,' and I was drawn to the name and looked it up. When I posted about it, I got a response from the author himself, which was a surprise.
'Shall we talk at a place called "Shukoroku"?'
That simple message felt just right for me at the moment.
When I passed through the white noren curtain, Waku was already sitting at the counter.
'You must be Hiroshi-san. Please, sit next to me.'
'-It's really you. Your voice is low, isn't it?'
'I get that a lot.'
As Waku prompted me with a laugh, Ikkon Mashiro bowed from behind the counter. Wearing a samue and an apron, his movements were efficient and precise. Hiroshi naturally straightened his back and accepted the water.
'Are you hungry?'
'No, I might not be very hungry... Could I have something light?'
'Understood.'
The kitchen fire was lit. The olive oil warmed up, and the garlic released its aroma like a low growl. Pork was added, and the savory scent of meat drifted over. The sound of a knife thinly slicing bitter melon. The sound of myoga ginger bouncing on the cutting board.
'You're from Okinawa, right?'
'Yes. Naha. I used to eat bitter melon stir-fry almost every week.'
'Isn't the Tokyo summer hard for you?'
'...More than the heat, it's the smell. I'm not very good with the smell of concrete.'
'I understand.'
A brief silence fell between the two of them. Before long, sounds came from the kitchen again. The sound of boiled pasta being added to the pan, soaking up the juices. Bitter melon and myoga were added and stir-fried together. The aroma changed. Char, herbs, and a faint sweetness.
'Sorry to keep you waiting. Here is the bitter melon and myoga ginger pasta.'
The dish served on the plate was surprisingly colorful. A contrast of deep green and reddish-purple. Beyond the steam, the contours of summer wavered vaguely.
Hiroshi picked up his fork, speared some bitter melon and myoga, carefully wrapped the noodles around them, and brought them to his mouth. The thin noodles slid lightly over his tongue while mingling with the oil. The bitterness of the bitter melon came first, followed by the refreshing myoga. In between, the garlic and chili pepper flickered like small flames.
'Here is your Shikuwasa sour.'
A pale, yellowish-green liquid was placed on the counter. Hiro received the glass and took a sip. A sharp tingle ran down the back of his throat. The mixture of bitterness and acidity seemed to strip away the heat.
“—Ah, this brings back memories.”
Hiro muttered to himself.
“Did you drink this at home, too?”
“No, actually, I only started drinking it after I came to Tokyo. But, somehow... it’s a flavor that reminds me of where I came from. I moved to Tokyo because I wanted to start a business, but it feels like I brought my sense of taste with me from Okinawa.”
Waku nodded in agreement.
“I moved to Tokyo because I wanted to write novels. When I was struggling because I couldn't describe sound, fried rice reminded me. That memories of sound can be pulled out through taste.”
“—I think I understand that. We were three brothers, all boys. My mother would cook while working, and it was always hectic. But the sound of stir-frying bitter melon was strangely quiet and special.”
“Special?”
“Maybe because my brothers would leave it behind for being too bitter, it felt like a dish just for me. I remember eating it in silence, and my mother watching me and smiling faintly.”
Waku tilted his glass slightly.
“Just as there are chairs that aren't complete until someone uses them, I feel like there are memories that aren't complete until they are eaten.”
“—You wrote that on the obi strip, didn't you?”
“Yes, I was happy that you picked it up.”
For a while, Hiro alternated between the pasta and the sour, while Waku watched from the side, and the time spent drinking quietly continued. Eventually, Mashiro spoke up.
“Bitterness awakens scent. Memories, too, in the same way.”
At those words, Hiro looked up, startled.
“May I make a note of that?”
“Of course.”
Hiro wrote in his smartphone memo.
—Bitterness also awakens memories. The sounds of summer awaken.
“Thank you for today.”
“Likewise. Someday, a reader sitting in a chair might encounter the recipe you developed.”
“Then, that chair will probably be green.”
The two enjoyed that short summer moment while exchanging light banter.
Hiro passed through the noren curtain once again. The second time, carrying the scent of a distant southern sea breeze.
After watching Hiro’s back as he left, Mashiro Ikkon returned to the kitchen. Tonight, once again, a single dish and drink had been recorded.
Return to Episode 1
Return to Episode 28
Continue to Episode 30...
Magazine: Virtual Izakaya 'Shukoroku'
Bonus Recipe
Drizzle olive oil into a frying pan, then heat the minced garlic and chili pepper until fragrant.
Add the salted pork and brown it.
Pour about 400cc of water into the pan and bring to a boil. (Adjust the amount of water according to the pasta's cooking time.)
Add the 7-minute pasta and cook.
For the last 30 seconds or so, when the water in the pan has mostly evaporated, add the thinly sliced bitter melon and julienned Japanese ginger, and toss quickly.
Ingredient Introduction
Pork belly block: Salting it helps it keep. It's convenient to have on hand to use in dishes little by little.
Pasta: This is the one I recommend for pasta. It's made with a bronze die, so it coats well with sauce.
Olive oil: The best balance of flavor and price. Great for everyday use.
Shikuwasa: Having one bottle is convenient for all sorts of things, from drinks to cooking.
Ryukyu Awamori Kaito: Good to drink as is. Also great for mixing into a sour.
Carbonated water: Keep it in the fridge and try mixing it with anything at any time. The label-less version is also a nice touch.