[Analyzing Dish]: Grilled Unagi Rice (Unagi Don)
[Quality]: Silver (Low-tier)
[Analysis: 2%]
[Note]: The main ingredient is Japanese freshwater eel...
As soon as the dish entered Sora's mouth, the system notification chimed in his mind. But he didn't care about that right now—he was too busy stuffing his mouth with the delicious eel.
The sweetness of the sauce blended perfectly with the slightly charred grilled eel. The timing was spot-on; as his teeth sank into the eel flesh, he could feel the soft texture and juicy fat bursting inside his mouth. Combined with the sweet and spicy tare sauce, the flavor was an absolute masterpiece!
Of course, eating too much eel can become a bit greasy, but that's exactly when the shredded egg and rice underneath came into play. The rice helped balance things out, and when mixed with the savory-sweet sauce, it became utterly addictive—his chopsticks just couldn't stop moving.
With his head nearly buried in the bowl, Sora devoured the unagi don like a man possessed. He didn't even bother to sit down—delaying even a second felt like insulting the dish.
Now he finally understood why Genta from Detective Conan was so obsessed with unagi don. This stuff was ridiculously good!
The taste brought to mind a lazy summer day by the river—playing and splashing in the water, only to catch a bunch of eels swimming by. Then, grilling them together with your friends while laughing and chatting by a small fire on the riverbank. It was a deeply nostalgic and satisfying image.
"This portion's way too small though! Just one little bowl—who's that supposed to satisfy?"
Once Sora snapped back to reality, he noticed that his bowl was completely empty—not a single grain of rice left. Meanwhile, the others had only just sat down and hadn't even lifted the lids off their trays.
"You finished it in under a minute? That's kind of impressive."
"Your portion was too small! This tiny bowl wouldn't even fill up a seven- or eight-year-old."
"That's the normal portion size. I even added extra for you. Your appetite is just abnormal, Sora-kun."
Erina shot him a sharp look as he tilted the empty bowl upside down to prove there was nothing left. Compared to the unagi portions at the fancy restaurants she usually visited, hers was already quite generous.
High-end restaurants usually follow a set-course system—small portions of each dish so guests can savor a variety of flavors. It's not supposed to be a free-for-all buffet.
"Sora, you can have my eel bowl."
"Mine too!"
After taking just a small bite, Ako reluctantly pushed her tray toward Sora. Riko, not to be outdone, also set her half-finished bowl in front of him.
In the end, their love for their brother triumphed over their hunger.
"You two should eat it. I brought back some pork trotters earlier, so I won't go hungry."
Sora was touched by their gesture, but politely declined. Stealing food off someone else's plate just didn't sit right with him.
As he spoke, he opened the container of braised pork trotters he had packed up from the shop. Though it had cooled by now, it didn't really matter—braised food is often enjoyed cold.
He glanced at the rice cooker—it still held plenty of rice. With five people now in the household, their father, Sora Hoshino, had recently bought a larger rice cooker when the twins moved in.
Sora sliced the pork trotters with a sharp knife and halved a braised egg. After a bit of prep, he had a proper pork hock rice bowl ready to go.
"Smells amazing!"
Sure, grilled eel was fantastic—but it simply wasn't enough for a full-grown man's appetite. That's when a hearty pork hock rice bowl truly shined.
The pork was rich but not greasy, paired with steaming rice and a spoonful of savory braising liquid. It was a heavenly combination. He could easily polish off three full bowls of rice like this!
"Since I had your unagi don, you should try my braised pork rice too—it definitely won't disappoint!"
Placing the steaming hot braised pork rice on the table, Sora beamed at Erina.
"Hmph, then I'll try it… just this once."
Seeing the anticipation in Sora's eyes, Erina unusually didn't refuse. She sniffed the bowl slightly. The aroma of the cooled braising sauce wasn't particularly strong, and the appearance looked rather plain.
She picked up a chunk of the fatty and lean pork with her chopsticks and hesitantly put it into her mouth. As soon as her lips met the meat, a complex flavor exploded across her palate.
Ordinary people might only notice the general savory richness of the braised pork, but Erina, with the God Tongue, was no ordinary taster. Through that one piece of pork, she could even identify the ingredients used in the braising liquid.
Which also meant—she could pinpoint every strength and flaw in the dish. And this one? Her brows furrowed immediately.
"You overused the star anise. The aroma is way too overpowering. And the braising time was too long—you didn't control the heat well. Every pork trotters has a different size, so the cooking time should've varied accordingly. This one's too soft and mushy. It's not good."
Disappointment flickered in her eyes as she put down her chopsticks. Given how Sora had performed previously, she had been somewhat hopeful—but that hope was now gone.
If this is all he's capable of, how did he manage to replicate my dish? The precision in flavor balance and technique back then had been something only top-tier chefs could pull off.
"So that's what I was missing… I knew something felt off."
"Seriously, I don't know how you beat me yesterday. The seasoning ratios and heat control were perfect back then."
Snapping his fingers, Sora didn't look discouraged at Erina's critique. In fact, he looked even more energized. Failure is the mother of success—what you get wrong, you just fix.
After all, he was just an ordinary person who'd taken up cooking late. Even with help from the system, his foundation was still weak. You could say he hadn't yet reached the level of true mastery.
But that didn't matter. At the rate he was progressing, he'd catch up in three months. The key areas he needed to focus on were heat control and spice balance.
Speaking of spice mastery—one of the upcoming main quests had a reward called "Spice Equation." If he wanted to survive in Totsuki Academy, he needed to place in the top three of the next big competition.
"I thought it tasted pretty good! Rich but not greasy, with a fragrant aftertaste. Was it really that bad?"
Riko picked up a piece of pork and chewed thoughtfully. To her, the dish was delicious. It was also one of the most popular items in the shop—many customers loved it.
"It's still a mass-produced dish made in a big pot. The trade-off of large-scale cooking is coarse, standardized results. You should adjust seasoning and cooking time for each pork trotters based on size—or control the process manually during braising. That's how you get the best flavor!"
Erina rarely gave suggestions, but maybe because of how bravely Sora had protected her earlier, her attitude had subtly shifted. She herself didn't seem to notice the change.