C325: Bottomless Tofu Marsh

I’m still in the middle of making otherworldly tofu.

I’ve mashed the soybeans, boiled them, and separated them into soymilk and dregs.
However, I still can’t go beyond that.
I thought I’d make tofu by solidifying the milk, but I have no recollection of how.

“It’s only now that my memory isn’t as helpful!”

Well, I can try various methods.
Will it harden naturally with time? Nope.
Soymilk will be soymilk no matter how long you leave it. Otherwise, there’s no way it could’ve been made into a drink.

What else is there, then? Freezing it?
Sure, it’s a straightforward means of solidification, but we’d only end up with frozen soymilk, not tofu.

I just gave the wasted soymilk and dregs to the flat-chested army and Pochi’s group, respectively.

Trying to think outside the box, I wonder if there’s a special chemical that can be used to coagulate the soymilk… And then, it hit me.

“Ah!”

The characteristic name came to my mind.

“Bittern!”

I’ve heard it’s indispensable for making tofu.

I don’t remember the specifics, but I think bittern is the coagulating agent that turns soymilk into tofu.

That’s definitely it.
Okay, let’s get some bittern!

“But how?!”

How can I get something I only know the name of?
There’s no such thing as G*ogle in this world, so I can’t just look it up and BAM! I have the answer.

Looks like I gotta rack my brain some more.
…Hm, bittern gives me the impression that it has something to do with the sea.
It must be made by processing seawater in some way.

And speaking of the sea, I have a formidable ally!

“Um, is this it?”

My wife, Platy, is a mermaid and an expert in potions.
Compounding seawater into her potions to create otherworldly bittern using my vague clues was a piece of cake for her.

“Thanks, Platy! You’re the best! A genius! I love you!!!”
“Aww, I feel like I’m going to swim to skies when you flatter me that much… I love you too.”

After hugging my beloved wife with Junior in between, I immediately add her bittern into the soymilk.

It solidified.

Finally, something that looks like tofu is taking shape!

I cut the hardened soymilk into tofu-like shapes and served them on a plate.

“What is this white stuff? It doesn’t look like any other food I’ve ever eaten. Is it even edible?”
“Just give it a try.”

I look down at the tofu sample with Platy.
We’re doing some taste testing now.

Even if it looks like tofu, it’s worthless if it tastes nothing like it.
Taste is the most crucial thing in cooking, after all.

“Let’s try it chilled first.”

It’s the simplest and fastest way to have it.
I put bonito flakes, chopped green onions, grated ginger, and soy sauce…
Pick one up with chopsticks and take a big bite…

“It’s delicious!”

A huge success!
Tofu has been successfully recreated in another world!

“Oh! This has a unique texture to it!”

Platy also took a bite and was astonished.

“It’s so soft and spongy; it’s very easy to eat. I think I can feed Junior this once he’s weaned!”

She has taken on a motherly point of view after giving birth!

“The tofu itself doesn’t have any flavor, but that’s why it can be paired with just about anything! The bonito flakes, green onions, and ginger make a great combo with it!”

It was well-received.

“Let’s see what’s next for tofu, a versatile ingredient that can be combined with any food!”

I heat water in a pot, make dashi, dissolve the miso, and add the diced tofu.

“Tada! Tofu miso soup!”

A classic tofu dish!
Room-temperature tofu is also delicious, but you should also taste the goodness of warm tofu in miso soup.

“Ah!”

Platy looked pale upon seeing the tofu miso soup.
What’s wrong?

“Dear… I know… I’m the one who developed miso, after all!”

Hm?

“Miso is made from soybeans, right? You put tofu made from soybeans in miso soup, ALSO made from soybeans? In other words, this soup is 100% soy!”

That’s what you noticed?

“After all that hard work, I’m just going to eat soybeans and nothing else? I feel like I’ve discovered a secret of a world I shouldn’t know about! Oh, come to think of it, the soy sauce you put earlier…. is also made from soybeans!!!”

No, Platy!
Don’t think any deeper than that!

You’ll end up a slave to soy!!!

Anyway, Platy and I relished the tofu dishes.

I thought that adding another foodstuff would enrich our diet, but I realized I had forgotten something important.

That’s right.
It’s about why I decided to make tofu.

The bean lovers Letasreit and Horkosfon asked me to develop a bean dish that will be ridiculously popular among the youth.
While I can’t say for sure that the finished tofu will be well received, I might as well present it to them now that I’ve made it. So, I looked around…

“…Oh?”

Seems pretty rowdy over there.
I think I can hear Letasreit’s voice among the loud cheers.

I followed the voice to see things for myself.

“Do you like big boobs?!”
“YEAHHHHHHH!!!”
“Do you want to have big boobs?”
“YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!”

…
Letasreit’s here, instigating something in front of a crowd of females.

“If you drink this soymilk! You’ll be one of us! No more sighs from your boyfriend! Marvel at the power of soybeans! All together now! Cheers!”
“CHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERS!!!”

Girls dreaming of a bigger chest have flocked to Letasreit’s mugs full of soymilk.

“Master.”
“Oh! Horkosfon?!”

Beside me, Horkosfon is busy mashing boiled soybeans to make milk.

“The soymilk you developed is a great success, Master. It’s booming in popularity as a wonder drug that will make a woman’s breasts grow.”
“Like I said, it’s not a wonder drug!!!”

It seems that I fulfilled their request the moment I made soymilk.
The power of beans had an instantaneous effect on these troubled girls, not just the students whose bodies were still developing.

“Count me in! I want that wonder drug that will make my boobs bigger!!!”

Even the elves!

“Heck, yesssss! If I drink that, mine will be just like Miss Astresssssss’!!!”

And there’s one of the demon duo, Belena!

“Calm down, everyone! Such a suspicious item requires a teacher’s inspection first!”

Teacher Carp?!

Letasreit is genuinely delighted with how soymilk has become popular among young and old alike.

“This is the power of beans! One day, I’m going to show this to the entire world!!!”

She has set a new goal.
I was about to ask her if she was over her nation’s revival, but immediately losing sight of her former goals to work hard on something else is one of her strong points. So, I just let her be.

Later on, I asked them to try the tofu, which was also well received.

Then…

“Master, this soymilk smells.”
“You were here too, Veil?!”

Veil, the dragon, has joined the soymilk fiasco.
And I thought it was rare of her not to show up while I was cooking!

“I’ll make my boobies bigger with soymilk and breastfeed Junior!”

That’s what you’re after?!