Chapter 130: Clear Broth and Bamboo Shadows
Late at night, after dinner service had ended.
Seo Yu-gyeom sat in a corner of the inn with his arms folded, glaring at the Bamboo-Shadow Mushrooms.
There were exactly ten mushrooms inside the wooden box.
Bang Man-bok had promised to start supplying them in earnest from the following month.
Which meant that until then, Seo Yu-gyeom had to develop a dish.
When Seo Yu-gyeom’s contemplation dragged on, Seomun Ak, who was tidying up the inn, spoke in passing.
“Why not just grill them and dip them in oil sauce? What’s the problem?”
Seo Yu-gyeom stood up from his seat and smacked the back of Seomun Ak’s head.
Clutching his head, Seomun Ak glared back with an aggrieved face.
Ignoring him, Seo Yu-gyeom returned to his seat, clicking his tongue.
“The moment you grill them, half the fragrance will vanish. It’s no different from saying medicine should just be dissolved in water and gulped down.”
“Then go do it in your room. Why are you making a fuss when I’m cleaning here….”
Seo Yu-gyeom raised his head, and Seomun Ak quickly cleared his throat, pretending to busy himself.
Time passed.
One by one, the members of the inn finished their tasks and gathered beside Seo Yu-gyeom.
Jin Seong-un, who knew little about cooking, simply sat nearby, savoring the aroma of the Bamboo-Shadow Mushrooms.
Han Seong-chun, the chef, pondered together with Seo Yu-gyeom, while Jang Gwang and Seomun Ak drank wine, using the fragrance as their snack.
From time to time, Seomun Ak couldn’t resist reaching for the mushrooms, only to freeze when he met Seo Yu-gyeom’s eyes.
“No matter how I think about it, steaming is best.”
It was No Sang-won who spoke.
Everyone turned to look at him.
After all, he wasn’t even part of the inn’s members.
But No Sang-won, with a rare serious face, continued.
“For mushrooms with such fragrance, grilling or stir-frying is wrong. To preserve the aroma as much as possible, steaming is the way. Use the least ingredients, just enough to bring out umami. The protagonist is the Bamboo-Shadow Mushroom, with only a few supporting ingredients to make it shine brighter.”
His words flowed smoothly, as though a martial arts master were expounding on martial arts.
Everyone nodded instinctively. Even seated, No Sang-won’s belly pressing against the table lent weight to his words.
Han Seong-chun, who had been quiet until now, agreed.
“Young Brother No is right. Steaming can be done right here, so shall we try it at once?”
Seo Yu-gyeom nodded. Staring wouldn’t accomplish anything.
He rose and disappeared, only to return holding a worn and battered manual.
It was the cooking manual of Food Butcher, once a chef of the Imperial Kitchen and also an infamous demonic butcher.
For once, Seo Yu-gyeom flipped through the manual with a serious air, stopping at one section.
“Clear Steamed Fish (靑蒸魚肉).”
It was, quite literally, a method of steaming fish.
The Imperial Kitchen oversaw the Emperor’s table, a place coveted by every chef under heaven.
Food Butcher had once been its head chef. This manual contained all of his insights.
Fixing his gaze on the page, Seo Yu-gyeom gathered two mushrooms and headed for the kitchen.
Seo Yu-gyeom pulled out a steamer shoved into a kitchen corner.
It was the old steamer once used for dumplings.
Currently, Seong-un Inn didn’t serve dumplings.
There was a famous dumpling shop nearby, and besides being labor-intensive, their own dumplings had never stood out.
He washed the steamer, poured in a little water, and set it on the fire.
The Bamboo-Shadow Mushrooms were about the length of a finger.
But they were plump, so shallow cuts were needed to ensure even cooking.
Too deep, and all the juice holding the fragrance would leak out.
Among all chefs under heaven, none could make finer cuts than Seo Yu-gyeom.
Swaek–!
His dagger drew a silver arc.
The same blade art that once severed human joints and veins now carved delicate cuts into the mushrooms.
He placed them in the steamer.
While they cooked, he mixed scallions, wild chives, soy sauce, vinegar, and water into a very light dipping sauce.
The deep, unique fragrance of the Bamboo-Shadow Mushrooms spread throughout the inn.
Tak! Seo Yu-gyeom brought out the dish.
Everyone, No Sang-won included, swallowed hard.
The ivory-colored mushrooms were beautifully steamed, releasing steam and a unique fragrance.
Seo Yu-gyeom tore one open with chopsticks.
The mushroom shredded like meat fibers, into which he drizzled the light sauce.
“I–I can’t take it anymore.”
No Sang-won was the first to break, thrusting in his chopsticks.
At that, chopsticks rained in from all directions.
In no time, the mushrooms were torn apart and devoured.
Everyone chewed with relish, exclaiming endlessly.
“This—wow, insane.”
Seomun Ak burst out with pure admiration.
He wanted to praise it more eloquently, but his vocabulary failed him.
Jang Gwang was the same—unable to find words, he only nodded repeatedly.
Only Han Seong-chun, knowledgeable in cuisine, managed a proper evaluation.
“How can a mushroom hold both a deeper fragrance than pine mushrooms and the clean aroma of bamboo shoots at the same time?”
Even with more than twenty years of wielding a chef’s knife, Han Seong-chun had never encountered such an ingredient.
Seo Yu-gyeom looked at Jin Seong-un.
Now it was your turn.
That was the look in his eyes.
With everyone watching, Jin Seong-un hesitated briefly, then raised a thumb.
“With mushrooms like these, even if I cooked them, they’d taste good.”
“No, they wouldn’t.”
Seo Yu-gyeom dismissed him flatly.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Seo Yu-gyeom’s eyes then shifted to No Sang-won.
This was the most nerve-wracking moment.
Seo Yu-gyeom had served No Sang-won hundreds of meals.
From experience, he knew No Sang-won’s palate was more sensitive and discerning than he appeared.
He was a rare gourmet indeed.
“How is it?”
“Hmm.”
No Sang-won concentrated, as though a martial artist heightening his senses to the limit, focusing all awareness on the taste in his mouth.
He tilted his head.
Seo Yu-gyeom swallowed nervously.
No Sang-won stared at the dish for a while, rinsed his mouth with water, and tasted it again.
He repeated this a couple more times.
Watching him, Seomun Ak muttered under his breath.
“Isn’t he just doing that so he can eat more?”
“……”
Jang Gwang jabbed Seomun Ak in the side, telling him to mind his manners.
And then—
No Sang-won suddenly picked up an uncooked Bamboo-Shadow Mushroom.
He tore it thinly along the grain and popped it into his mouth.
After savoring it, he spoke.
“It’s truly an excellent steamed dish… but honestly, I feel regret. It’s better than grilling or stir-frying, yes, but most of the natural fragrance has escaped.”
It was a frank assessment. At least when it came to food, No Sang-won never yielded.
Seo Yu-gyeom nodded.
Then he went back into the kitchen and returned with the whole steamer.
At the bottom, a rich broth had collected— the essence that had seeped out while steaming the mushrooms.
“Indeed, since this much has seeped out, it’s only natural the fragrance has lessened.”
No Sang-won looked at the broth that had escaped with an expression of genuine regret.
Suddenly, Han Seong-chun proposed,
“Then why not make it into a soup (湯)?”
“It’s a decent method, but….”
Both No Sang-won and Seo Yu-gyeom shook their heads at once.
Soup required boiling various ingredients in broth.
“Soup inevitably must exceed a certain temperature, and then these tender mushrooms will turn tough.”
At Seo Yu-gyeom’s point, Han Seong-chun nodded.
Indeed, the unique tender texture along with its fragrance was the mushroom’s charm.
While Seo Yu-gyeom, Han Seong-chun, and No Sang-won pondered, Jang Gwang and Seomun Ak, claiming they were sleepy, retired to their rooms.
Some time later, Jin Seong-un suddenly spoke.
“Then what if we combine the two?”
Seo Yu-gyeom, Han Seong-chun, and No Sang-won all turned to him at once.
Jin Seong-un continued,
“Martial arts are like that too, aren’t they? If you have two techniques, depending on the situation, sometimes you merge them, sometimes you split them apart.”
“…That’s only you.”
Seo Yu-gyeom spoke in disbelief.
Could one really separate and combine martial arts techniques depending on circumstances?
On second thought, it was plausible for Jin Seong-un. He was the type who turned what others only imagined into reality.
Staring at Jin Seong-un with a weary expression, Seo Yu-gyeom suddenly thought of something.
“Yes, combining them works. That method exists. Are you a genius?”
Jin Seong-un puffed up proudly.
Regardless, Seo Yu-gyeom immediately took two Bamboo-Shadow Mushrooms and entered the kitchen.
The cooking began without hesitation.
He sliced the mushrooms thinly, their cross-sections smooth as if cut by a silver thread.
Meanwhile, he simmered a chicken. The fire was kept low to draw out broth for as long as possible.
The leftover chicken meat, chopped finely with Seo Yu-gyeom’s swift blade technique, was mixed with starch, a bit of salt, and soy sauce, then rolled into round meatballs.
He placed the meatballs, young bamboo shoots, and ginkgo nuts into the chicken broth and simmered them.
When everything was cooked through, Seo Yu-gyeom brought out a hollow bamboo tube.
It was the core of the dish.
He ladled the chicken meatball soup into the bamboo tube.
After letting it cool slightly, he layered the thinly sliced Bamboo-Shadow Mushrooms on top.
“You’re going to steam it like that?”
No Sang-won had approached the kitchen by then.
Seo Yu-gyeom nodded and set the bamboo tube into the steamer.
As it steamed gently over a low flame, the fragrance of Bamboo-Shadow Mushrooms, the subtle aroma of bamboo, and the savory scent of chicken blended harmoniously.
“Just this much.”
The steaming time was very short.
The reason they had avoided soup in the first place was that overcooking would make the mushrooms tough.
By slicing them thin, he ensured just the right doneness with minimal steaming.
Seo Yu-gyeom then tilted the bamboo tube into a bowl.
Milky broth, pearl-like glowing Bamboo-Shadow Mushrooms, golden ginkgo nuts, and well-cooked chicken meatballs spilled into the dish.
“When serving this for real, use a white bowl. It will look even better.”
Seo Yu-gyeom placed the dish on the table.
Everyone stared, half-dazed.
He handed out three spoons and spoke further.
“Even the slightest essence that escaped while steaming has been captured in this dish. Scoop everything together with a spoon at once.”
No Sang-won followed Seo Yu-gyeom’s instructions immediately.
He gently broke a meatball with the spoon, taking it together with a ginkgo nut, Bamboo-Shadow Mushrooms, and the milky broth.
After admiring the spoonful’s abundant presentation, he finally placed it in his mouth.
“……”
The Bamboo-Shadow Mushrooms and bamboo fragrance matched perfectly, as if they had always been one.
Naturally so—the mushrooms grew from inside bamboo itself.
The meatball, soft as a cloud, harmonized with the chicken broth, while the chewy texture of the ginkgo arrived at just the right moment to add interest.
No Sang-won closed his eyes and trembled once.
Watching, Jin Seong-un and Han Seong-chun could no longer resist and reached with their spoons.
Their reactions were much the same.
Han Seong-chun closed his eyes and exhaled a long breath, while Jin Seong-un widened his eyes, glaring at the dish.
Opening his eyes again, No Sang-won, with the look of someone who had just returned from a journey, asked Seo Yu-gyeom,
“What is its name? The name of this dish.”
“Hmm.”
The thought was brief.
“Let’s call it Clear Broth and Bamboo Shadows (靑湯竹影).”
A truly simple name.
It reflected Seo Yu-gyeom’s dislike for pretension.
At last, Seo Yu-gyeom scooped up a spoonful for himself, grinned, and asked,
“Well? Now it feels perfect (完璧), doesn’t it?”
His gaze turned to No Sang-won.
If No Sang-won acknowledged it, then surely all under heaven would as well.