Who Is the World’s Strongest Appraiser? ~Living in Another World With Satisfying Meals~

Let’s Have Edamame Butter Lemon Stir-Fry As A Snack

“That’s a lot.”

“Yeah.”

With a relaxed tone, Yuuri’s words earned a simple nod from Yakk. Yuuri gestured toward the edamame that Yakk had arranged on the kitchen work table. The branches of edamame, still attached, were as massive as the word “a lot” suggested, with impressively robust pods clinging to them. The edamame Yakk had hauled back with both hands was a gift.

“Still, was it really okay to receive so much?”

“I asked, and they said to take it since there was extra.”

“Ah, I see. Well, that’s really generous of them.”

Yuuri’s doubt was understandable. The sheer quantity of edamame Yakk brought back was indeed a gift. It was a token from the local vegetable vendor Yakk was familiar with at the shopping district. Despite being large and impressive, these edamame were considered B-grade due to not meeting the requested size for delivery. They were deemed too much trouble to remove from the branches to sell. Knowing Yakk’s household consumed food quickly, the vendor thought of Yakk.

And so, the duo had an abundance of edamame. Chatting casually, Yuuri and Yakk set to work detaching the pods from the branches. Each pod popped off with a little “snap” and was tossed into nearby bowls.

“What should we do with these edamame? Dinner? Snacks?”

“Hmm, let’s make it a snack.”

“A snack?”

Yakk tilted his head. To him, edamame was usually boiled with salt, and served either as a side dish or a snack for adults to pair with drinks. Yuuri also shared this common notion, but he wasn’t planning on making simple salted edamame.

“If you stir-fry them with butter and lemon, the strong flavors make it pretty tasty.”

“Butter lemon stir-fry?”

“Yep.”

“With edamame?”

“Yep.”

“…Sorry, I can’t imagine the taste.”

Yuuri laughed at Yakk’s honest reply. Although Yakk couldn’t imagine the flavor, he wasn’t disapproving. Instead, he seemed to trust that if Yuuri made it, it would taste good. And so, they set out to prepare the butter lemon stir-fried edamame, just as the name suggested.

The first step was to rub salt into the edamame pods.

“Yuuri, why are we rubbing salt on these?”

“I’m not entirely sure, but it’s supposed to remove the fuzz and help the salt flavor soak in better.”

“Huh, interesting.”

They poured salt into the bowl of edamame and scrubbed the pods like washing rice. Once thoroughly salted, the prep was done. They left the bowl as it was and boiled water in a pot, adding a bit of salt to season the edamame. Since they were stir-frying with butter and lemon, they used less salt than usual to avoid overpowering the dish’s flavors.

When the water boiled, they tossed in the salted pods. Watching the edamame boil in the large pot was oddly entertaining for Yuuri. He adjusted the pods to submerge them completely before covering the pot with a lid.

While the edamame boiled, they prepared the butter and lemon. Yuuri sliced butter from the block, while Yakk halved a lemon and juiced it using a reamer.

“The smell of lemon already feels sour somehow…”

“Haha, true. Oh, careful not to get it in your eyes!”

“Don’t worry! Should I pour this juice into a small bowl when it’s done?”

“Yep, thanks!”

Having cooked with Yuuri for a while now, Yakk’s skills had noticeably improved. Though still not on par with Yuuri, his movements were more efficient, and he could handle multitasking without overthinking.

By the time the butter and lemon were ready, the pot started hissing. Yuuri lifted the lid and saw the edamame had turned a vivid green. Using chopsticks, he fished out a pod and gingerly opened it, testing the doneness of the beans. Though piping hot, the beans were cooked through and tender.

Yuuri turned off the heat and carefully carried the heavy pot to the sink, where a large colander waited. He poured the edamame and water into the colander, causing a plume of steam to billow out, fogging up his glasses.

“…Yakk?”

“Yeah? What’s wrong, Yuuri?”

“…I can’t see a thing. Could you handle the pot?”

“Huh? Oh wow, your glasses are completely fogged up! Got it, don’t move—it’s dangerous!”

“Okay…”