Maillard Reaction

In the kitchen, I see Silvie is standing with her head lowered while her mother scolding her. I can see tears flowing through her cheek. Maybe her mother scolding her too hard for something she did. To know what exactly happen I enter the kitchen and ask Mrs. Harvard about what happens there.

"Auntie, what happens? Why Silvie crying?"

"Ah master Ikki, I'm sorry if my voice disturb your rest"

"It's okay, I'm not really sleeping anyway. Can you tell me what happens?"

"Oh, this girl, Silvie, after she returns from forest she likes to daydreaming. She even forgets to watch the fire which makes the food burn and can't eat for dinner"

Silvie sober when she hears her mother explained.

"What's use you crying for! It does not make the food can be eaten"

Her mother scolds her again when she see Silvie start crying. I feel pity for Silvie and try something to help her.

"Excuse my auntie, can I see the food? Maybe I can do something for the food"

"Oh, there's in frying pan master Ikki" Mrs. Harvard pointed the pan on the stove that used to fried the meat.

I take a look at the frying pan. The meat is not burned too much until looks like charcoal only the bottom part was overcooked that make it stick in the pan. Alright, I think I can do something for that.

"Auntie, If you don't mind, can I borrow the kitchen? I think I can do something for the food"

"Really master Ikki? If that's not bothering you please use the kitchen as you wish"

"okay, auntie you can wait in the dining room. But I need Silvie to help me, is that okay?"

"No problem at all. Silvie, you hear that? Help master Ikki and don't daydream again"

Silvie only nodded and try to wipe the tears from her cheek. Mrs. Harvard leaves the kitchen and waiting in the dining room as I ask her. I come closer to Silvie, wipe the remaining tears in the corner of her eyes with my fingers while smiling.

"Please don't cry. A beautiful girl like you is better when smiling than crying"

She didn't answer, only blushing and her smile starts to bloom.

"Now that's better. Can you tell me what you cook for dinner?"

Silvie starts to tell me the menu for the dinner. It's corn that boiled with broth from the meat, mashed potato, and fried meat. It seems after boiled to make some broth, the meat is taken for fried.

"Okay, can you do the soup and potato? I'll do the meat"

"Um. I can do that"

So we divide our respected job and start busy to preparing that.

I take my kitchen knife, my own small pan and some spices from my backpack. I almost forget that I have some mushroom from the day I get stranded so I take some of them as well.

After return to the kitchen, I prepared the dishes that I want to make. First, I separated the meat that still edible from the pan, cut and diced it into small pieces. Next, I'm cutting the shiitake mushroom into small pieces, put it in my pan add some water, pour some oyster sauce and soy sauce sprinkled some salt and pepper, then boil it.

While waiting the mushroom done, I do something on the other pan. The leftover meat that's burnt in the pan is still usable for me. I put some misodare sauce on it and some water and fried it for a while.

While waiting the old pan done, I change to my own pan. The mushroom is almost done, so I put the diced meat into the pan and start to stir it until the mixtures getting thicker. After all the ingredient mix well in the pan, I put them in four wooden plates. Silvie is also almost done with her part, so I told her to bring it to the dining room.

In the dining chief Harvard and his wife already waiting there. They seem impatient to taste what kind of food that I make. When I put the meat plate on the table, they already want to eat it if I do not stop them first.

"Please wait a moment. This meat dish haven't finished yet"

"Not finished yet? But it already looks delicious" chief Harvard seem to want to eat them badly

"Be patient, only for a moment. This will be more delicious when finished"

"Okay okay, but please make it fast. I'm starting to drool looking at this food"

I only chuckled hearing chief Harvard words.

I return to the kitchen and take the pan. The mixture of burnt meat, misodare sauce and water already thicken and bring delicious aroma. I bring the pan into the dining room. Harvard family already sit on their seat waiting for me.

"Alright here they come"

I scoop some of the mixtures and smear it on the meat and mushroom. Hot mixtures that bring faint steam when smeared on the meat, give aroma that makes them drool.

"Okay, that's done. Please try it"

They start to pick the meat and eat it

"Oh my God, what a heavenly smell," said chief Harvard

"The aroma is so deep. Fill my nose with meat fragrance" said Silvie

"Master Ikki, do you really made this from that burnt meat?" asked Mrs. Harvard

"I did. You can ask your daughter for that"

They are no longer speaking and start to gobble their food. And only within 5 minutes, all the food in the table already vanish from the plate.

"Incredible!! The king maybe not ever taste this kind of heaven food" chief Harvard praise my cooking while rubbing his bulging belly.

"I never know that burnt meat still can be used. Master Ikki really awesome"

I just smile hearing all their praise. Actually, I didn't do much for the food. I only use an aromatic art that can improve the appetite by stimulating the smelling nerve, called Maillard Reaction. Its amino acid from the meat that reacted with sugar element that contained within misodare sauce under heating that creates an aromatic composition.

A scientist ever stated that delicious sensation that generates from our tongue only about 20%, the 80% of the rest created from smelling sense, which is the food's aroma.

Watching them satisfied with my cooking, I feel happy. After that Mrs. Harvard and Silvie return the empty plates to the kitchen and washed it. I and Chief Harvard were still talking about the matter in the village.