Name: Setting the Table
Rank: E Rank
Type: Solo
Participants Saito Kyoshi
Description: It's Kyoshi's turn to prepare a meal for his family to allow his mother time to relax. Curried red lentil and pumpkin soup, as well as a fresh chopped salad made from vegetables grown from his family's garden, and freshly brewed tea.
Rank: E Rank
Type: Solo
Participants Saito Kyoshi
Description: It's Kyoshi's turn to prepare a meal for his family to allow his mother time to relax. Curried red lentil and pumpkin soup, as well as a fresh chopped salad made from vegetables grown from his family's garden, and freshly brewed tea.
It was normal for a family to share the burden of chores, and Kyoshi's family was no different, however due to the fact his older sister was almost always away on missions and his younger sister was far too young to be a help to anyone, this meant the bulk of the chores fell on his shoulders. His father, for all his faults, wasn't one to let work go unfinished if he had the time to get it done, and he was out in the garden repaving a portion of the walkway that had been damaged during a training exercise. Kyoshi's mother Ahmya hadn't been getting much sleep because the youngest of her children, Kaida, was sick with an ear infection and spent most of the time crying and whimpering in pain. Normally, Kyoshi wouldn't be allowed to cook as his father considered it to be women's work, but Kyoshi was allowed to do so tonight so that his mother could get a little sleep.
Tonight's fine dining was set to include a dish Kyoshi found in his grandmother's cookbook his mother had brought with her from the Land of Tea, he liked the idea of giving something to his mother that would remind her of home and of her mother. He'd made sure to wipe down the dining table as well as the countertops in the kitchen before setting about preparing the ingredients. Kyoshi started by setting a pot of water to boil on the back burner for the rice later, while setting the second pot on the front burner and putting it on medium heat. After dicing one of the sweet onions, Kyoshi minced and added two cloves of garlic, and a hint of fresh ginger to the mix before sautéing it all together with a small dollop of sunflower oil, stirring until the onions were soft and transparent. The smell was already making the young kid hungry, but he looked to the cookbook to make sure everything was happening correctly, pushing his hunger into the back of his mind knowing it would be all the more delicious once he was done.
Kyoshi stepped away from the stove to get the pumpkin puree from the coldbox, he'd made it earlier in the day, knowing the flavor would become more pronounced if it was allowed to sit, or so he'd read in his grandmother's cookbook. He heard a door open elsewhere in the house and the sound of his father coming in from the garden. By the time he was in the kitchen, Kyoshi was spending the puree into the pot with the rest of the ingredients he'd just sautéing into a mix. Looking behind himself, Kyoshi noticed his father had managed to injure a finger and was bleeding. Moving the pot to an unused burner so it wouldn't burn, Kyoshi moved in front of his father, cutting him off as he reached below the sink to get their family medkit. His father, Kaito, didn't seem too happy with being nursed by his son, but said nothing as Kyoshi set about cleaning his father's finger and managing the cut. Soon enough, Kyoshi was cleaning the drops of blood from the floor after his father left to return to his work and Kyoshi returned to his cooking.
Grabbing a large cup and scooping some rice from the fifty pound bag under the cabinet, Kyoshi poured the dry rice into the boiling water before adding a second cup. Whatever they didn't eat tonight would be used for breakfast in the morning, or some other meal. It was normal for their family to keep some rice leftovers at all times just incase Ayashi returned from a mission and needed something quick to eat. Kyoshi also added the red lentils, vegetable broth and a hint of curry powder to the previous mixture. He'd had to buy the curry powder himself, as it wasn't something his family kept on hand. Their primary meals consisted of vegetables soups and salads, rice, and either chicken or pork. Their spice selection wasn't so varied as to consider their family adventurous or cultural. He knew his father wouldn't approve of him buying something with his own money, as it was his father's responsibility to provide for the family, but Kyoshi wanted to do this for his mother.
The smells in the kitchen exploded with flavor as he started to stir in the curry spices, and the red lentils made the soup turn a vibrant red that was beautiful. His grandmother's writing in the margins of the recipe stressed the importance of using red lentils specifically, because they weren't only colorful, but because they also broke down and cooked faster than other colors of lentils. Another benefit to this, was that rather than absorbing and thus drying out the soup, red lintels actually made the soup thicker as they broke down. Kyoshi set about adding a small amount of butter to the rice to keep it from burning, stirring it in with a satisfied smile on his face. He didn't get many chances to cook for his family, but he still remembered singing and dancing in the kitchen with his mother a few years ago. Those were some of his happiest memories of his life so far. It was good to know he hadn't lost everything his mother had attempted to teach him.
Kyoshi removed the rice from the burner, placing it on the counter next to the sink before returning to the other pot. He added a hint of cayenne pepper, stirring the broth and pumpkin puree together until everything had dissolved into each other. It wasn't long before all he had left to do was put a lid on the pot and let it simmer for a while. This gave him time to drain the rice, burning his hand slightly with the steam, but not enough for him to need to get the medkit or anything. Clearing the stray rice from the sink, which gave him a chance to run his hand under some cold water, Kyoshi set about setting the table. No one knew if Ayashi would be home tonight, but Kyoshi set a bowl and plate down for her anyway, just as their mother always did for every other meal. By some unknown signal, it seemed his father was ready to eat and had appeared at the table, sitting down to read the news of the day while he waited. Apparently his mother had also sensed food was almost ready, as she appeared shortly after with little Kaida in hand. Kyoshi made a point of checking on his little sister while his parents talked about less important things to pass the time.
Kyoshi was busy serving the rice when his mother asked what all he had prepared for dinner. Kyoshi couldn't help but grin at his mother before whispering about a surprise. This peaked his father's attention, though the man didn't lower his newspaper all the way or inquire as to his son's suspicious leanings. Instead, Kyoshi went back into the kitchen, lifting the pot and letting the smells fill the house as he brought the large pot into the dinning room. It still needed to cool, but as he placed it at the center of the table, his father seemed suprised and his mother was leaning forward, smelling it with her eyes closed. "I got the recipe from grandma's cookbook."Kyoshi offered his mother with a smile as she looked genuinely touched by her son's gesture. The rest of the meal went off without a hitch, Kyoshi's father never yelled at him or asked him where he'd gotten the curry powder, and his mother gave him a hug for his efforts. It was clear that she was still exhausted from taking care of his sick little sister, but Kyoshi was proud to have been able to give her this one small gift. While Ayashi never came for dinner, Kyoshi knew she would enjoy the leftovers once she did make it home.
Word count: 1337
Recipe
Recipe