Quoted By:
Book: The Thrifty Deadbeat's Cookbook, in 30 minutes per meal
Chapter: Breakfast
Dish: Obaba with herring sashimi
If you grew up in the valley* as I did, you'll be familiar with some form of this delicious staple meal. Ice grass on its own doesn't have a strong flavor, besides a subtle savory aroma, but with some seasonings, toppings and mix-ins, a bland bowl of nutrition can be turned into the perfect way to kick off the day right.
First, the lowdown on ice grass; obaba*-ready ice grass is a specific type of the fungi; you can't just throw a handful of stuff you just pulled out of the snow into a bowl of lalzu* and hope you'll get something edible! Prepared ice grass of the types you'll find in your local markets has been soaked in liquid water for up to a week, before being flattened between a set of rollers and left to drain while compressed under a heavy weight. This process draws out excess morakar* from the grass, softens the flesh of the grass, and takes it from a woody, stringy texture to the pleasant, meaty chew we are familiar with. Not only that, once water has been drained from it, the ice grass can be kept for years without issues, if stored in a dry and cool environment, such as your cupboard.
Now, it's all well and good to know your ingredient, but you should also know how to buy it! Most ice grass is sold in long, narrow bags around two feet in length and as thick as all the grasses lined up within need to be. Ice grass can also be purchased as a flour in various grades of coarseness, but these are a better fit for some other recipes in the baking chapter of this title. Color-wise, the processed grasses should be pale in color, with a uniform shade ranging from salmon pink to a very light turquoise, depending on their age, and the magical levels of the region where they were grown. This pink hue comes from our blessed Death's blessing, and is the mark of a quality ice grass, but bluer grass will be just as delicious! However, ice grass with uneven colouring, brown, black or grey hues or other deformities should be avoided. Be sure to quickly thumb through the grass before cooking to take out the strands with these defects, as they can have an off-taste or cook improperly.
We've got our base ingredient, so let's get to cooking. I always start by taking my portions of ice grass (half a pound per person makes for a nice small meal) out of the package and breaking them right in the middle, to have two bunches of grass about a feet long. They'll be easier to eat at this length, and fit in your cooking bottle more easily. Speaking of, this is when I throw them in the bottle, ideally a tall and narrow one where the whole grass can fit at once. Mix one part lalzu to three parts water and pour about a cup of the mixture per portion of ice grass. Add a nice pinch of salt and cap the bottle before shaking it for a few seconds, to ensure the strands are coated with the lalzu and the salt has been dissolved. You'll see the grass almost instantly go soft! If it doesn't, your lalzu might be expired or heat-damaged.
The ice grass will take around twenty minutes to fully soften and release its starches into the broth, so this is a good moment to prepare mix-ins!
valley*: ref. Ilimyth Valley
obaba*: lit. porridge.
lalzu*: lit. small teeth, refers to the concentrated enzymatic solutions commonly used in Deadbeat cooking.
morakar*: Anti-freeze compounds found in all Deadbeat lifeforms; can impart an off-taste if found in high concentrations in food.
Will write the part for the additions in a bit, gotta brainstorm that a bit.
