Midnight Diner

Episode 5

He went into the cooler and looked around. His brown eyes scanned each shelf and its contents. In his mind he mentally put the different vegetables, meats and fruits together, this was the art he did in his head, many which goes unrealised, like half-painted canvases or half-made sculptures, full of artistic potential, but for now its ruins.

He grabbed some thinly sliced beef and onions.

He put the beef in the steamer with soy sauce, brown sugar and mirin and set it to steam at a low temperature. He then sliced the onions with his obsidian black damascus chef knife, thin enough so that it will cook through, but thick enough so that it does not lose texture. He had opted for white onions for colour, as the sauce would dye the red onions dark, which would still taste good, but be less, visually pleasing.

He dropped the sliced onions into a heated pan with oil. The heat was on high, to remove the moisture from the onions so that it could be sauteed, and to help it brown. Once the onions had started browning, he added a tablespoon of brown sugar, to further caramelize the onions. Brown sugar melts at a lower temperature than white sugar and gives it some earthy taste too. Once caramelized, he added the beef slices from earlier. The beef slices had been cooked through and absorbed the flavours from its marinade, making it sweet and soft. He added some shaoxing wine, a Chinese cooking wine, a twist from himself, and cooked it so that each element of the dish blended together.

He served the beef over some steamed Jasmine rice, garnishing it with some toasted sesame seeds, finely chopped green onions (its called spring onions  in Asia). Lastly, he topped it with some onsen egg, soft boiled and marinated with some infused soy sauce. This was his favourite food :)

He emerged from behind the curtains.

She was busy typing away at her computer.

"Itadakimasu," he said as he served her the gyudon he had just made with a cup of hot green tea on the side.

She looked up at him and smiled.

"Describe the dish, chef :)" she asked, with much reference to her favourite cooking shows, Hell's Kitchen and Kitchen Nightmares, starring celebrity chef, Gordon Ramsay.

"The dish is a gyudon with a twist from me. It is made with finely sliced onions..."

He described the dish and how each ingredient was cooked and the chemistry behind it. She watched as he described his techniques in such academically accurate detail, it was intriguing (but sometimes funny). However, she listened to each detail, her mind mentally picturing him going through each step.

"Enjoy your food," he concluded. He started walking back to the kitchen.

"Where are you going?"

"To the back, for dinner."

"Come :) sit with me :)"

He breathed in and thought about it. What's the worst that could happen? I'll take a chance.

He came back with a tray of food identical to hers and sat next to her.

"Hi :) nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too :)"

"So, I saw you typing away on your computer, what are you working on?"

"A book :)

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