My Lady Chef
Chapter 95: Exotic Style Feast

Bel's POV:

"Your Highness? I was going to visit you once the lunch meal rush was over." Alaina soon found me and curtsied. "Pardon my messy appearance, milord. I do not usually look this way."

"No, no...It is very practical. No need to apologize. I just came to give my thanks for a delicious meal. I loved the idea of a...savory pie. It was genius."

"Oh well, I am pleased that you love it." she smiled before someone called her. "Your Highness, are you here because you need someone to show you around the castle?"

She seems very busy so I declined but took her hand which smelled like herbs and bread to kiss it.

"I will see you at dinner. And..." I leaned closer to her ear and whispered. "I am placing the kingdom's hope for a prolonged trade with Ryu in your hands"

She looked surprised but her eyes lit up with excitement at my challenge as she nodded.

"Leave it to me, Your Highness." She said confidently and left me a bit dazed as I walked away.

Do all women have that confidence?

It was rather....attractive.

I wonder if my future queen would have even half the conviction Alaina has.

That was only my wishful thinking.

Dinner came soon enough.

And I am nervous because usually Prince Oshu would be complaining like a wounded parrot but ever since he was served luncheon; he has been deathly quiet and even now he was silent as she sat next to me at the table.

Ezran was seated at the head of the table as the host and he seems in an even darker mood, his glare was directed at me.

What did I do now? The last time he gave me that scowl was because I stole a certain lady he was aiming for during our younger days.

"Today's supper will be a bit different. In honor of our esteemed guest, Prince Oshu from Ryu; my wife has crafted a dinner menu made of Exotic Land ingredients and some of our own local products. Enjoy. Ezran raised his glass of wine and everyone did the same.

The food started coming in, served by young squires dressed in simple but clean tunics.

"Prince Belmont. The cook responsible for this is a woman. Yes?" Oshu said to me as the appetizer was placed in front of us.

"She is our host's wife. The Duchess of Aisenburg." I nodded at him.

"The meat pie and greens I ate during noontime were very acceptable. If she pleases me then our kingdom will continue to trade with each other." He said before his eyes widened at the wooden basket prepared before him. "This...This cannot be..."

I looked down as the squires took off the wooden covers and saw something I have only seen a few times in my life.

An Exotic Land food called dumplings. They differ from Ming's version or Ryu's.

The skin was almost translucent, almost like fine silk as it wrapped around the steamed mincemeat which was a bit visible. I looked like a piece of art.

I took the chopsticks which were the utensils used for dumplings but the others used their forks as I dipped it into one of the sauces and took a bite.

The plumpness of the meat, mushroom, and chives simply exploded in my mouth and the dumpling skin was chewy and delicious! The dipping sauce made of some sort of salty-sour black sauce with a bit of spice enhances it more.

"*This flavor is similar to one of our dumplings. Impressive and fine delicate work." Oahu murmured to himself as he ate everything with a smile. "the dipping sauces are a nice touch. This is a very good start.*" *talking in Ryuen.

The appetizer was well received by everyone, Even Ezran and my brother Elliot were intrigued and satisfied by it as the small baskets were taken away to be replaced with the last appetizer served in a wooden cup.

I looked at the pale golden concoction that had thin slices of eringi mushrooms on top called Chawanmushi. This is not something from Ryuen cuisine.

But the Foreign Prince dipped his spoon inside it and took a bite. His usual bored face lit up with delight as he ate more.

"What manner of delicious sorcery is this?" Elliot gasped as he finished his first bite.

When I tasted it, the creamy egg coated my mouth with its rich yet delicate taste as the thin bits of mushroom enhanced the creamy flavor. It was Light yet rich. The taste was earthy and savory-sweet. What kind of stock was used to make it this flavorsome yet light?

We were then offered cups of either cold or hot jasmine tea.

I chose the cold tea and nearly moaned at the light sweetness of the drink and the gentle floral tones of it. Meanwhile, Prince Oshu chose the hot tea and seems at peace as he smelled his cup and savored it as he drank.

Just as everyone was feeling relaxed from a brief tea break, the next dish came and they were two medium white buns.

"These are Bao buns!" Oshi looked pleased. "I have eaten these at Ming and Ledo. I never thought I would taste it again." He hurriedly took on with his hands and ate it. "The filling is the exact flavor I have been craving for!"

Everyone followed what the Ryu Prince did and there were cries of pleasure and noises of then buns being eaten ravenously.

He was right! The buns were fluffy like a cloud and slightly sweet but the pork filling was smoky with a savory-sweet sauce that just makes you want to eat more.

It was similar to her jam bread.

"This is brilliant. I cannot wait to see what else this duchess has in store for supper." He grinned as a nearby squire refilled his teacup and he drank it up slowly.

The next dish was what she called teriyaki chicken bowl. I saw sliced chicken covered in brown sauce and drizzled with some seed and green onions on top of a grain called rice.

I have only eaten rice on special occasions and I did not enjoy it much when it is cooked by the Royal Kitchen.

But when I ate this one, the grains were nice, soft, and plump and it melded well with the juicy buttery teriyaki chicken. The bites of green onions were also good and cuts through the rich sauce.

But it was overall, a great dish and it gave me a satisfying feeling of fullness.

Next was a dish of lightly fried root vegetables and even Prince Oshi looked skeptical until he saw how the batter was light and crunchy while the vegetables like asparagus, squash, and lotus roots remain nice and fresh.

My wife called it "tempura"

Lastly, The dessert was a sticky rice mochi filled with ice cream and blueberry compote. My brother Elliot particularly loved this one.

This finally made the picky Ryu Prince smile as he ate the last mochi ball with gusto.

"I must meet her. Where is the duchess? I demand to see her!" Oshu suddenly exclaimed as soon as the last plates were cleared up.

"I will ask the duke and duchess to pay a visit to your room. She may still be busy in the kitchen." I said to him and the young prince sighed.

"Very well, I will go to my room and...prepare myself for her visit." He said as he walked away.

It worked. Prince Oshu was very happy and so was Elliot, who now seems to view the duchess in a good light. The food was certainly different from any Illiosan cuisine I have ever tasted and the flavors and textures were certainly from the Exotic Lands.

Where did Alaina study making bao buns or dumplings? The foreign delegates do not have chefs with them and they are normally very tight-lipped about their food when asked.

Unless she actually experimented with the trade goods and cookbooks from the Exotic lands, translated them, and worked out the methods by trial and error.

This made me wonder just how much of a cooking genius she was.000