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 toppings and mix-ins!
In my household, the most common topping will surely be a classic fellhuhn* egg prepared however we like. If you want to get something ready for future meals, hard-pickled eggs are a great choice!
Hard-Pickled Egg
- A dozen eggs
- A 2-3 liter jar
- A tablespoon of salt
- A tablespoon of red-leaf sugar
- Two tablespoons of Rock-Squid ink
- Red-leaf vinegar
- Water from the tap
- A few smashed cloves of garlic
Simply put in the eggs and garlic in the jar, dissolve the ink, salt and sugar into about 600 mL of water and pour it in. Fill up the jar halfway with water, and all the way to the top with the vinegar. Seal the lid, and allow to pickle for at least 5 days for best results. This recipe is quite a remarkable process, as the vinegar will dissolve the egg's shell, while the ink will cure it! The flavors of all the other ingredients are also infused into it, creating a delicious result. Once ready, the eggs will look jet black from the outside, and feel soft and bouncy to the touch. Cut them into quarters and spread on top of your bowl of obaba for a deliciously zingy, nutritious touch.
However, the real crowd pleaser would be herring sashimi. Freshly cut from the filet, or from a pickled fish, herring is flavourful and provides the savoury touch which takes your obaba to the next level. I simply slice it thinly at an angle to tender slices that almost melt in your mouth, and layer them on top of the bowl. I'd recommend always keeping at least half a dozen live herrings in your home's aquarium, ready to be whipped up into a quick meal. With my family, it's rare that one survives more than a day!
Now for other mix-ins, my kids always love dried fruits. Dried blueberries, eldenberries, cloudberries are all superb choices. You can put them in right before serving, to get a chewier, sweeter inclusion, or put them with the ice grass before cooking, which allows them to mellow out and soften. On the saltier side, flakes of dried trout and dried seaweed are a great way to add depth of flavor to the broth. If you'd like a component with a crunchy texture, I would recommend you give a try to crystallized red-leaves! Even once mixed in, they will retain their crispness for some time, and are true bursts of sweet, floral flavor.
Obaba is a great opportunity to be culinarily creative! Maybe there is a lical smoked iron-crab that you could try working into it? Or a tasty glacier snake venom condiment made by your family since times immemorial? Give them a try! You should see the dish as a canvas on which to express your creativity in all its deliciousness!
valley*: ref. Ilimyth Valley
obaba*: lit. porridge.
lalzu*: lit. small teeth, refers to concentrated enzymatic solutions commonly used in Deadbeat cooking.
morakar*: Anti-freeze compounds found in all Deadbeat lifeforms; can impart an off-taste, and even be mildly toxic if ingested in large quantities.
fellhuhn*: Alpine chicken species notable for its fur-like, warm feather duvet. Raised in many of the colder parts of the Onyx Mountains, and originating from /kfp/.