1333/Days of Our Outers Episode 1333: Currying Flavor

Days of Our Outers Episode 1333: Currying Flavor
Date of Scene:	23 March 2024
Location:	Pikarigaoaka Ward
Synopsis:	Michiru invites Rashmi over to teach her and Hotaru how to cook a simple curry, taking something like a cooking episode and making it so much cuter.
Cast of Characters:	Michiru Kaiou, Hotaru Tomoe, Rashmi Terios

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Michiru Kaiou has posed:
Ever since she moved in to the mansion and Setsuna gave her a crash course in American breakfast cuisine, Michiru has been teaching herself how to cook. At first she was bad, but she cannot bear to remain bad at anything she does for very long. Her practice paid off and she's become a rather good cook, at least, a good cook of Japanese cuisine.

She was hooked. Cooking was so interesting. There were so many patterns and principles to learn and apply, and the end result was usually delicious. But she had plateaued in her improvement with the cuisine she knew, and wanted to branch out. Her new years resolution was to make more friends, and one of her friends was Rashmi, who she was sure could teach her a thing or two about curries. So, she invited Rashmi over to Casa Del Outers to hang out in the kitchen.

But that wasn't the only friend she wanted to connect with. Ever since Hotaru had moved in, Michiru had been finding little ways to spend a moment or two with her: cooking meals, playing music, or even just random hugs and headpats in passing. But quality time learning a skill together? That sounded like the perfect activity. A nice distraction from all the things going on around them.

As she waited for Rashmi to arrive, Michiru walked around the kitchen making sure everything was put away in its place. She didn't have to move anything. She just needed to make sure.

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Hotaru Tomoe was... trying to help. As best she could. And Michiru would probably learn something very interesting about Hotaru.

Primarily, she was a genius.

But not in the same way the other outers were. She could retain sooooo much information. After reading a book, or a recipe one time, she could recite it and return it with ease, copying it exactly. It was incredible! She could almost, word for word, recite the great number of books she'd been reading in the library.

What she sucked at was applying it to new things. While in fun things she was creative and came up with things like... Catastrophe... She didn't seem very good at being original. She could make a cabbage soup. But it wouldn't occur to her to add carrots to it. She needed clear and direct orders. But she could follow them well.

She also knew a baking recipe or two. Mostly from Mami. Because Mami was brilliant and perfect and oh gosh the amount of gushing the little girl had about her kohai and senpais at obsidian...

Rashmi Terios has posed:
When invited over to help teach Michiru about Indian cooking, Rashmi spent a good amount of time flailing in panic. Sure she knew how to cook, but her *parents* were the kitchen geniuses! And she was going to basically be an *ambassador of Indian food!* Also, teaching?! She's not a teacher! She's *fifteen years old* how does she have the subject matter authority to--

"Sunshine, you worry too much," her mother had said, with fond amusement. "Tell me again, what is food?"

"Food is love," Rashmi sighed. "But--"

"But me no buts, Sunshine. Now... What is the most important sense, to *make* food as we do?"

"...The nose, obviously? So wha--"

"And can you show them how to *use* the nose?"

"...Oh!"

Which is how, when the doorbell rings, Rashmi has a surprising amount of grocery bags in hand; some canisters of spice, some vegetables, a small electric coffee grinder, ketchup and yellow mustard, and a package of chicken thighs. "Hi~!" she chirps as the door opens. "How's everybody doing?"

Michiru Kaiou has posed:
Michiru manages to finish taking stock of the kitchen just moments before she hears Rashmi at the door. Perfect timing is usually Setsuna's department, so naturally when she pulls the door open Michiru has an amused smile on her face.

"Rashmi-chan!" She says, that grin turning into a smile. Then she looks down at the groceries. "I am so glad you brought everything. I spent some time last night reading recipes and blogs and there are so many ingredients I'm unfamiliar with."

There's an awkward pause where she just lets that fact sit there, and then she says, "Let's head to the kitchen! It's going to be just you, me, and Hotaru-chan." She starts to go toward the kitchen then pauses, turns around, and takes a step back toward Rashmi.

She holds out her hands and offers, "Can I take some of the bags?"

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Hotaru Tomoe was right behind Michiru, peeking out from behind her skirt like, well, the child she was. Slightly nervous, slightly timid. Giving a small little wave to the other girl. She,... Well, she knew LOGICALLY that nobody was mad at her. Well, except maybe Sailor Moon. But that didn't mean she wasn't still a shy, timid girl behind it all.

She gave a small little wave to her. "I uhhhh, hope me being here won't cause any interference. Thanks for allowing me to..."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Of course!" Rashmi says, holding up her hands for Michiru to split the burden. Once the bags are collected, she beams at Hotaru, tilting her head. "It'll be *just* fine, Hotaru-chan! How're you liking it here, by the way?"

The redhead very much gives off the air that headpats would be likely, if her hands weren't still occupied, as she follows the two into the kitchen. "So... I talked with Mami about it, and I thought I'd teach you some technique, so you could apply it however you liked, *then* we'd use it to put together a pretty simple curry. Is that okay?"

Michiru Kaiou has posed:
Michiru Kaiou collects some bags from Rashmi and then leads the way into the kitchen, setting all her bags down on the kitchen island in the center.

"That sounds perfect! I felt quite lost reading these recipes last night. I kept having to refer to a reference to understand the instructions, and..." Michiru shakes her head as she turns and leans back against the island coutnertop. She laughs lightly and smiles. "Let's just say, I'll appreciate whatever I manage to learn today."

"Hotaru-chan, you're not causing any interference at all. I want you here. I want us all three to have a nice time together cooking!" She pushes off the counter and reaches out to pat Hotaru on the head. "We want you here. Promise."

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Hotaru Tomoe couldn't help but smile at Rashmi's approval. "T-thank you. As for being here? Wellll... It's AMAZING! They're all so smart and elegant and amazing and sweet and generous and smart and--" Then her cheeks went red and she glanced to Michiru. Her cheeks only going redder before she looked back to Rashmi. "I-I really like it here. They really make me feel welcome. I think daddy would like it here, too, if he ever finds a final solution for me."

She knew she couldn't go back to her dad right now, but she knew, one day, he'd understand why she had to do what she did. And then maybe he could live here too! She didn't want to leave...

Of course, Michiru's assurances that she was wanted here, well, they only made her more cheerful. A big, happy, somewhat dopey grin was on her face and she gave the lightest, happiest little giggle. "This is the best place anyone could ever be. I love it," she said, her voice filled with joy. "So, ummm, how have things been for you? Sparkling and all?"

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"They really are just the best, aren't they?" Rashmi asks Hotaru, winking at the aquanette. "And things are pretty okay! Some problems are settled, more are brewing, and we do the best we can. I do miss our fights, Hotaru-chan, but I'd *definitely* rather you be healthy and safe instead."

The yogurt and chicken are transferred to the fridge for the moment, as she starts digging about the other bags. "Well, the first thing to learn is how to use your nose," Rashmi says with a grin. Jar after jar of whole seeds -- and one of violently yellow powder, because fresh turmeric is *not* for the hands or countertops of the inexperienced -- are arranged on the counter, followed by the coffee grinder. "It feels hard to cook curry, but it's a lot easier if you know how to cook by scent. So... first things first... take a jar, one by one, open it up, and have a sniff. Think about what the smell reminds you of, how it makes you feel."

The jars are labeled, in Japanese, Cumin, Coriander, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Cloves, Nutmeg.

Michiru Kaiou has posed:
Michiru Kaiou stays out of Rashmi's way once the bags are all set down. She just stands there, next to Hotaru, with her hand reassuringly resting on Hotaru's shoulder.

"That makes sense," she says with a nod. "Given how taste and smell are linked. It sounds a bit like how I play violin. When I was first learning I was terrible at remembering just where to put my fingers," she explains. Then she brings a finger up to tap her ear. "But I can hear the note and adjust. Now, of course I just know where my fingers go, but that made it so much easier to build up the muscle memory."

She watches as Rashmi lays out the jars and is picking up the cumin just as soon as Rashmi is setting down the cardamom. She opens the jar and takes a deep breath, a thoughtful look on her face as she puts the cap back on before handing it off to Hotaru. She's going to do the same thing, right? "These smells are all going to remind me of curry," she says with a laugh. "But this one also reminds me of that one time Setsuna made us all American chili. It's such a warm flavor. It feels comfortable and exciting."

Setting that one down, she picks up the coriander next. "It's amazing how different the fruit's flavor is from that of the leaves," Michiru says as she takes in a lung full of dried coriander seeds. The real aroma of the seeds doesn't emerge until they're crushed, but she can still smell many of the compounds. "When I think of coriander, I remember the outrageous sandwich I had at a small out of the way deli in Manhattan. Takuya-san took me there for lunch when I was in America to play with the New York Philharmonic. It makes me feel safe and comfortable and happy."

The lid goes back on and she sets it down, picking up the cardamom, opening it, and breathing it in. "The first thing I think of when I smell this is the very first time I had takeout from Korma," she says, looking up to Rashmi with a smile. She takes in another lungful and looks a little more thoughtful. "But the second thing I think of is coffee. When I played with the Arabian Philharmonic in Dubai, they served us coffee that they had prepared by grinding it with cardamom and then roasting it in a pan before brewing. It was incredible. I didn't sleep for two days." She giggles. "It makes me feel excited and invigorated. It's such a bright and potent flavor."

The cinnamon, like the coriander, really blooms when it's ground. But sticks in a jar are still quite fragrant. "This smell reminds me of sitting on a deck in Vail, Colorado with my father drinking hot apple cider," she says, with her eyes closed and a dreamy expression on her face. She closes the jar, and takes another, much more shaky breath as she sits it down. She's at home and these are her friends. She doesn't have to mask. Tears well up a the corners of her eyes as she looks at it, and says. "It makes me feel grateful, warm, and safe."

She smells the cloves and giggles. "This makes me think of the same memory. Cinnamon and cloves go together so well," she says, before moving on to smell the nutmeg. "And this? Makes me think of the pumpkin pie we had back in November. It's warm and happy."

"A lot of bright and a lot of earthy flavors," she observes, as she puts the lid back on the nutmeg and sets it down.

Michiru Kaiou does not do anything by half measures.

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Hotaru Tomoe nodded to Rashmi and... "Well, if you wanted to fight again, we could. IT wouldn't be a serious fight, but I don't mind. My blade can't hurt you, either. Riventon-senpai made sure of that!" Only because she wouldn't use it right otherwise...

Of course, as Michiru did things... Hotaru imitated her. As she so often did. She started taking the offered bottles and smelled them. She didn't, unfortunately, have any of these same responses. She did, however, watch Michiru's reactions with wide eyed wonder and amazement. She... was so cool...

She'd put the bottles down after sniffing them each time. "I ummm... don't have any real memories with them. But I guess now they'll remind me of this! Well... I guess the cinnamon sticks kind of remind me of Hosshiwa-senpai... she really liked sweets."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"That's right, Hotaru-chan," Rashmi says with a smile. "You know, it's pretty well proven that smells can be one of the strongest links to a memory, like Michiru-chan showed. If you smell something that reminds you of a time when you were safe and happy, it's a lot easier to go *back* to that feeling. So if smelling any of these, or all of them, reminds you of this place? That could really, really help you out, when you're feeling bad. Also I would love that sometime, I really need to get better at close-in fighting and that means learning from the best."

Then Rashmi starts ducking under the island and rummaging about in the cupboards, emerging with a large, heavy-bottomed iron pan. "Ho-kay! Now you're gonna learn the secret to *really good curry,* she says, setting the pan on the burner and turning the heat up as hot as it can. "C'mon over, I'm gonna need your noses for this too, because we're gonna toast them."

A wooden spoon is fetched as the pan heats up, and she grabs a bowl to measure the spices into. "Now it's best if you have your spices measured before you toast them... but it's all relative. You can even make it scientific if you use a scale!" she says to Hotaru. "If you use this much cumin, you want half as much coriander and cardamom and black pepper..." The redhead keeps up a steady stream of chatter as she demonstrates how to measure cinnamon against cloves, and the like, as the pan continues to heat.

"Now don't touch the pan Hotaru-chan, not even the handle unless you use something to protect your hands," she says, fetching a towel with one hand, and dumping the bowl of spices in with the other, stirring nonstop. "You can't let them stop moving," she says, as the fragrance of the heated spices begins to fill the kitchen. "Because if they rest, they burn. But if you pay attention to your nose, you can tell how the smell's starting to feel... bigger, deeper."

Michiru Kaiou has posed:
Now this is what Michiru wanted. Ratios! Rules to remember! She listens as Rashmi measures out everything. She stands to one side of the redhead, giving her plenty of space, but still close enough to smell the aromas coming out of the pan.

"Mmm. Those all smell so good. Especially together," she comments. Presumably they'll grind them in the coffee grinder next. That's going to smell even better. Michiru looks excited.

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Hotaru Tomoe nodded along, watching as Rashmi cooked. "So... it's like... the heat makes the spices change the way they taste and feel, right? So if you cooked them slowly, they'd taste different, but toasting them alters the compounds enough and gives that kind of charred taste?" she asked.

Then glanced down at her hands. "I... I'll make sure to ummm... wear protection." Well, it wasn't like her hands were real, anyway. And, welllll... She often wore gloves when she could. It only took a touch, though.

"So... ummmmm... does that mean if you used magical heat it'd make the magic seep into the spices, too, and change them as well?"

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"That's *exactly* right, Hotaru-chan," Rashmi says with a firm nod. "I couldn't tell you about magic fire, honestly... But it'd be an interesting thing to see! ...If you could get a magical fire that would stay put, attack-fire's usually too intense to do anything but obliterate things like spices. ... ...I might ask Daifuku about that, actually."

The line of questioning has her mind wandering, but a subtle alteration in the scent of the spices snaps her back to reality, and the pan comes off the heat and the spices dumped back into the bowl. "Now the reason I brought this cheap grinder is, I don't know if Setsuchan uses a normal one for her coffee, and you never, ever want to mix the two up. Spice dust and coffee dust will *never* not mix together no matter how much cleaning you do."

The toasty seeds and sticks get dumped into the coffee grinder, and after thirty seconds of loud mechanical grindy noises, she pops the cansiter off the grinder, and grins. "This is the fun part... Check this out."

And she opens the lid.

Michiru was *right.*

Michiru Kaiou has posed:
Michiru Kaiou continues to shadow Rashmi at a just-comfortable distance to one side. But when the red-head opens that grinder, she leans it close to smell. She's got big hair. Wisps of aqua are in the forecast for the locale right around Rashmi.

She takes a deep breath, deeper than before. "Wow!" She says, and then smiles as she straightens up and returns to her comfortable distance away. "It is amazing how that process transforms the flavors." Cooking really is amazing. Who says regular fire isn't magical?

There's a thoughtful look on her face as her mind races ahead, trying to anticipate where Rashmi's going to take them. Michiru hardly ever attended lectures, but when she did she never took notes. It distracted her from the real learning, which was trying to anticipate the lesson and then adjusting her priors when she was wrong.

"So, do we mostly just combine this spice mix with the yogurt to make the sauce then?" She asks, catching herself before she goes on to ask another several questions. One question at a time, Michi. One at a time.

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Hotaru Tomoe nodded along, and was finding something... a little off putting about all this. As she worked. Something wasn't... oh. OH! She finally put it to work. "You should cackle maniacly while you cook, it makes it a lot more interesting. And as it nears completion, say things like 'Soon, soon my plans will be complete... the flavor will TRANSCEND ALL HUMANITY! MWA HA HA HA!'"

... Okay, so she was a whole ham sandwich, what did you expect?

"Trust me, try it and you'll never wanna go back."

And then... then the scent. "O-oh... oh that smells amazing..." she whispered softly. Closing her eyes and letting it waft over her. "Ohhhh... What's it taste like, like this? Would it be too spicy? Why is it yogurt? Why not like, milk? Or cheese?"

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Both of those are *really good questions,*" Rashmi says. "Michiru-chan, that's a start yes but also the ketchup and some onions and garlic we have to cook off first. Hotaru-chan, you *can* use milk if you want, but you'd want it to be a heavy cream because more milk-fat makes a thicker sauce, and cheese doesn't melt right to make liquids. Also, plain yogurt has some acidity to it, which helps cut the richness of the dairy. It's all a big balancing act, and you're never going to get it right without going too far one way or another. Also we need to chop up the veggies and the chicken, so let's start on that. Hotaru-chan, would you like me to show you how to chop veggies safely? Speed isn't as important when you're cooking in the home, so don't worry about getting it done *fast."

The canister lid closes, and Rashmi rummages again until she finds three good-sized cutting boards, and locates the knives. Once again, Setsuna's habit of 'I don't know what to do with these but if I get the best *someone* will appreciate it' shopping turns up a set of excellent chef's knives, and a heavy, Chinese-style cleaver that raises Rashmi's eyebrows.

"...Well okay then," she says, laying the cleaver on her board, and setting large Japanese-style chopping knives on the boards to either side. "I'll take care of the meat, who wants carrots and who wants potatoes?"

Pause.

"...Also you're right Hotaru-chan that *does* sound like a lot of fun, I'm gonna have to try it when I'm not swinging a small axe."

Michiru Kaiou has posed:
At least this is a step Michiru knows what to do with. Thinking of every dish she's had from Korma, she can imagine the final product. They both need peeling and dicing and it's really not any different a task on either side. But Hotaru has smaller hands, so would have an easier time manipulating the carrots.

"I'll do the potatoes," she volunteers. "Peeled and diced, yes?" She gets however many potatoes Rashmi tells her they need and then takes them to the sink to wash them off before bringing them back to the cutting board with a peeler in her hand. She sets to work very methodically processing all the potatoes.

She's definitely been practicing her knife skills.

She does keep glancing over to the other two girls, mostly keeping an eye on Hotaru. But of course, that means she's also looking at Rashmi and that huge cleaver.

"No, Rashmi-chan. Now is the perfect time for you to villain laugh."

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Hotaru Tomoe nodded. "Exactly. There's nothing more comforting than a silly friend handling dangerous instruments. Daddy used to do it all the time and loved doing the 'Oh no, my hand is gone!' gag on me. I used to fall for it all the time." The way she said it, so happy and with that huge grin on her face, well...

It showed just how much it meant to her. How silly she and her family were.

"I'll do the carrots, then!" she said, she'd need a foot stool, though, to step on. So she could reach the cutting board and everything.

... She was small and the outers were tall. It was not an easy life for her. Okay, it was very easy but not in terms of height. "So... ummmmm, what do I need to do?" Unlike Michiru, who always thought ahead... Hotaru really was the 'just follows direction' sort. The first time, at least. But in the future, she'd always know how to tend to them! Peeled and dice was easy enough...

Once she was shown how. She was a VERY dilligent worker. "No, mister carrot. I expect you to fall to pieces! Mwa ha ha ha ha! Yesssss, time for the PEELER!" Dun dun duuuuun...

Rashmi Terios has posed:
'Nothing more comforting.'

...

.....

.......

.....

...

...Well all right then.

A bit of searching, and Rashmi settles for simply pulling one of the bar-stools around to the kitchen side of the island, patting it for Hotaru to sit on. It might mean a bit of leaning forward, but without an obvious footstool it's the best thing she can come up with. Then a pair of peelers are located, and distributed. "Rolling cut actually," she says to Michiru. "Put a little Japanese style into it, and you get more surface area. Now, Hotaru-chan. If you hold it like this..." and she demonstrates the best grip for holding a knife for cooking -- which isn't too dissimilar from holding chopsticks.

When she reaches out to correct Hotaru's grip, there's a half-a-heartbeat of a pause, because that *isn't* a normal hand. But the moment passes with a shrug and a smile.

"...it's actually easier to control the weight of the knife, once you get used to it." Hold the carrot with your other hand here, and you want the knife at an angle... Then just press down and push forward a little until the knife his the board. Turn the carrot halfway over, bring it down about two centimeters, and cut again."

Michiru Kaiou has posed:
Michiru Kaiou's face lights up just a little. She knows that technique! Rangiri is a technique for getting fairly uniform pieces out of oddly shaped vegetables. She looks at the potatoes and visualizes the end result and nods. Yeah, that is about the size of potato chunk she gets, when she thinks about it.

She sets to cutting the potatoes once they're peeled. She's very methodical, but she's not particularly slow. All her movements are fluid. The way she manipulates the knife, the way she repositions the potatoes. She manages to make cutting potatoes look elegant.

She continues to watch aside as Hotaru works on the carrots, giggling quietly at her hamming it up.

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Hotaru Tomoe nodded. She... didn't know any cutting beyond 'cut'. It was just that, well, she didn't do much cooking. Probably because she didn't eat much. However, when Rashmi paused, Hotaru cringed and waited for the hammer to come down and--

And it didn't. She let out a soft sigh of relief. Good. She wasn't... creeped out or anything by her. She gave the smallest smile and relaxed.

"Uh huh..." she mumbled as she worked.

She followed direction, however. Soon applying the technique she was shown. Down and forward, turn it, move it, cut again...

It wasn't hard, at least!

She's nowhere near as smooth as Michiru, though. Taking it slow, steady, applying the directions she was taught one by one.

"Thank you for this, Rashmi-senpai," she said softly, her eyes locked on the board as she cut.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"I meant what I said, Hotaru-chan," Rashmi says softly. "Even if we have to fight for real again, that doesn't mean we can't be friends. I mean, I adore everyone in this house, and that means you too." A gentle hand comes down onto Hotaru's head for a quiet pat, then she turns to wash her hands and breaks out the meat. Her glasses catch the kitchen light in an odd way, and she tilts her chin up, glaring down at the wibbly pink chicken thighs on her cutting board.

"...You are already food."

*CHOP CHOP CHOP CHOP*

Down comes the cleaver, again and again, and before long the thighs are undifferentiated chunks of bird meat, in a loose pile.

Then her 'tough guy' act is shattered by her needing to take a moment to chuckle at herself, as she scoops the meat into another bowl, then upends most of the bottle of mustard on top.

One thing about growing up around cooks, you lose your squeamishness quickly, and mixing raw meat and mustard is as normal as cutting potatoes.

"So normally you *don't* use just mustard. But, making mustard oil is a whole other process, and anyway Papi says that mustard is the absolute best thing you can use for making spices stick to meat. ...Which reminds me."

Turning back again to give her hands a wash, she then sets the oven to 190."We're gonna toss the meat in some of the spice, then bake for a little bit, let it cook through and suck in all those flavors."

Michiru Kaiou has posed:
Michiru Kaiou makes fairly quick work of her potatoes, but she's also being very serious about it. Knife safety is no joke. These knives are sharp (which makes them safer but also more dangerous). When her potatoes are all cut into pieces she slides them off into a bowl, and turns to watch as Rashmi prepares the chicken for baking.

"Oh, well, no wonder there's so much flavor in these dishes," she says as Rashmi explains what she's doing with the chicken. "So many steps for it to build up."

It makes sense to cook the meat with the spice mix too. Get that flavor permeating every part of the dish. Michiru smiles because she feels like she's really understanding this. She's learning something, she hasn't perfected it, but she's understanding. She's not bad.

"You're doing great, Hotaru-chan," she says, as she drifts over to stand next to her kohai. "This is going to be so delicious when we're done!"

She's so excited.

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Hotaru Tomoe had to actually pause when Rashmi... DID THE THING! She gave an excited little sqwee.

She then got back to it. She'd take the longest, primarily due to her inexperience and carefulness. Nobody wants... things getting in the food. But she's also having fun doing it with everyone else. She didn't fully understand all of it, but... she was the PERFECT lab assistant. Takashi told her. There, she was happy to assist in this regard.

"It's fun, isn't it?" she whispered to Rashmi before nodding to Michiru. "All done! Nice and chopped up!"

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"...Yeah it is," Rashmi answers, chuckling. "And you did a *wonderful* job! Doing it right and slowly is always better than quick and sloppy, speed comes when you've done something often enough to be comfortable." The canister of spice is opened, and the now-cooled pan returned back to the stove, this time with the heat much lower. Half of the spice gets emptied into a saucepan, and the entire container of yogurt, then a largish measuring spoon is procured.

"Okay, Hotaru-chan? I want you to add the rest of the sauce. First... sec. Quick restaurant secret."

A block of butter comes out of the grocery bag, and half of it is cut out and transferred to a bowl, which is then shoved in the microwave for twenty seconds. "So if you hear someone who claims to be a chef, complaining about microwaves? They've never spent a day in a restaurant kitchen. Restaurants *love* microwaves for stuff like this, because you don't have *time* to wait for butter to soften or put it on a stove to melt. I've even heard of American chefs talking about 'give that job to Chef Mike.'"

Once satisfactorily soft, the butter comes out and Rashmi hands Hotaru the spoon. "There should be enough butter to fill that twice, so do that and put it in the pot with the yogurt. Then, fill the spoon halfway up with ketchup, and dump in. Michiru-chan, could you cut up the onion for me please? It doesn't need to be fancy, just take off the top, cut it in half long-way, *then* take off the skin, it's lots easier that way and the root holds everything together while you slice."

Michiru Kaiou has posed:
"Of course," Michiru says and heads back to her cutting board by way of the bags on the island, finding the onion. She follows Rashmi's instructions exactly and her mouth is just hanging open a little when she's done. "Wow, Rashmi-chan. That is a lot easier."

It's just one onion, so it does not take Michiru long at all to cut it up. This doesn't get put into yet another bowl, but instead just left on the cutting board. She's pretty sure it's gonna go into a pan very soon anyway.

"I really appreciate you coming over and showing us all of this, Rashmi-chan," she says as she turns to watch Hotaru soften butter. "Especially because when this is all done, we get to have lunch!"

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Hotaru Tomoe nodded along, following the instructions as directed. Lab assistanting go! "Chef Mike? Hee, I'm gonna have to start calling it that." Butter, then ketchup, not hard at all.

From there, ti was mostly just watching... and, if curious, even when watching she spent most of her time just standing on the stool.

It made her tall. And it was her thing. Get your own... though she'd share.

"Cooking with friends is always a lot more fun. Mami-senpai taught me how to do some baking, but she is way, wayyyyy better at it than me. Her cakes are incredible."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"And enough that Setsuchan and Haruka-chan can reheat when they learn they missed out," Rashmi grins. "I planned to make a *lot,* because I *know* they'd be upset if they missed out on getting curry. And I *love* cooking with people, Hotaru-chan. It's like Mami -- um. My mother, I mean -- always says; 'Food is love.' When you make food for people, it's because you care about them and want to make them happy by eating it. When you make food *with* people, all that love and care from everyone also goes into the pot."

Once the onions are done, they do indeed go into the pan, and for the next long while she slowly cooks them and a sizable amount of minced garlic, providing another lesson in cooking with your nose; when the garlic doesn't smell raw anymore, and the onions are brown and mushy, they get added to the simmering sauce. Then when the meat is done, *it* gets chucked into the pot, and Hotaru gets the treat of being the one to lift the lid and get enveloped in a cloud of curry-scented steam, every so often.

When Rashmi has judged enough time has passed, and the rice is ready, a simple butter chicken is served.

"It *feels* like a lot goes into this, Michiru-chan," she says later as their curry steams on its plate, "but *so much* can be done beforehand, and when it gets time to make you only have a few steps to really *think* about."

"The rest is just preparation, and care."