Heaven's Senses

XIX

~~~~Soma~~~~

Hikari paced around the diner, furious about the woman they had just confronted about her chicken at Mozuya..

"So, um... that was pretty terrifying. It was like watching a horrible scene in a Yakuza movie." Mayumi shook in terror, not really talking about the Mozuya owner, but more about how Hikari tore that woman to bits.

"So you and Hikari really wanna make your own version of the enemy's fried chicken?" Mito asked.

"Yeah, sure, why not? You agree with this, sis?" I asked.

Hikari finally snapped out of her rage and turned towards her brother with fire in her eyes and determination in her wicked smile.

"You've got my skills for this one, big brother." She answered.

"Then let's get started on something that'll take down Mozuya." I said, taking my knives and getting to work with Hikari by my side.

Hikari made a homemade marinade as I cut the chicken into uneven chunks before setting them in the bowl. Mito used spices identical to Mozuya's recipe and mixed in a little bit of ginger to make it a little bit more unique to our own style.

"This is just a trial run, so I'll be frying it up soon." I said, "Hey, Hikari. Give me your estimate, how long they marinade their chicken? You get a good enough taste?"

Hikari nodded, "Yeah, I'd say they let their chicken rest in their special marinade sauce for at least ten hours, more if they think the chicken needs it."

"Ten hours or more?" Mayumi said shocked, "That's a long time."

"Well, it explains why their chicken was so flavorful. The chicken soaked in all the juice and spices from the marinade, making the juice and flavor stay inside once the chicken is fried and exploding in your mouth upon your very first bite." Hikari explained, "Hey, brother, remember to slap off the excess potato starch on that chicken.

"I know, I'm on it. Gotta make it crispy, right?"

"You know it."

Once the oil was at the right temperature, we put the chicken in and fried up nice and crispy for a few minutes until the outside was golden brown.

"Trial run number one is complete." Hikari said.

"Mayumi, would you do the honors?" I asked. Mayumi nodded and picked up a piece of the fried chicken. She blew off some of the heat and took a big bite while the rest of the group did the same, except for Hikari.

"This is so delicious." Mayumi complimented, then turned to see that Hikari wasn't eating anything, "Huh? Hikari, aren't you going to have a taste?"

Hikari chuckled and shook her head, "Nah, if I try it, I'll just give it a bad score or something. Besides, this dish is for the general area, I'd just weigh it all down with my senses."

"Oh, come on, sis, just try a bite. I know you haven't eaten today besides that Mozuya chicken." Soma said, handing her a piece of chicken, "Just try to give us some helpful tips, okay?"

Hikari sighed and took the chicken from me, eating it in a single bite.

"It is delicious." Hikari said.

"But it doesn't have the same kick that Mozuya has." I finished, "It's that top shelf marinade. It has soy sauce, garlic and a bunch of other different seasonings. Combing all that umami gives it layers of flavor."

"Yeah, I'm sure they spent years getting the flavors just right." Hikari added.

"How do we go up against a marinade like that?" Mayumi asked.