Orc Medicine

 I don't know about you, Dungeon Meshi Maniacs, but this old slime is still busting at the seams over all the dragon we've been eating.  And it's not just dragon!  We've been on an all out gluttonous rampage since we entered this dungeon. Granted, that is the exact title of the manga this project is based on.  But give a slime a break!  I need a little help digesting all this food.  How about some medicine?  But what sort of medicine could we possibly find all the way down here?  Not many shops on this level.  How about some....Orc Medicine!

Oh yeah, that's the stuff!  This'll either help out stomach issues or kill us.  Either way the plumbing will get cleaned  "Orcs? Didn't we already deal with them?" I can hear the non-manga or anime watching DMMs scream into their victrola (they don't work that way, btw).  First, let me first give those DMMs credit for reading a fan blog about something they themselves are not a fan of!  You're the real superstars here. Yes, Orcs are back not on the menu, boys!  Back to the dungeon, how did we get from Falin coming back to orcs making medicine?  Turns out Falin ain't all there.

Anyone with a brother has wanted elbow them in the solar plexus so we can give Falin a pass here.  Turns out she is still in the thrall of the Lunatic Magician.  She runs off and eventually becomes something that has launched the horniest fanart the internet is capable of drawing!  Trust me, tread carefully.  Or not!  I don't know what floats your boat and won't judge.  Falin isn't the only one with a mad on for the Lunatic Magician.  

Marcille see's an opportunity to ask questions that could be used in her thesis statement.  Never take your eyes off the prize, Marcille!  Even though a maniac is trying to kill you isn't a good reason to not pump them for advice.  The battle does not go well, Enterprise.....whoops....wrong fandom.  The fight with Screwy Squirrel here goes badly and the gang barley gets away alive.  Luckily they are found by potential friends!

The orcs!  Love these guys.  And I love even more that we are finally getting to my favorite character of the series.  The sister of the orc chieftain, Leed!

So cool!  How does this get us to Orc Medicine, though?  You came here to get your stomach pains taken care of like I did.  Clench, DMMs.  We are almost there.  Thanks to Senshi, Leed is convinced to help the group and she makes them some medicine!

Basic but effective!  Some sort of fruit, maybe a frog leg...a worm of some kind?  Delicious!  Well, I'm sure it is in that world but here these ingredients would be very hard to cook with and make palatable.  At least for some with limited skills like me.  What it does remind me of is one of the most basic things a chef can make but can increase the awesomeness of any baked dish 1,000 fold!  Fruit Compote!  How could something so awesome be so simple?  Look at the ingredients, DMMs.

Two cups of any fruit you like, I went to blackberries, a fourth cup of sugar, a bit of lemon juice and some salt.  That's it!  Since this is Orc Medicine we can focus on the fact that blackberries have a lot of antioxidants and natural fibers.  That'll help us overlook the large amount of sugar we are going to cook with!  Now for the next step, adding any spices you want to up the flavor.  I took out a teaspoon and took scoops of Cardamon, Black Pepper, Cinnamon, and Nutmeg.

These are considered "warm" spices. In the olden days they were used to treat all sorts of alignments.  For our needs we will focus on the fact that all tackle digestive issues and can reduce inflammation.  Nih History Time!  My doctors uses the super adult term "tummy" when referring to my crap factory.  Since he has the MD I guess that is the official term.  Back to the collection of spices, not only do they aid in digestion they all have amazing flavors!  The mixture of warm and sweet will taste great on some pancakes.  To begin take all the ingredients and dump them in a saucepan.  Give them a good toss and let them set for about five minutes.

Why the wait?  Your letting the flavors mix and to allow the salt to bring out some of the juices.  Mainly because the next thing you'll do is increase the heat and bring this mixture to a boil.

Already smelling amazing, DMMs!  Once you get to the boil just bring it down to a Medium-Low heat.  You just want it to simmer.  Allow it to simmer for 15 to 20 minutes while stirring every so often.

Please, DMMs!  Resist the urge to drink this directly from the pot!  It's molten fruit syrup and will give your mouth a serious burn.  After the time has passed just take this off the heat and let it set for a few minutes.  That'll give it a chance to cool and create a thicker syrup.  That's it!  That's all you need for...what...what is that, DMM's?  You saw Leed put worms in her medicine and I didn't put in worm one?  I mean, what do you want from me?  To get worms?  I haven't even eaten fried worms, DMMs, and I read a whole book on the subject! I just...fine... you want worms then here.  Here's your worms.

Happy!?  I wormed up my fruit compote.  It should be as effective as the orc medicine at least.  There you have it, DMMs!  The next time you have old biscuits or want to jazz up some Eggos give a fruit compote a try.  Have a fruit filled week, DMMs, and be sure to join me next week. I'm not sure what we'll talk about but I'm sure it'll involve a certain orc cutie.