A pinch of salt and a tad bit of pepper, that's how some people usually do it, that's how Sanji used to do it when he was a little kid. He did that all the time until Zeff gave him a nice hit across the back of his head. There's nothing bad about salt and pepper, of course not. You just need something more, something to add in to create a harmony of flavours.
Sanji brought a wooden spoon to his lips and sipped the sauce in it carefully to not burn his tongue. He closed his eyes and stilled for a moment. He ran his tongue against the roof of his mouth and savoured the taste. He let out a quiet hum and pursed his lips. Something was still missing, but he didn't know quite what exactly.
The cook walked to the cupboard where he was keeping all the tiny pots, jars and bags full of different spices. Some were quite rare and expensive but some were really simple and common such as basil and dill. He was relatively proud of the collection actually. He always made sure to have enough of every single spice so that he wouldn't face any unpleasant surprises. Sanji also had a small garden on board. Robin and Nami, his lovely angels, helped him to take care of it to make the precious plants grow as well as possible.
Sanji ran his long, pale fingers on the tiny jars and bottles. He had his head slightly tilted, pondering himself that which one of those would make the sauce mind-blowingly delicious. His blue eyes narrowed ever so slightly when he spotted a dark green glass jar. It had a yellowish paper label on it. Sanji saw his own curly handwriting on it, telling what was inside. He had to admit that he might have spilled some coffee on the label papers before cutting and gluing them, and also on purpose. He had a thing for rustic and old looking things. The jar contained coriander seeds. Yes, that would be perfect for the sauce.
Small, yellowish brown seeds dropped one by one in the red sauce. Sanji stirred it firmly with the wooden spoon and let it simmer slowly under a lid while putting self-made udon noodles in boiling water. A wonderful scent filled the kitchen when the coriander started doing its wonders in the pot. One of the many things that made Sanji the happiest human being in the world was well seasoned food, it would always save a day.
While the dinner was still cooking slowly Sanji headed out of the kitchen and behind Nami's tangerine bushes. He kneeled down to eye his small and beautiful herb garden. Speaking of things that make him happy, this was one of them too. He picked a few wasabi-rucola leaves and hurried back in the safety of the kitchen. The cook placed them down on the counter to be able to taste the sauce to see what he had created. He took a small sip and closed his eyes in satisfaction. It was just perfect.
Portion after portion Sanji put dinner together. He filled the bowls quickly but carefully. He didn't have too much time in his hands when an extremely hungry crew was waiting restlessly behind one single, really breakable door. He set the table and made sure to put the rest of the sauce and noodles on the dining table too because well, he knew his crew well enough. Now was time for the finishing touches. He went to take the wasabi-rucola leaves and placed two of them on top of every single portion. Everything was now perfect.
A small boyish grin spread on Sanji's face when he opened the kitchen door and called out the crew. Even if it was hectic and chaotic as well, he enjoyed these parts of the day, mealtimes. When a mass of pirates poured into the galley. Sanji stood behind them until he had made sure that everyone had all they wanted and needed and after everything was done, he was able to sit down and enjoy his meal. To savour the taste of yet another one of his creations while watching the happy faces of his friends. This was yet another thing that made him the happiest man on the planet.