Culinary God in Wilderness

Out of curiosity, Andre pinched off a small, hot piece to taste.

Just as he thought, the texture was completely different from noodles. It was slippery and didn’t have any particular flavor.

"The main point of eating these noodles is for the texture. Some people just love that slippery mouthfeel. They’re usually eaten with a rich broth or a heavy sauce."

After a busy afternoon, the dozen or so beef meatballs he ate for lunch had long since been digested.

If he weren’t saving room for dinner, Andre would have been unable to resist sneaking a few more of the delicious, springy beef meatballs.

He’d even thought it all out. He had plenty of beef anyway, so once he got back, he could make beef meatballs whenever he was bored. The recipe didn’t seem too hard, and it would be a good way to kill time while also getting in a workout.

He had to prove to Lin that all his years of hard training hadn’t just resulted in useless muscle!

The temperature at night was clearly much colder than during the day. The surface of the potato noodles, which had only been out for a few minutes, was already starting to show a thin layer of ice.

Lin Chen sprinkled a layer of powdered snow on top and used his fingers to toss the noodles, bringing the ones on the bottom to the surface to cool. This prevented the trapped heat from making them mushy and ruining the texture.

Once the potato noodles had completely cooled, he spread them evenly on a makeshift wooden rack to air-dry, setting aside only enough for two bowls.

He scooped out several large spoonfuls of beef brisket, drizzled some broth over them, added a bit of snow, and brought it all to a boil on the fire. And just like that, a simple bowl of braised beef brisket with potato noodles was ready.

"You try it first, see how it tastes. It would be even better with some chili powder, though it’s a shame we don’t have any mutton-fat chili oil..."

At the mere mention of it, Andre couldn’t help but gulp.

The mutton-fat chili oil was arguably the most fragrant condiment he had ever tasted in his life, bar none.

’For something as bland as these potato noodles, just how delicious would it be to add a spoonful of that, paired with the sweet and savory braised sauce?’

SLUUURP~

Lin Chen took the first slurp of noodles. They were smooth and tender with a distinct elasticity—much tastier than the ones he used to get from street-side stalls, likely because of how fresh they were.

Even so, he still felt this kind of noodle didn’t absorb flavor well. ’In my mouth, the broth is broth and the noodles are noodles,’ he thought. ’They haven’t blended together at all.’

He wasn’t a fan of their chewy, bouncy texture, either, and had to force himself to swallow.

’If these were handmade noodles instead,’ he mused, ’I could definitely put away two big bowls.’

Andre, on the other hand, was quite receptive to them. He happily shoveled big mouthfuls, even imitating Lin Chen’s slurping with such vigor that he sent drops of broth flying everywhere.

Perhaps inspired by the memory of the mutton-fat chili oil, he actually did sprinkle in some chili powder.

With the added touch of spice, the overall flavor profile of the potato noodles changed once again.

The thing about braised sauce is that the first bite is always the most fragrant, but it gets heavier the more you eat. After all, the broth base was a reduction of fat, meat stock, sugar, and soy sauce. Too much of it was bound to feel cloying.

The heat from the chili perfectly cut through some of that richness, and combined with the piping-hot temperature, it made one break out in a sweat, unable to stop eating.

After quickly slurping down his bowl of noodles, Andre showed no intention of lingering. He picked up his weapons and gear and waved at Lin Chen.

"I’m heading back to catch up on sleep, Lin. See you next week. Oh, right, for the meal, just take it out of my Musk Ox meat. What cut do you want? I’ll give you ten kilograms."

He had offered ten kilograms last time when he was competing with Connor. Although that was just to spite the guy, he now had over three hundred kilograms of the meat and couldn’t care less about such a small amount.

"Any cut is fine. You can decide."

Lin Chen didn’t have any particular preference either; after all, he still couldn’t get through his own share.

The moment Andre left, he moved all the remaining food from the yard back inside. He thought for a moment, then scooped up eight beef meatballs and placed them under the fence where the Little Snow Fox often clawed, only then heading inside to sleep.

He slept in until high noon the next day. After getting up, washing his face, and relieving himself, he heated up some beef meatball soup to fill his stomach.

He moved the potato noodles back into the yard to continue air-drying. With time on his hands, he built a taller rack for curing the ham.

He had been too exhausted yesterday, and with Andre constantly helping with other tasks, he hadn’t gotten around to it.

In this cold weather, and with such a large amount of salt, there was no chance of it spoiling.

After hanging the ham, he seemed to remember something and walked over to the spot where he had buried the beef meatballs yesterday to check.

Sure enough, the snow on the surface showed signs of being dug up, and the beef meatballs hidden within were all gone.

’This little guy is quite the phantom,’ he thought. ’Let’s leave some beef brisket today for a change of taste.’

Salty food wasn’t good for animals, so he specifically scooped out a small pan’s worth, added snow, and brought it to a boil to rinse the sauce off the surface. Only then did he place the meat in the same spot as before, covering it with snow.

Just as he was about to stand up, he suddenly heard a soft, child-like whimper from the snow not far away.

He saw two fluffy, pointed ears bobbing up and down in the snow, darting about every now and then as if hunting prey. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

「A few minutes later.」

The Little Snow Fox, a plump lemming held in its mouth, padded over gracefully. It glanced at him, then dropped the lemming and nudged it under the fence with its small paws.

Only then did it lower its head to sniff at the snow, nosing aside the soft powder to nibble at the still-warm beef brisket.

"Go on and eat. Why bring a gift? You’re too kind."

It was Lin Chen’s first time seeing a lemming up close. It looked like a cross between a squirrel and a Syrian hamster, with a chubby body and round cheek pouches. Unsurprisingly, it looked like an expert food-hoarder.

He didn’t reject the Little Snow Fox’s kind gesture, though he had no intention of eating it himself. ’Later, I’ll clean it up, roast it, and leave it for the little guy as a midnight snack.’

’I’ve got plenty of food now, so I don’t need to go hunting for a while. I’ll just focus on moving the goods back from the warehouse bit by bit, gathering some firewood along the way. With the rest of my time, I can finally enjoy a long-awaited vacation~’