Culinary God in Wilderness

Andre stared blankly at the frying pan right in front of him.

Vibrant green mountain chives were mixed in with brilliant golden wild mushrooms. Thin slices of porcupine belly, pan-fried to a crisp, glistened with oil. A rich, meaty aroma wafted up, clearly mingled with the unique fragrance of the mushrooms.

Most importantly, the addition of the mountain chives not only made the dish more visually striking but also added a touch of freshness to the aroma.

He had never in his life seen someone whip up a dish so perfect in color, aroma, and taste from scratch in just three or four minutes.

After showing it to Andre and the GoPro, Lin Chen grabbed a small pot and dumped everything from the frying pan into it.

"You can just eat out of this pot. The stockpot’s needed for boiling water, and all I’ve got left to use is the frying pan. Conditions are limited."

Andre gulped and nodded. "Looks like I’ll have to bring my three pots next time."

’Next time?’

Lin Chen was secretly delighted. ’It hasn’t even really started, and I’ve already got him hooked.’

’Country foreigners are just easier to win over than the ones from the city.’

Although he had made the dish for Andre, Lin Chen hadn’t eaten either.

As was a chef’s professional duty, the moment he set the frying pan down, his chopsticks were already moving. He picked up a slice of porcupine belly, stacked it on a brilliant golden Elfin Saddle Mushroom, added a couple of chives, and stuffed the entire thing into his mouth.

He’d eaten honey mushrooms so many times he knew exactly what they tasted like just by thinking about it; there was no need to try them.

The lightly crisped edges of the porcupine belly crunched as he bit into it, while the center remained soft and tender. As his teeth pressed down, he could feel the distinct pleasure of the fat bursting out.

In the wilderness, where fat was a scarce commodity, this sensation was an unparalleled pleasure.

[Enjoying a porcupine dish in the wilds of North America. Happiness +1]

’Just one slice works??’

Lin Chen froze, then instinctively started chewing faster.

The texture of the Elfin Saddle Mushroom was exactly as it appeared. Its taste was similar to the common oyster mushroom, which it resembled, but its color was much more eye-catching. In terms of nutritional value, it left the unremarkable oyster mushroom miles behind.

The unique, fresh fragrance of the mountain chives perfectly neutralized the lingering oily feeling in his mouth. Though compared to pork belly, the fat content of porcupine belly was so minimal as to be negligible, the addition of the chives still elevated the entire dish’s flavor by several levels.

"Delicious! This is so delicious! They’re just simple ingredients, with no seasonings besides a bit of salt. How can it be this good?!"

Andre couldn’t care less about his image. He wiped his broad hands on his clothes, brought the small pot right up to his mouth, and started shoveling the food in.

After just one bite, his eyes suddenly lit up.

"What is this unique fragrance? It’s not from the chives, and it’s not from the mushrooms or the porcupine. But it’s strangely addictive."

"You’re probably talking about the ’pan-sear aroma,’ right?"

Lin Chen had a good idea of what he was trying to describe. "It comes from those few seconds when I was tossing the food and the pan caught fire. The flavor of the flames gets infused into the dish. It’s a unique cooking technique in Great Xia cuisine."

"I don’t completely understand... but I’m starting to see why Great Xia cuisine is so famous. It’s truly a culinary style all its own."

Seeing Andre devour his food like a whirlwind, Lin Chen smiled, a long-forgotten sense of pride swelling in his heart.

He had gone to culinary school, and after graduating, he’d spent two years working in a Western-style restaurant before it went out of business due to factors beyond his control.

Once the economy started to recover, he decided to start a street food stall. It allowed him to earn a living while also promoting the food of Great Xia.

Unexpectedly, a series of cultural campaigns back home this year had created a massive wave of interest in Daxia Culture. As a result, his food truck business had boomed, and he’d made a fortune.

His goal in accepting the invitation to this show was to give more foreign viewers a profound understanding of the wonders of Great Xia’s cuisine.

Without washing the pan, he placed it back on the fire.

Once it was smoking hot, he tossed in a few pieces of fat he’d trimmed from the porcupine. After rendering the fat, he neatly arranged chunks of the porcupine’s leg meat in the pan.

This time, he wasn’t stir-frying; he was searing.

Andre demolished the food in the pot at lightning speed. Still not satisfied, he licked the lingering grease from the corners of his mouth, his gaze already fixed on the frying pan in front of Lin Chen.

A constant SZZZZZLE filled the air as the meaty aroma grew ever richer.

Under the intense heat of the fire, the bottoms of the neatly squared chunks of porcupine meat quickly changed color.

He didn’t rush to flip them. Instead, he waited patiently for about thirty seconds before using his branch chopsticks to turn the pieces of meat over, one by one.

As he turned them, the alluring, golden-brown seared sides were revealed piece by piece. Compared to the pan of raw meat from just half a minute earlier, it looked like a completely different dish.

After flipping all the pieces of meat, Lin Chen held out an open palm.

"?"

Andre blinked, looked at the small pot he was holding, and, taking the hint, handed it over by the handle.

Lin Chen grabbed a handful of blueberries, tossed them in, and crushed them. Then he grabbed a handful of a three-berry mix—Roganberries, Salmonberries, and raspberries—tossed them in as well, and continued mashing everything into a pulp.

The deep purple Roganberries and the similarly colored blueberry pulp were nearly indistinguishable once mixed. Fortunately, the addition of the yellow Salmonberries and rose-red raspberries lightened the deep, dark purple hue somewhat.

"These berries are sweet and sour—overall, about seventy percent sour and thirty percent sweet. Adding them enhances the flavor of the meat and also helps cut the richness."

"I know you probably don’t find this rich at all right now—in fact, you’re probably wishing you could have more fat. But don’t forget, we still have the main event to get to."

Lin Chen explained briefly, pointing to the plump duck air-drying on the rack.

"It would be a shame if the richness from these appetizers built up and ruined your experience of the main course, wouldn’t it?"

"True," Andre said, nodding in agreement.

Americans love fried, high-calorie foods, so he definitely knew what it felt like to overdo it on the grease.

Once both sides of the porcupine leg meat were seared to a golden brown, Lin Chen poured in some of the duck-blood broth to deglaze the pan. This not only prevented the temperature from rising further and scorching the meat, but it also used the hot liquid to dissolve the flavorful browned bits at the bottom of the pan into the broth.

The moment the relatively clear broth hit the pan, it instantly erupted into a boil. Countless large bubbles scrambled to the surface, releasing waves of an intoxicating meaty aroma.

Once the bubbling had calmed, Lin Chen poured in the mashed berry pulp.

He gave it a few gentle stirs with his chopsticks. Before their eyes, the broth transformed into a deep purplish color, its texture thickening into a sauce. The sweet and sour fragrance of the fruit instantly overpowered the meaty scent lingering in the air, rushing eagerly toward Andre’s nose.