Culinary God in Wilderness

Only three weeks had passed since the show began. Today was the twenty-second day.

Only a fifth of the time had passed before the final round. Cooperating with other contestants this early wouldn’t have much of an impact. In fact, it could even help them all survive longer.

’He figured the production team’s new twist was a response to past seasons. Contestants would often drop out within the first few weeks, leaving only a handful to compete in the later stages, which made things a bit dull.’

Of the three remaining "professional" contestants, he was most interested in the carpenter. He wanted to see what the guy could rig up with his Multi-Functional Engineer Shovel and combat knife.

As for the farmer and the doctor... *Heh.*

’Honestly, I really don’t think their professions offer any significant advantage in wilderness survival, especially the farmer’s.’

’Western and Chinese medicine are completely different. The Western education model emphasizes flexible application over rote memorization. This means Western doctors probably don’t have as solid a foundation in the basics as practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine.’

’Asking them which plants can treat which illnesses would probably just be putting them on the spot.’

’But if you asked them what medications to use for certain diseases, they could absolutely list off a whole slew of drug names and treatment plans.’

He carved a few pieces of fatty meat from the sheep, sliced them into thin strips, and tossed them into the pan to heat.

Once the fat rendered in the pan, he added the porcini, Elfin Saddle Mushrooms, and honey fungus. He stir-fried them quickly, then drizzled in a little water to help them soften.

Once the mixture was fragrant, he poured in water and brought it to a boil. While waiting, he also set the stockpot over the fire. Inside, the solidified sheep’s blood had already been scored in a crosshatch pattern, and icy cold water covered the surface of the cubes.

Blood tofu comes out more tender when you start it in cold water. It’s the same principle as stewing duck blood in the base of a tallow hot pot.

Ingredients this fresh didn’t need any complex preparation; simply boiling them in water was enough. The mushroom soup was just to enhance the umami and add a special flavor. Otherwise, his spoiled palate would be hard to please.

The mushroom soup came to a boil first, sending up large, tempting bubbles. A bit of sheep fat floated on the surface, turning the broth a milky white and giving off a faint, creamy aroma.

He poured the soup into the stockpot. Then, Lin Chen stood up, combat knife in hand. He made an incision in the sheep’s back, near the neck, and sliced off a large, well-marbled piece of meat.

"This cut is called *shang nao* in Chinese. It’s located behind the shoulder blade, near the rib rack. The muscle is used often, and it has this snowflake-like fat distribution, making it one of the best-tasting cuts."

"In English, it’s called a chuck steak, but the location is slightly different. The part I have here is actually closer to a chuck roll."

"I chose it for two simple reasons. One, it has a great texture—soft, tender, with beautiful marbling. Two, it’s easy to slice. The lamb is mostly frozen, so it’s not realistic to try and cut off a huge section."

He explained softly to the camera as his combat knife danced up and down.

With each downward slice and a soft *SHING*, a uniformly thin, marbled piece of lamb was cut. In its frozen state, it naturally curled into a roll.

Although the temperature inside the rock-crevice storeroom had reached over ten degrees below zero Celsius, which should have theoretically frozen the meat solid as a rock, that wasn’t actually the case.

If it had been left to freeze in the open all night, it certainly would have been frozen solid.

But with the shelter blocking the wind and providing insulation, the temperature inside the crevice could only drop slowly, dependent on the rock’s own thermal conductivity.

Over the course of the night, the temperature inside the crevice had only just reached that sub-zero temperature right before dawn, when it was coldest.

Under these conditions, only the surface of the lamb was frozen solid. The meat inside was still partially thawed, which was the perfect temperature for slicing.

Hot pot and barbecue restaurants usually freeze fresh meat to this exact state before slicing. It preserves the freshness and makes it easy to cut without the knife slipping.

"I don’t know how many of you watching have ever had a Great Xia hot pot. If you haven’t, I suggest you go online and look up some videos. Trust me, you have to try hot pot at least once in your life!"

"In Great Xia, there are many regional varieties of hot pot: the tallow-based pots of the central and western regions, the sour soup pots of the southwest, the chicken broth pots of the east, the seafood and vinegar pots of South Island, the copper pots of the north, not to mention mushroom-broth pots, tomato pots, and so on."

"Each base broth gives the ingredients a different flavor. The meat rolls I’m cutting now are for dipping. As soon as the sheep’s blood soup is boiling, I can start cooking the meat. It’s just a shame I don’t have any sesame paste..."

"The key to this style of cooking is fresh meat cut to the right thickness. You just swish it in the broth until it changes color, then it’s ready to eat. Five or six seconds, maybe seven or eight, is all it takes. Fresh lamb like this is most tender when it’s cooked to a light pink, about medium to medium-well."

"But since we’re out in the wild, it’s better to cook it all the way through, just to be safe. Hey, the pot’s boiling!"

He’d talked so much about it that his own mouth was watering.

The instant the first bubble broke the surface of the sheep’s blood soup, Lin Chen impatiently picked up three rolls of meat and plunged them in, using his chopsticks to keep them fully submerged in the hot broth.

As soon as the beautifully marbled slices of lamb touched the hot soup, they began to change color at a visible rate.

After a few stirs with his chopsticks, the lamb rolls were completely cooked through.

"See? Just like that, it’s cooked. Simple, right?"

Just as his chopsticks lifted out the cooked lamb, his left hand was already grabbing another handful to toss into the pot. The main principle was to never let the pot go empty.

"Hooo... Hooo..."

"Ahhh... so good. This is the flavor I was looking for!"

The meat from the four or five-month-old lamb was incredibly tender, and he had timed the cooking perfectly.

The lamb barely needed to be chewed once it was in his mouth; his teeth sliced through it with the lightest touch. A faint, creamy fragrance mixed with the savory aroma of the meat, blooming on his palate. It was absolutely delicious.

"Nothing more needs to be said. I’m unilaterally declaring this the most delicious thing I’ve eaten so far!"

The previous day’s exertion had left him ravenous. Instead of sating his hunger, that first bite only intensified it, creating the illusion that he could eat the entire sheep.

He’d put more rolls in this time, so they weren’t cooking as quickly.

While waiting the ten or so seconds for the meat to cook, Lin Chen relentlessly sliced a few more rolls. He was caught in a perpetual cycle of eating and slicing; his mouth’s pleasure came before all else.

The sheep’s blood soup was only lightly salted, with the rich fragrance of wild mushrooms. But even in such a simple broth, the lamb was cooked to absolute perfection.

[Enjoying sliced lamb hot pot in the cold wilds of North America. Happiness +4]

He had no time to bother with the notification that had suddenly popped up. It wasn’t enough points to exchange for knowledge anyway. ’Get out of my way,’ he thought. ’Don’t interrupt my meal.’