The Aroma of Scallions and Garlic (Continued)

The orc laughed, "Everyone just told me, I didn't mistake them, did I?"

Jian Mo: "No, that's impressive."

The orc's smile widened. Seeing that Jian Mo hadn't made a choice, he simply took out the fattest piece of meat from the basket. "How about this one?"

Jian Mo looked at the piece of fatty meat, which was larger than her palm. Perhaps because it had been marinated, the surface of the fatty meat was wrinkled. In any case, it had nothing to do with the delicious cured meat she knew.

He hesitated.

The orc misunderstood him, and simply drew a bone knife, slicing off a thin piece of fatty meat. "Try it first, see if you like it, and if you do, then change it."

Jian Mo: "Ah, thank you."

The orc stared intently at him. "You're welcome. Please try it. Our cured meat is quite famous in more than a dozen tribes around here. Everyone who has tried it loves it."

That's so exaggerated?

Jian Mo held the piece of fatty meat, unsure whether she should taste it.

Zhou Fu and the others chimed in, "That's right, Kuang Ning's cured meat is indeed very delicious, it's a pity we can never guess the secret recipe."

The orc named Kuang Ning laughed heartily, "If you could all guess the secret recipe, would it still be called a secret recipe?"

Everyone looked at Jian Mo.

Having been here for so long, Jian Mo wasn't as particular as before, and not wanting to waste food, he steeled himself, picked up a piece of meat, and took a small bite.

To his surprise, the cured meat was neither greasy nor fishy; instead, it had a unique, rich aroma. If he closed his eyes, he might have thought he was eating something like butter.

Wait a minute, this aroma seems to have a scent that's a bit like scallions and garlic!

It doesn't seem like my imagination; it really is there!

After taking another bite, Jian Mo immediately realized that the marinated meat contained spices similar to scallions and garlic.

Jian Mo's eyes lit up; heaven knows how long he'd been searching for onions and garlic!

He distributed the remaining cured meat to Wu Jiong, then looked at Kuang Ning and asked, "Did you use some kind of seasoning that we don't have here to cure the meat?"

Kuang Ning wasn't surprised and asked with a smile, "You could taste it?"

Jian Mo nodded. "A very unique scent."

Kuang Ning: "That's a specialty spice from our tribe. It's because of this spice that our cured meat has become the most popular cured meat among dozens of tribes in the vicinity."

From that tone, you could tell the other party wasn't going to reveal the secret recipe easily.

Not wanting to ask in public, Jian Mo considered the various thoughts in her mind. "Then let's get some cured meat first."

Jian Mo turned around, Wu Jiong handed her the fabric he was holding.

Kuang Ning inspected it briefly and asked, "How about we exchange it for these five pieces of cured meat?"

Jian Mo looked at the five pieces of cured fatty meat that Kuang Ning had picked out and felt a pang of regret; they were really expensive.

However, he really liked the aroma of scallions and garlic, so he nodded and agreed to try it first. He planned to make it himself once he found the right spices.

After changing the cured meat, Jian Mo and Wu Jiong carried it home.

Jian Mo, "Kuang Ning and the others aren't from around our tribe, are they?"

Wu Jiong: "Their tribe Qin Sea, and it's next to the Ice River Tribe."

Jian Mo calculated for a moment. "That's really far, at least three days' journey from here?"

Wu Jiong: "They're moving quite fast, it shouldn't take them more than three days, but it is indeed quite far."

Jian Mo thought for a moment, "Is their terrain completely different from ours? And their specialties are different too, right?"

Wu Jiong cast a questioning look at him.

Jian Mo shook the cured meat skewered on grass stems. "The unique spices they use in their cured meat must grow in a different place than here, otherwise they would have spread over long ago."

Jian Mo had always enjoyed collecting these spices, Wu Jiong wasn't surprised when he asked. He simply replied, "I'm not too sure either. I'll go with you to take a look after the longest nights of the day."

Jian Mo: "Great! It feels like I haven't been out in a while; I'm getting restless staying in the tribe."

After returning home, Jian Mo cut off two slices of cured meat, intending to grill them on a stone slab later.

He wasn't sure how the marinated meat would taste after roasting, so he didn't dare cut too much.

Unexpectedly, the marinated meat turned translucent after roasting, and had a strong aroma, with the scent of scallions and garlic, as well as a hint of milk.

Jian Mo had originally planned to grill some sausages for breakfast, but seeing this, she simply boiled some stems instead.

He divided the stem into two portions and ate them with Wu Jiong along with the roasted cured meat.

The cured meat has a very rich and fragrant flavor. When eaten with the stems, it makes the stems even smoother and tastes really good.

A look of amazement appeared in Jian Mo's eyes. He had thought there wouldn't be much delicious food here, but he never expected that a mere sub-orc would show him what it meant to underestimate the heroes of the world.

Wu Jiong could tell from his expression that he liked it, so he said, "If you like it, I'll go and get some more later. We have quite a few spare fabrics and animal hides at home that we can use."

Jian Mo object. "Let's change it. I'll find the starch later, and we'll grill something delicious tonight."

Jian Mo hadn't baked bread or similar foods in a long time, mainly because starch was too precious, and he didn't have much left, so he didn't want to waste it.

Today, he finally got to eat cured meat, and his craving immediately kicked in.

After breakfast, he went to the backyard to get some frozen meat, marinated it, and then slowly grilled it on a stone slab.

The starch is mixed with the milk of the Pack-Pack Beast to form a dough, then the meat chunks and cured meat mince are mixed together, wrapped inside the dough, and baked on a stone slab.

Once the pastry was baked until golden brown on both sides, Jian Mo put it on a plate and called Wu Jiong, who was doing carpentry in the yard, to come in and try it while it was still hot.

Jian Mo brewed two cups of tea and sat down with Wu Jiong at the table by the window, ceremoniously inviting them, "Have a taste."

Wu Jiong picked up the pancake and took a small bite.

The crust of the pancake is crispy and fragrant, while the inside is filled with meat filling. Because it contains fresh and cured meat, the filling is very oily and juicy.