Boiling and Dyeing (Continued)

Jian Mo's eyes lit up. "Fantastic! This is exactly the pot I wanted!"

Ban Ming: "That's great! Everyone was worried you wouldn't like the pot they made."

Jian Mo: "How could that be? I've been looking forward to these two pots for so long. Come on, help me move these two pots to the kitchen, let me see them."

Everyone carried the two pots to the kitchen, and they fit perfectly into the stove holes.

As expected of a specially customized pot, the quality is excellent.

Jian Mo touched the pot with obvious delight, then said, "Could you all please help me move the pot outside again? I want to open it up and try it out."

Ban Ming: "What is boiling water?"

Jian Mo: "Uh, it's like this: before using it for the first time, you heat it over a flame, then coat it with oil. This makes the pot extra durable and prevents food from sticking."

Everyone looked at Jian Mo with blank expressions, completely confused.

Jian Mo waved her hand. "I don't know how to explain it either, you'll understand when you see it. By the way, help me build a simple fire pit, I'll start by lighting the pot."

Both pots have metal handles, making them very easy to lift.

Jian Mo everyone put the pots in the makeshift hearth, and then lit a large fire underneath.

He placed the pot on top, intending to cook one pot at a time.

No one left; they just stood there watching.

Jian Mo first heated the pan until it was red-hot, then took the salt and slowly stir-fried it in the pan.

After frying, he poured out the salt from the pot, then poured in the animal fat, and used a spatula to press the cloth soaked in animal fat to coat the inside and outside of the pot, leaving no corner untouched.

Everyone watched curiously from the sidelines.

What's the principle behind this?

"Why does doing this once make it more durable? If so, can we do this to forge other metal utensils as well?"

"Oh right, Jian Mo, do I need to heat this knife and coat it with animal oil too?"

Jian Mo hesitated, "I don't know the principle behind it either. Maybe only pots need to be made this way?"

Then everyone started asking questions all at once.

Upon hearing this question, Jian Mo quickly raised her hand to stop her. "Stop, I don't know why either. It's all based on experience; that's how people do it where I'm from."

The people were unwilling to give up, but they didn't dare to ask any more questions and could only stand by and watch the spectacle.

Once both pots were boiling, Jian Mo brought water and carefully washed them clean. She then directed everyone to help carry the cooled pots back to the kitchen and place them on the stove.

By this time, Wu Jiong had returned, and even more people had gathered to watch, filling the kitchen to capacity.

Everyone looked at Jian Mo's kitchen, glancing left and right with curiosity.

"So this is what the kitchen looks like after we got a pot."

"Jian Mo, the pot is ready. Would you like to show us how to use it?"

"What? Are you thinking of making metal cookware too?"

"That won't do, we don't have that much metal. The metal we're using to pay for the labor is already heavier than the pot. If we had any extra metal, we'd rather have a couple more knives made."

"Haha, I also think it's best to just watch the show."

Seeing their genuine curiosity about what cooking would look like in those two pots, Jian Mo said, "Please wait a moment, everyone. I'll prepare the side dishes first."

Those around immediately offered, "What side dishes do you want? We'll help you get them."

Jian Mo didn't stand on ceremony with them and directly ordered ingredients such as sliced animal meat, sliced cured meat, fresh fish, and bird eggs, asking everyone to help wash and cut them.

Soon, all the ingredients were prepared, and the fire in the stove was lit.

Surrounded by onlookers, Jian Mo first fried the cured pork.

Once the cured pork was fried until the outside was slightly crispy, he added the wild vegetables he had prepared beforehand.

With a sizzling sound, the wild vegetables suddenly burst forth with a rich aroma.

Everyone behind Jian Mo exclaimed in unison, "Wow--"

Jian Mo's lips twitched slightly, but her hands didn't stop moving.

He stir-fried it quickly over high heat, and after a few stirs, he scooped out the stir-fried wild vegetables and cured meat and placed it in a brown earthenware plate.

At this time, the wild vegetables were still emerald green, covered with a layer of oil, and the cured meat was crispy and fragrant, smelling very tempting.

Amidst the expectant gazes of those around her, Jian Mo picked up her chopsticks and tasted it. "It's alright, about what I expected."

As he spoke, Jian Mo handed it to Wu Jiong for him to try, and then passed it on to the others to taste.

Everyone was very interested in wild vegetables, and after tasting them, they were even more amazed by their crispness and lack of residue.

Qing Kuo exclaimed from behind, "So wild vegetables can taste like this!"

Ye Luo also said, "So fresh and tender."

Jian Mo had already washed the pot and was preparing to stir-fry the beast meat. "There's even more tender meat too."

He said to Ban Ming was tending the fire, "This time, we'll keep it all on fire."

Ban Ming immediately replied, "Don't worry, I definitely won't let Huo Xiao get away with even the slightest thing."

The meat was sliced thinly and marinated with starch and pepper powder, making it completely different from ordinary meat.

Jian Mo put a little more oil than usual into the pan, and once the oil was hot, she poured the meat into the pan and started stir-frying it quickly.

The blood inside the meat reacts with the oil, causing it to pop and release tiny oil droplets.

Those around were horrified and quickly backed away.

Jian Mo didn't even flinch. She wielded the spatula with incredible speed, stir-frying the meat until it was evenly cooked and then placing it on a ceramic plate. The whole process took only about ten seconds.

After pouring a spoonful of cold water into the pot to temporarily lower the temperature, Jian Mo tasted a slice of meat.

The meat slices stir-fried this way are very tender, you can see it with the naked eye; they are very smooth, unlike grilled meat which is full of fibers.

Normally, he can only achieve this level of tenderness by marinating the meat and then boiling it in plain water.

However, boiling doesn't bring out the aroma of stir-frying at all.

Jian Mo was also very satisfied with the dish, and then gave it to Wu Jiong. After Wu Jiong tasted it, it was given to the others to try.

After everyone tasted it, they were all amazed.

In the tribe, no one except Jian Mo has ever made such tender slices of meat.