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He originally wanted to say Mapo Tofu, but then he realized that there was no Mapo, no Sichuan peppercorns, and no fermented bean paste here, so he could only make do with Peppered Tofu.
Qing Kuo said, "How about we have a get-together? Let's go to the open space and cook. Everyone can learn from each other, and we can bring out our own ingredients to make some other dishes."
This statement was met with unanimous agreement.
Jian Mo, "Then I'll make a few more tofu dishes. Who has time to catch a couple of fish?"
Before the adults could even speak, Jiang Xing, leading a group of children, shouted, "We! Jian Mo, we have time, let's go catch fish!"
Jian Mo glanced at the children's parents, and seeing that no one objected, she smiled and said, "Alright, the task of catching fish is yours."
Jiang Xing immediately led the cubs towards the river. The humanoid cubs ran faster, while the chubby beast-shaped cubs followed behind on all fours, stumbling and falling as they ran, but luckily they caught up.
Everyone looked at Jian Mo, waiting for him to assign them tasks.
Having hosted so many meals at the village gatherings, Jian Mo, as the head chef, was now adept at directing the staff.
Putting everything else aside, prepare plenty of grilled meat on a stone slab and boiled stems. With these two staple foods, the gathering is already halfway to success.
Everyone got busy, but as the head chef, Jian Mo didn't get a chance to contribute much sooner.
After gathering spices from the field, he went to check on the cubs.
Jiujiu heard the commotion and ran out to play with the little ones.
The little ones ran into the river and each displayed their unique abilities.
The cubs that can use animal forms have an advantage over the cubs that can use human forms, as they can naturally float on the river.
The humanoid little creatures have more skills and are more agile, making them adept at catching fish.
Jian Mo watched from the shore for a while as they slaughtered each other indiscriminately.
Of course, the little ones were squawking and killing everything, while the Jiujiu could only squawk.
Jiujiu was not agile to begin with, and its bite force was weak. Jian Mo saw Jiang Xing and the others drive a big fish to Jiujiu's feet. Jiujiu lowered its head and snatched the big fish.
Unfortunately, its bite force was too weak. The big fish struggled desperately in its mouth, slapping it several times. It couldn't hold on to the fish, nor could it bite through it. It could only open its mouth and let the fish regain its freedom.
Seeing this, Jiang Xing and the other little ones patted Jiujiu's belly and sighed dramatically, "Oh dear."
Jiujiu was also a little ashamed, sitting in the water with her head down, her big eyes darting around, but she didn't dare to look at her friends.
Seeing that they were having a great time, Jian Mo didn't disturb them. After quickly washing the spices in her hands, she returned to the open space.
Everyone has prepared the dishes, the meat is being roasted, and the stems are being cooked.
The barbecue uses Jian Mo's special barbecue powder. After being soaked in oil, the aroma of the garlic powder is brought out and wafts throughout half the tribe.
Whether orcs or sub-orcs, for the first time, no one was in the mood to sing and dance around the campfire; everyone was busy preparing food.
Seeing this, Jian Mo didn't hesitate. He immediately had everyone start a big fire, put the large metal pot on the makeshift stove, and then boiled water to blanch the tofu.
Qing Kuo asked, puzzled, "Didn't you say the tofu was cooked?"
Jian Mo: "Yes! But scalding it again can effectively remove the beany and bitter taste."
Qing Kuo: "That's really complicated."
Jian Mo chuckled as she picked up a large spatula, poured in oil, then added the minced meat to the wok, stir-frying it over high heat until fragrant. After that, she added seasonings and fruit wine, then added boiling water and simmered it.
After the water boiled, he poured in the tofu, let it boil for a while, and then thickened it with cornstarch slurry.
The secret to making fresh, fragrant, and piping hot tofu is to thicken it multiple times with cornstarch, ensuring the sauce doesn't separate from the tofu.
Soon, a rich fragrance, unlike anything the orcs and sub-orcs had ever smelled, wafted out.
Jian Mo ignored the tofu and let it simmer while she started frying the fish in another large iron pot.
Once the fish was fried, he poured in boiling water to make a milky white soup, then added tofu and started simmering it.
As the fragrance grew stronger, night fell.
Everyone sat in a large circle, ready to eat dinner.
Peppered tofu and tofu fish soup are served in limited quantities, with each person receiving only a small half bowl. Stem chunks and roasted meat are available for everyone to eat as much as they want.
Everyone unanimously took their turn to enjoy the pepper-stuffed tofu.
The tofu with chili peppers is fresh, tender, hot, and spicy. If you blow on it and put it on your tongue, it feels like it's still bouncing on your tongue.
The flavor is so unique, and the texture is also very special.
Most people were quite surprised.
"This pepper-flavored tofu is different from the raw tofu we usually eat."
"Tofu with chili peppers goes so well with other dishes. If I could have tofu with chili peppers, I could even eat boiled wild vegetables in salt water."
"The crispy minced meat inside is also delicious; you must eat it wrapped around tofu!"
Everyone ate and exchanged opinions, and all felt that the tofu they made this time was worthwhile.
It smells so good.
It's hard to imagine that beans, which are disliked not only by people but also by insects, could taste like this after cooking.
Although the process is quite complicated, it's wonderful to stay in the village and make tofu on rainy, snowy, or windy days when it's not suitable to go out.
Jian Mo ate the tofu, feeling it satisfied her craving a bit, but Mapo Tofu was still the best.
If only he could find all the seasonings someday, especially chili peppers, then he could make some numbing and spicy Mapo Tofu.
It would be best to have a bowl of fragrant rice with it.
Wu Jiong really liked the pepper and tofu dish; his eating movements were still very graceful, though his speed had noticeably increased.
Jian Mo glanced at him, then stuffed the pepper and tofu she had been given into his hand. "You eat this, I'll have some grilled meat."
Wu Jiong carefully observed Jian Mo's expression and, seeing that he truly disliked it, took the bowl from him.
The kitten Banjiu, its eyes darting around, noticed that its two fathers were facing away and paying no attention to it, so it rubbed its head against its brother Ban Ming's leg. "Meow, brother, I want more."