Yao swiftly dragged the three piglets to the riverbank, cleaned them, and set them over the fire.
It was the same barbecue method as last time, the familiar recipe, the familiar aroma.
However, this time, only two were barbecued; one was made into a large pot of soup.
Based on Jiang Fan's experience, a panda could devour two piglets in one go. If they were all directly barbecued, the panda might eat them all in one sitting.
Furthermore, the panda, feeling that it had contributed by guiding them into Chi You's Tomb, had become rather presumptuous.
A method was needed to prevent the panda from snatching the food.
Therefore, Jiang Fan cooked this pot of piglet soup, filling it with mushrooms gathered from the forest, to satiate the panda's hunger.
They hadn't brought any pots, but Jiang Fan had a way.
Jiang Fan had initially intended to make a wooden pot, but after passing a large tree, his eyes suddenly lit up.
He soaked the soil gathered from beside the tree with spring water, dried it, and fashioned a sturdy clay pot.
Then, he picked several extra-large banana leaves from the forest and placed them at the bottom of the pot, thus creating a makeshift cooking vessel.
Everyone found it incredible. A pot made of earth, would it even heat up?
And the leaves, wouldn't they be scorched by the high temperature?
"Will this work? Won't the earth pot leak?"
"Banana leaves are flammable; won't they catch fire?"
"Will the soup cooked in an earth pot taste like mud?"
Seeing food, Zhou Niannian had forgotten about her earlier troubles and came to pester Jiang Fan with questions.
Jiang Fan patiently answered each one. He had checked the soil earlier; it was very solid.
The key wasn't there. This soil was peculiar; it contained rich metallic components that could conduct heat.
These leaves, though resembling banana leaves, secreted a special oil and were not easily ignited.
As for whether the soup would taste of mud, it depended not on the pot but on the chef's skill.
"Actually, all wild game has an earthy taste when made into soup."
"The so-called wild game you eat elsewhere is specially prepared, stewed for who knows how many hours."
"True wild game actually has a very strong, unpleasant gamey smell and is far less tasty than farmed meat."
"Moreover, the meat of wild game is usually very tough. If you barbecue it, it's fine, but if you stew it without enough heat, you'll break your teeth trying to chew it."
Jiang Fan explained seriously to Zhou Niannian, drawing from personal experience.
Years ago, some friends wanted to eat wild game. A wild boar had been caught in a trap on the mountain.
They stewed the wild boar, but when the lid was lifted, everyone covered their noses. The smell was so gamey it was unbearable, let alone edible.
Jiang Fan quickly built a high earthen stove, several tiers higher than a normal one.
The outer perimeter of the stove was wrapped with non-combustible leaves to intensify the heat of the fire.
After all, they were using a clay pot, which wouldn't transfer heat as well as a metal one.
He then had Yao and the panda fetch more banana leaves and frantically fan the flames.
The panda fanned with two leaves in each hand.
"This method was actually used to smelt iron in ancient times. We're using it to make soup, which is a waste of its potential."
As the water temperature gradually rose, Jiang Fan poured in the piglets and added many mushrooms with numerous pores.
These strange mushrooms' pores all glowed with an unusual light, and each mushroom was different.
Some were triangular, some umbrella-shaped; an uninformed observer would think they were different species.
"These mushrooms are so strange; won't they be poisonous if we eat them?"
Zhou Niannian was very worried; she had never seen such peculiar mushrooms.
"Heh, these mushrooms aren't for eating. Eating them would be fatal."
Jiang Fan told Zhou Niannian that the scientific name for these mushrooms was "Na Mo."
Na Mo specialized in absorbing all harmful substances, such as metal ions, battery acid, and in some places, it was used to absorb nuclear radiation.
Normal plants would have withered under such treatment, but Na Mo not only survived but thrived.
It absorbed all harmful components without releasing any, functioning like the desiccant in a food bag or the mothballs in a closet.
"No one eats desiccants and mothballs, right?"
Jiang Fan teased Zhou Niannian.
Zhou Niannian shook her head vigorously. Who would eat such things?
"So, we're using them to absorb the gamey odor from the wild meat. Now that it's absorbed enough, we'll remove them."
Jiang Fan took out all the Na Mo that had absorbed the gamey smell and buried them in a pit.
Concurrently, he began adding actual wild vegetables and mushrooms.
Soon, a strong aroma emanated from the pot, making Zhou Niannian and Dai Xiaomei sniffle uncontrollably.
Even before it was formally served, the exceptionally rich fragrance permeated the air.
The aroma seemed magical, irresistible, intensely stimulating everyone's sense of smell and salivary glands.
Only those who smelled this fragrance could appreciate its true flavor.
Jiang Fan smiled slightly and lifted the lid.
The makeshift dining table was a wooden board placed on a wooden stump.
Beside it were bowls and ladles made of leaves, sturdy and durable.
"Soup like thin cakes with swirling silver threads, and Artemisia like chopsticks with jade pins, it's time to eat."
Jiang Fan recited a poem, signaling for everyone to begin eating.
He picked up a ladle and generously served himself a bowl, as a reward.
As he lifted the soup bowl, the enticing aroma wafted directly towards him.
Jiang Fan didn't drink the soup but took a hearty sniff of the fragrance, savoring its endless delight.
The piglet meat soup, after long simmering and the addition of Jiang Fan's homemade seasonings, had turned into a rich white color, like milk.
The clear mountain spring had also played a crucial role; without such excellent water quality, this pot of soup wouldn't have achieved such a level of flavor.
Jiang Fan could no longer resist and drank the soup in one gulp.
The combination of bones, meat, and spices was perfect, fully stimulating every diner's taste buds.
He then picked up a mushroom. The mushroom had absorbed the soup's flavor and was already tender in texture. When placed in the mouth, it felt like eating piglet meat.
Jiang Fan nodded to himself. Modern processing techniques could make tofu taste like beef, creating vegetarian steak.
Jiang Fan's current method was similar to creating vegetarian steak, but using traditional techniques.
With this pot of soup and mushrooms, their appetites could be satisfied to the maximum.
After all, the soup and mushrooms were inexhaustible, allowing for unlimited self-service.
"Jiang Fan, I feel like you're glowing!"
Zhou Niannian blurted out.
Her eyes, fixed on the soup pot, were also shining.
Jiang Fan chuckled. Wasn't that a line from "Chūka Ichiban!" where the protagonist would glow after making a superb dish?
Over there, the panda, Dai Xiaomei, and the others could no longer hold back, and they rushed forward with their bowls.