When Eric’s group arrived at the Red Grass tribe, it was already close to evening, just in time to cook dinner.
The remaining magic beast meat from the meals on the road was also left outside, perfect to use as ingredients.
Eric told Max to take out the precious large cast iron wok he had brought from home. Ever since the Dwarves forged this wok for him, Eric had treasured it like a jewel.
This time, going far, he also had to bring it along, not just for cooking on the road but also to make salt at the coast.
Speaking of which, their luggage was indeed a bit strange compared to other beastmen. Besides Eric’s large cast iron wok, they also brought pottery made by their own tribe.
Among them were pottery jars, pottery bowls, plates, and similar items. Thomas said the pottery humans exchanged with them wasn’t as beautiful as the ones Eric made, nor was it as sturdy and durable.
Eric thought perhaps it was due to not being glazed, but regardless, using it as trade goods, it was absolutely not inferior to the pottery of human merchant caravans.
This also led to their luggage frequently making clanking sounds when they moved.
Luckily, apart from a few broken bowls and plates, the rest wasn’t damaged. Afraid there would be many losses on the road, Eric even prepared some extra.
For convenience on the road, they definitely ate mostly grilled meat, so Eric had brought several bamboo tubes of spices he had ground himself, which, besides flavoring powder, naturally included refined salt.
Eric’s group had ten people; the remaining magic beast meat and dried meat, plus the grain prepared by the Ox-Head tribe, were more than enough to feed them.
The meat cleaver forged by Luban had become Eric’s favorite item; going out, he naturally didn’t forget to bring it.
He found a wooden board, wiped it clean, and used the meat cleaver to mince a large chunk of magic beast meat into fine mince. It had to be admitted, as a high-grade weapon, this knife was much better to use than his fish scale knife and claws.
Fresh green onions and garlic were inconvenient to carry. Eric had dried a portion at home, ground it into powder, and stored it in bamboo tubes for use on the road.
He cut a large piece of fat, diced it, and put it in the wok to render animal fat. This stuff was easy to get; he hadn’t brought much, and it had been eaten up long ago on the road. But rendering fat on the spot was also convenient.
Eric poured most of the rendered fat into a bamboo tube. While the remaining part was still hot, he poured the minced meat in. The "sizzle" stimulated the aroma of the spices, and then he stir-fried it until cooked.
At this time, even if Michael and the others finished the stone mill and ground out flour, there wouldn’t be enough time to let the dough rise. It was perfect to use this flour to make meat-filled pastries; the crust made with unleavened flour would be chewier.
The remaining magic beast meat had bones. Eric instructed Max to chop them into small pieces, putting them all into the pot to stew. He also added the stewing sauce brought from home.
Ever since they enjoyed the soy-braised bones and bone marrow at his house, the pig-shaped magic beasts around the tribe had faced a great catastrophe.
Following in the footsteps of the sheep-shaped and goat-shaped magic beasts, the pig friends were also rounded up. Kevin even caught several porcupines in the name of avenging him.
In the cold winter, these low-level magic beasts were all starved and had thinned by several rounds. Eric felt it was better to let them fatten up in the spring before eating; after all, the tribe’s food was sufficient this year.
He hurriedly convinced them that the bones of other magic beasts could also be stewed, which also had marrow, and furthermore, the flavors were different. Only then did he help the pig herd around the tribe escape their fate.
This group of foodies always did things in this regard that made him feel amused.
A few days ago on the road, he didn’t dare make the soy-braised bones, afraid the overly strong aroma would lure high-level magic beasts, causing unnecessary conflicts.
Now there was no need to worry; he could finally let them satisfy their craving.
The pot of soy-braised bones bubbled vigorously. Because the wok was too large, Eric had to build a fire pit right outside the house, placing the cast iron wok on it to cook.
The sauce foamed, the large bones gave off billowing white steam, and the rich aroma spread everywhere.
Inside the house, Thomas and Joseph paused their discussion, looked out the window at the large wok, and involuntarily took a deep breath.
Seeing each other’s craving expression, the two looked at each other and burst out laughing.
"This weather is perfect for drinking wine." Thinking of the taste of white wine paired with soy-braised bones, Joseph couldn’t help but swallow.
Thomas pointed at him laughing and said: "You Dwarves just love drinking, be careful you get too drunk to wake up tomorrow."
Joseph stroked his beard and didn’t argue with him. The Snow Wolf people would never understand the bond between them and fine spirits.
According to legend, an ancestor of the Dwarves, after drinking a magical fine wine, was flooded with inspiration, went into seclusion for a year, and forged a divine weapon that shook the continent... the scepter "Gift of the Moon Goddess," which is still treasured by the church to this day.
Just at this moment, Michael led several warriors, carrying large stones, running back. The whole group happily gathered around the large wok, sniffing for a round.
"I knew right away young Eric was cooking; I could smell it from way over there. I’ve been dying for your cooking skills this whole journey." Michael said happily to Eric.
A warrior nudged Michael’s shoulder with his fist, teasing:
"You ate plenty of barbecue sauce and spice powder this whole journey, why do you talk like you were so hard done by."
Another warrior took a deep breath of the aroma:
"I finally get to eat this soy-braised bone dish of Eric’s. Every time I smell this, I want to taste it, and that bastard Kevin always shows off in front of me."
The sweet sauce and soybean paste, along with the soy sauce Eric made, were only enough for his family’s use; supplying the communal kitchen was far from enough.
Therefore, the other people in the tribe had never tasted the flavor of these sauces.
Even the barbecue sauce, this trading trip was the first time they got to eat it.
And yet, Kevin and Sam loved to show off. They were ganged up on several times for this but never learned their lesson, making the others very resentful.
The houses the Ox-Head tribe provided all had fireplaces. Everyone put firewood in to light them after moving in. Added to that, beastmen were naturally resistant to cold, so the windows were all left slightly open.
This led to the aroma of the soy-braised bones Eric was cooking creeping through the window crevices, into the houses, and assaulting their noses.
How could these beastmen, with their extremely simple cooking skills, resist this temptation.
Those nearby opened their windows, sticking their heads out to see who was cooking something even more fragrant than the Ox-Head tribe’s food.
Those further away followed the aroma to find the source. Too shy to come and ask for food, they just stood at a distance observing.