Culinary God in Wilderness

Chapter 258: Chapter 185: We’re Here to Survive, You’re Here to Learn a Craft?

Once the coconut was more than halfway open, he pulled out the bamboo knife, flipped the coconut over so the open end was pointing up, then wedged the bamboo knife back in to repeat the process.

This was the easiest way to open a coconut. With a bread knife or a proper machete, it would have been even easier.

After opening two coconuts the same way, he stuffed one full of Green Mussels and the other with Goose-necked Barnacles.

He pulled out a stalk of lemongrass, expertly bruised it against a rock, then chopped it into small pieces and stuffed them into the gaps between the shells. Finally, he poured in coconut water until the coconut shells were about eighty percent full.

"Cooking seafood with lemongrass and coconut water?"

Erica had never seen this cooking method before. She tried to imagine the flavor but couldn’t quite wrap her head around what it would taste like.

In theory, seafood was salty, coconut water was sweet, and lemongrass had a citrusy, lemony flavor. It just didn’t seem like a combination that would work.

But Lin was doing it anyway, and he looked so practiced that he must eat this way all the time.

That must mean the seafood and broth tasted pretty good; otherwise, he wouldn’t make it so often.

Lin Chen just smiled. He casually raised the bamboo tube and took several large gulps of the coconut water inside, leaving about half.

GULP.

He thought it was the sound of his own swallowing, but then he noticed Erica staring intently at the bamboo tube in his hand, a look of intense longing on her face.

"?"

He glanced at the clear coconut water in the tube, puzzled. "Why didn’t you climb a tree and grab a few when we were on our way back?"

"We had an agreement, didn’t we? I said I wouldn’t gather any resources near your territory. That includes coconuts, of course!"

"..."

’This girl really sticks to her principles!’

He lifted the bamboo tube again, took two more large gulps, and held it out to her. "If you don’t mind..."

Before he could finish, his hand felt light. Erica had already snatched the bamboo tube from him. She tilted her head back and chugged it all down.

In reality, the water from a good-sized coconut wasn’t much—only about two hundred milliliters. After being split between two people, it was gone in just two or three large gulps.

Erica licked her lips, clearly wanting more. She cradled the bamboo tube, looking as if she were debating whether or not to lick the rim.

In the end, her reason won out over her primal instincts, and she silently put the bamboo tube down.

"How long does this take to cook?"

"About five minutes after it comes to a boil."

"Do you need to add anything else?"

"Just a little salt for flavor."

"Then wait for me before you eat! I’ll be back soon!"

Without waiting for Lin Chen to reply, she was gone like a gust of wind, her long strides carrying her into the forest until she vanished in a flash.

?

Lin Chen opened his mouth.

’Is she actually going to the beach to get coconuts?’

’Even if she runs, a round trip would take at least half an hour. And the forest floor is a mess after the rain, all fallen leaves and slippery moss. If she takes a spill, it’ll be bad.’

He glanced down at the seafood soup, still relatively calm in the two coconut bowls. ’It’ll take about fifteen minutes for this to cook,’ he calculated.

’Anyway, I’m not saving any for her. I’ll just finish off the bowl of Green Mussels first. The Goose-necked Barnacles need to be peeled, and that’s a hassle. I’ll deal with them later.’

A bowl didn’t hold that many Green Mussels to begin with. As he stared at the slowly bubbling coconut water, the shells suddenly struck him as an eyesore.

He took out his combat knife, shucked all the Green Mussels in the coconut bowl, and threw the meat back in. The liquid level in the bowl dropped noticeably, so he stuffed in a few more pieces of mussel meat to fill the space.

"There we go. All meat looks much better. Saves me from having to cook a second batch."

While waiting, he wasn’t idle. He rummaged in the shelter and pulled out the bamboo shoots he had gathered before.

He sliced vertically from the base, then used his blade to pry up the tough outer husk of the bamboo shoot.

With a gentle tug, the entire sheath came off, revealing the tender, pale-yellow shoot within.

"You can eat fresh, tender shoots like this raw, but they’ll have a bit of a raw flavor, just like some vegetables. There’s a definite difference in texture and taste between eating them cooked and raw."

The peeled bamboo shoot had a layered, pagoda-like shape. The base still had some remnants of the brownish husk and tougher sections, but he simply shaved those off with his knife, ensuring the entire shoot was a tender yellow.

"Pandas love to eat these, along with tender green bamboo. If you’re interested, you can look for them in a bamboo grove after it rains. You can usually find fresh shoots that have just broken through the soil within a few hours."

He bit off the tip of the shoot. It wasn’t soft and juicy like he remembered from other varieties. This Guaduo Bamboo shoot was much crunchier, a bit like the small bamboo batons served in hot pot restaurants.

"You all can probably hear me chewing, right? This shoot is crunchy. It doesn’t have much of a distinct flavor on its own, just the unique, fresh scent of bamboo. You’re mostly eating it for the texture."

"The flavor of bamboo shoots really depends on the seasonings, the sauce, and even the shape."

"Whether you dice them, cut them into strips, slice them, or chop them into chunks, each shape has its own unique texture. The thickness matters, too."

As he spoke, he had an idea.

’Of course!’

’Aren’t bamboo shoots the best ingredient and garnish I have on hand right now!’

After ten or so chews, the bamboo flavor slowly faded, and a subtle sweetness began to emerge.

"If you cut these into thin strips and stir-fry them with seafood, adding some chili and garlic... the flavor would be incredible."

He didn’t have any garlic, but he could find wild garlic, which would have to suffice.

Wild garlic wasn’t the same species as cultivated garlic. It didn’t have a large bulb; the pungent flavor came mostly from the green parts of the plant.

As for chili peppers... that was a pain he still couldn’t get over.

It had been a whole week, and he still hadn’t found a single trace of chili peppers. He was probably searching in the wrong areas.

Once the log cabin was finished, he was determined to conduct a thorough search. Life without chili peppers was just too unbearable.

Whether red or green, chili peppers could give any dish a unique flavor. They were incredibly versatile and, in the wild, were the single best and most irreplaceable seasoning, bar none.