I've been transported to the orc continent.

Chapter 204 Beast Meat Stew with Vermicelli

The water in the pot had already boiled, and the cassava noodles that leaked into the pot were quickly cooked.

A member of the tribe stood facing Bai Ling, holding a pair of long chopsticks and stirring the pot continuously.

After Bai Ling had completely drained the cassava dough, she took the long chopsticks from her tribesman and continued stirring.

Cassava noodles need to be cooked for a while. Bai Ling was actually making cassava noodles for the first time, so he didn't have much experience. When the cassava noodles were cooked to an edible consistency, Bai Ling took them out of the pot and put them into a ceramic pot filled with cold water, and started stirring them again.

Once the rice noodles have completely cooled, take them out and place them on a rack to dry.

The orcs who didn't need to work for the time being gathered around to watch the vermicelli Bai Ling made. Two of them even picked up a vermicelli and put it in their mouths to taste it. It didn't seem to have any flavor; it was just sticky and a bit chewy.

As Bai Ling hung the cassava noodles on the wooden rack to dry, she said, "These are called noodles. There are several ways to eat them. You can boil them and eat them with meat soup, or you can stir-fry the vegetables and meat first, and then add the noodles and water to stew them together."

Bai Ling saw a lot of broken cassava and suddenly remembered that he should make cassava noodles. Cassava noodles are easy to store, can be prepared in many ways, and are a delicious and versatile food. After thinking about making cassava noodles, he was a little annoyed with himself. How could he have forgotten about cassava noodles? If he had made them earlier, he would have been slurping them up long ago.

There were definitely not enough vermicelli, so Bai Ling started making more. With Bai Ling's demonstration, apart from the step of cooking the cassava paste, which the orcs couldn't do well and had to do by Bai Ling, the rest of the process could be left to the other orcs.

When the orcs who had been digging cassava returned from the fields, they saw many long, transparent strips of food drying on the wooden racks used for drying wild vegetables in the square. They didn't even have time to eat and all asked what these were.

While serving the rice, the orc explained to the other orcs with a smile, "This is called rice noodles. It's made from cassava flour. Ling said it's delicious and there are many ways to eat it."

Upon seeing this unfamiliar food, the beastmen knew it must have been invented by Ling. When they heard Ling say it was delicious, they all became excited.

Is this food even tastier than steamed buns?

Even if it's not as delicious as steamed buns, they'll still eat it as long as it's tasty food.

*

This year, new cassava has been dug up, so all the cassava harvested last year can be eaten. Bai Ling and the orc who cooks transported last year's cassava out of the cave and made it all into cassava flour.

The square is now overflowing with food: newly dug cassava, wild vegetables and vermicelli drying on wooden racks, and last year's cassava. This food takes up most of the square. In addition, the play area for children and cubs, the cooking area, and the place where the beastmen eat have all shrunk considerably, and they have to eat very close together.

To make cooking easier, Bai Ling moved the stone mill to the square. The peeled cassava was cut into small pieces and placed on the stone mill. Bai Ling pushed the stone mill, and it creaked and turned. The cassava was ground into a white, semi-liquid liquid that flowed down from the stone mill.

Below is a large earthenware basin. When the basin is almost full, it is replaced with another earthenware basin. These basins are then placed in a sunny place to dry.

Once the starch settles at the bottom, you need to soak it in water several times to effectively remove the toxicity of the cassava, making it safer to eat.

This step is absolutely crucial and cannot be skipped. Bai Ling takes this very seriously. Every time he makes cassava flour, he reminds the beastmen not to be careless, otherwise they will be in trouble if they get poisoned.

The orcs dared not be careless at all, especially the orcs who cooked. Every time they made cassava cakes, they would soak the peeled cassava for a day and a night, changing the water several times during that time. When steaming, they would steam them for at least the time it takes to stew meat twice. Each time a pot of cassava cakes was steamed, the oldest orc would eat some first, and only after confirming that it was safe would they give some to the other orcs in the tribe.

In addition to grinding cassava to make starch, Bai Ling is also responsible for stir-frying vegetables and stewing meat.

Of course, he only needs to stir-fry some vegetables and stew some meat; he doesn't need to worry about anything else.

*

Autumn is the best season for drying cassava noodles. The noodles will dry quickly and can be stored away once they are almost completely dry.

The beastmen snapped off a piece of vermicelli, looked at it in their hands, chewed it, and then said to Bai Ling, "Ling, this can be stored for a long time."

The orcs had never seen vermicelli before, but that didn't stop them from making a judgment: this food called vermicelli had very little moisture content and was almost completely dry, just like mud, so it could definitely be stored for a long time.

Bai Ling said, "Yes, vermicelli can be stored for a long time, up to two years."

"So how do we eat this?" an orc asked while collecting the rice noodles.

This was also a question that the beastmen were very concerned about. As soon as the beastman asked the question, all the beastmen who were collecting vermicelli looked at Bai Ling.

Bai Ling said, "Then let's cook some tonight. I'll make a stew of animal meat and vermicelli."

Pork stew with vermicelli is a famous dish that Bai Ling loved to eat in his previous life, especially pork stew with vermicelli cooked over a wood-fired stove. He never expected to be able to eat it again in the beastman world.

Although there is no pork, the same applies to animal meat.

The orcs who collected the vermicelli cheered, knowing they could once again enjoy Ling's new culinary creations.

Bai Ling added, "Besides stewing meat with vermicelli, we can also slurp rice noodles. I'll make some more rice noodles in a few days."

Bai Ling really wanted to eat hot and sour noodles, but unfortunately he didn't have any chili peppers or vinegar on hand, so he couldn't make delicious hot and sour noodles. He could only cook some noodles first, and with meat broth, sliced ​​meat, scallions, ginger, and vegetables, it would still be a decent bowl of noodles.

Thinking of the stewed meat with vermicelli and rice noodles, Bai Ling couldn't help but lick his lips. He blamed himself again for not preparing the cassava vermicelli beforehand; he would have been eating rice noodles much earlier that way.

*

The essence of stewed meat with vermicelli lies in the word "stew".

A wood-fired stove, a high flame, and a vigorous stew—as long as your skills aren't too bad, as long as you meet these three requirements, you can make delicious stewed meat with vermicelli.

Heat an iron wok and add oil. Once the oil is hot, add scallions and ginger, stir-fry quickly for a few seconds, then add the large chunks of meat and stir-fry over high heat.

Once the meat is almost cooked, add the winter melon chunks and stir-fry. Then add salt and spices, and finally water and glass noodles. Keep the heat high throughout this process.

Make sure to add enough water at once; do not add water later, as adding water twice will greatly diminish the flavor of the rice noodles.