The Spirit of Gourmet

Chapter 130 The Examination of Salty Food Recommenders
"Is this the place where you found the water source?"

Redo crossed his arms and looked at the cave hidden among the low bushes ahead with a scrutinizing gaze.

“Yes, Lord Redo.” Liu Chuang nodded quickly. “This is where we collected water samples.”

“Then let’s go in.” Redo took a deep breath, his eyes gradually filled with anticipation.

Only Lomi actually entered the cave last time, so Lomi will still lead the way this time, with Redo and Liu Chuang following closely behind.

As the passage grew increasingly narrow, the tall Redo had to stoop as he moved forward, his expression showing growing impatience.

How much further on is it?

"Almost there, only about ten meters left," Lomi said quickly after recalling for a moment.

Ten meters or so...

Redo bent his back even lower, his voice urging, "Then let's walk faster."

After quickening their pace, the three members of the hunting team soon entered the cave on the other side of the passage and arrived at the underground lake.

"Lord Redo, our water source is..." Before Lomi could finish speaking, Redo's laughter echoed through the cave.

"Hahaha—" He stared fervently at the underground lake before him, gazing at the clear water brimming with star power.

"This is the water!"

"It must be down there, it must be there!"

With that, Redo ripped off his outer clothes, revealing a set of diving equipment he had already put on, and then jumped into the water.

“This…” Liu Chuang couldn’t help but cast a questioning glance at Luo Mi.

"Idiot, hurry up and keep up!" Lomi glared at Liu Chuang, then took off her coat, revealing a diving suit underneath.

"Oh, oh!" Liu Chuang repeated the same trick.

The two quickly jumped into the water and sped toward Redo.
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"Passing my food recommender test won't be easy!"

Looking at Qin Lang and Zhao Qian standing side by side in front of her, Ruan Cen said with a smile, "I'm sure you already know that my test questions have always been related to saltiness, and this time will be no exception."

"You should have already seen my yard when you came."

"Because I live in the mountains year-round, I grow some common crops and raise some poultry and livestock."

"You can only choose the main ingredients from them."

"Based on this, I will give you a cooking theme. You only need to be able to complete a dish that fits the theme and satisfies me to pass my food recommender assessment."

"So what's our cooking theme?" Zhao Qian couldn't help but ask.

“The theme?” Ruan Cen pondered for a moment, then revealed a sly smile. “Let’s use ‘distinctive saltiness’ as the theme for this time.”

A distinct salty taste?
Qin Lang couldn't help but show a thoughtful expression.

Most dishes contain saltiness, but their other flavors are more prominent, thus masking the saltiness and making people overlook it.

This is also why most normal food spirits have four flavor attributes: sour, sweet, spicy, and umami.

Now, Ruan Cen's requirement is not just to make a salty dish, but to bring out the saltiness during the cooking process.

This means that you either cook dishes with very simple ingredients, like fried rice, which have almost no other flavors.

Otherwise, you'll have to choose some more unusual foods.

The former was immediately ruled out by Qin Lang, because he had a feeling that Ruan Cen didn't want him to make this kind of food.

If I were to do it myself, I might not pass the assessment.

Therefore, we can only consider dishes that are saltier but still palatable, that is, dishes with a strong flavor.

With this in mind, Qin Lang already had some ideas.

Both Sichuan and Hunan cuisines are characterized by heavy use of oil and salt.

As long as the most spicy dishes are excluded, it should be enough to deal with the current situation. However, Qin Lang prefers Hunan cuisine to Sichuan cuisine.

Because many Sichuan dishes require the use of fermented soybean paste, and there is no similar substitute sauce in the world.

Ruan Cen's requirement was to find ingredients in the yard.

So he needs to check what ingredients are in the yard first.

Zhao Qian was a step ahead of Qin Lang and had already gone to the courtyard.

When Qin Lang came out of the house, she was already walking towards him carrying a few small white cabbages that still had some soil on them.

"You've already made your choice?" Qin Lang asked, somewhat surprised.

“That’s right.” Zhao Qian nodded. “The theme of ‘distinctive saltiness’ reminds me of your fried rice. The simpler the food, the fewer other flavors there will be after cooking, and the saltiness will stand out more.”

"So I plan to use bok choy as the main ingredient."

"In this way, the conditions should be met."

"Keep it up." Qin Lang gave Zhao Qian a thumbs up, then looked at the various crops in the yard.

Eggplant…peas…chili peppers…

After looking around, Qin Lang then turned his attention to the poultry and livestock in the yard.

Chickens and ducks roamed in flocks in the yard, and a dairy cow and two big, fat pigs grunted and puffed in the shed in the backyard.

After reading it, he already had a general idea in mind.

"Let's see how this chili is." Muttering to himself, Qin Lang grabbed a green chili, wiped the surface slightly, and took a bite.

The rich aroma of chili peppers instantly filled his mouth, but Qin Lang's expression showed a hint of surprise, "It's just like it, so much like it!"

Although it looks different, it tastes very similar to the spiral pepper from my previous life. It's not very spicy, but the chili flavor is very strong.

These kinds of chili peppers, plus the big, fat pigs in the shed.

A classic and familiar Hunan dish instantly came to mind.

After casually picking out a handful of chili peppers, Qin Lang strode into the house.

As soon as he entered, he was met with Ruan Cen's probing gaze.

"Chili peppers?" Ruan Cen chuckled upon seeing Qin Lang's choice. "I could understand why that little girl chose a bunch of bok choy, but you only chose a bunch of chili peppers?"

“Mr. Ruan Cen, you misunderstand.” Qin Lang shook his head with a smile. “Actually, I still need to choose another ingredient, but I need to confirm first, can we slaughter that pig with a black spot on its rump in the backyard shed?”

"Little Black?!"

Ruan Cen was shocked. "It's not food, it's my pet!"

pet…

Qin Lang's lips twitched slightly. "What about the other pig?"

"That won't do either!" Ruan Cen shook his head like a rattle drum.

"That's Xiao Hei's wife."

Ruan Cen felt a little embarrassed, after all, it was his fault for not making it clear beforehand.

"Well then," he coughed lightly, "if you want pork, there's a piece in the fridge, see if that works."

"Okay." Qin Lang nodded and opened the freezer compartment of the refrigerator.

A large piece of foreleg meat immediately came into view.

Although the meat was frozen, Qin Lang nodded slightly after examining its color and the ratio of fat to lean meat.

"Then I'll use it for my cooking later."

(End of this chapter)