King of the Wilderness

As they once again walked into the familiar cave, a feeling of returning home rose spontaneously.

The cave was dry and quiet, isolating the mountain breeze of the evening and filled with a sense of security.

The traces of the last campfire remained, indicating no other animals had visited.

The three of them unloaded their ridiculously heavy backpacks and let out a long sigh, feeling their entire bodies groaning.

Old George and Stan began skillfully arranging sleeping bags and moisture-proof mats to set up a comfortable temporary camp.

Meanwhile, Lin Yu’an looked at the lamb meat placed on the sheepskin, bright as rubies, and a bold and enticing idea suddenly popped into his mind.

In the wilderness of Alaska, how would it feel to have an authentic Chinese hotpot lamb meal?

He opened his mouth and said, ”George, Stan, how about we try a new way of eating tonight? Taste a flavor from my hometown.”

Stan turned his head curiously, ”Oh? What do you have in mind this time? Is it that food that doesn’t need fire to heat?”

Lin Yu’an gave a mysterious smile, he opened his large backpack, pretending to look for something inside, while his consciousness had already sunk into the system space.

He shook the red prairie Red Sun sauce package in his hand and said with a smile, ”Look, I almost forgot I brought this, it’s our hometown’s secret dipping sauce for eating lamb.”

Old George and Stan came over curiously, they had never seen this unassuming-looking package before.

”Can this be tasty?” Stan expressed doubt. To him, the best lamb needs only salt.

”Trust me, this will open the doors to a new world,” Lin Yu’an was full of confidence.

He set up a gas stove, cleaned their only small iron pot, and poured in purified water.

While waiting for the water to boil, he began processing the lamb.

He selected the most tender part of the hind leg without any membranes, known as the ”hind leg grind crotch” section.

Then, with his incredibly sharp hunting knife, he began to demonstrate his superb knife skills.

His left hand held the meat steady, and his right hand wielded the knife, using the weight of the blade and the dexterity of his wrist, slicing meat into uniformly thin slices, about a few millimeters thick.

This slicing technique was a hand-crafted fresh cutting skill that old masters of the copper pot hotpot in old Beijing were most proud of.

These slices didn’t have the flatness of frozen slices but rather carried the natural texture that hand-cut slices have.

Stan and Old George watched from the side, unable to hold back their exclamations.

They could easily debone and butcher a whole lamb, but to slice fresh meat so evenly and skillfully surpassed their skills.

Soon, the water in the pot began to bubble.

Lin Yu’an took out.

”I don’t need to mix this dipping sauce myself, it’s one of the most popular hotpot dipping sauces in China, everything is prepared in it.”

He tore open the packaging of the prairie Red Sun sauce, squeezing the pre-mixed thick brown sauce into three small bowls.

A rich aroma, mixed with sesame, chive flower paste, fermented bean curd, and over a dozen spices, instantly spread in the cave.

This aroma mixed with the pine wood scent of the campfire and the wild scent of lamb, creating an atmosphere reminiscent of celebrating New Year’s at the teacher’s home.

Lin Yu’an crafted chopsticks from two branches, picked up a slice of fresh lamb, and dipped it into the boiling water, counting, ”One, two, three...”

In just three to five seconds, the bright red slice changed color and curled slightly.

Since it was freshly cut, it didn’t shrink into a small bundle like frozen slices, maintaining a stretched form with a pronounced meat texture.

He quickly fished out the meat slice, rolled it in the thick sesame sauce, and handed it to Old George’s bowl.

”Try it, George.”

Old George hesitantly looked at the piece of meat wrapped in the peculiar sauce, but still, he scooped it into his mouth with a spoon.

The moment the meat entered his mouth, his eyes widened abruptly.

The texture of the lamb completely exceeded his expectations, bringing a firm yet incredibly tender elasticity.

The unique nutty flavor and the fresh sweet fragrance from alpine herbs were perfectly awakened by the boiling water.

But the sauce was even more wonderful; the rich sesame scent and perfectly balanced saltiness didn’t overshadow the pure meat flavor of the lamb.

Instead, it acted like a perfect partner, elevating the lamb’s deliciousness several notches and leaving a long-lasting, rich aftertaste in the mouth.

”My God... This is incredible! This is the taste of meat!”

Old George chewed forcefully, his face full of enjoyment.

Seeing this, Stan, having lost patience, quickly asked Lin Yu’an to give him a piece too, and upon tasting the first bite, he immediately let out an indistinct sound of praise, then couldn’t stop.

The three of them stopped speaking, gathered around the small iron pot, and ate slice after slice of hotpot lamb.

Since the two couldn’t use chopsticks, Lin Yu’an cooked a large batch of lamb at once and distributed it to them.

The blue flame of the gas stove flickered steadily, the pot steaming hot, the wind outside the cave howling.

This extreme contrast turned the exotic hometown-flavored hotpot lamb cuisine into an unforgettable experience and taste.

After eating their fill, the steaming lamb and broth made Lin Yu’an feel completely at ease.

They tidied up the utensils and sat around the now thriving campfire, burping with satisfaction.

Stan leaned against the rock wall, patting his belly and saying, ”Kid, this sauce, it’s God’s invention! I love it! I’ll never eat lamb without it again!”