Chapter 126: The Core of Hot Pot
As Yue Lengxin expected, with one portion of Ginkgo Biloba Dish after another being served by the Qin sisters, the members of the Shrek Academy competition team finally had the opportunity to indulge themselves.
"Senior sister, my Soul Power has increased by about three percent!"
The one speaking was Yun Xi, a female disciple sitting on Yue Lengxin's other side.
The Shrek Academy competition team consisted of eight males and six females. The eight male students were seated at two separate tables, while the six female students, along with Yue Lengxin, were seated at two other tables.
At Yue Lengxin's table, there were only her, Fu Ya, and Yun Xi.
Yun Xi was a melee-type martial Spirit Master specializing in ranged attacks, a rare occurrence. Her martial soul was a type of weapon called the "Jade Moon Bow." Although she wasn't a spiritual-type Spirit Master, the increase in Soul Power was still very important for her strength.
The increase in Soul Power could enhance a Spirit Master's control over Spirit Power. For Yun Xi, after her Soul Power increased, she could more easily lock onto enemies and shoot out sharper, more condensed arrows, greatly enhancing her strength.
No wonder she was so excited.
For the other competition team members, perhaps the increase in strength brought about by the increase in Soul Power wasn't as significant as it was for Yun Xi, but without a doubt, their faces showed expressions of shock and joy after eating the Ginkgo Biloba Dish.
Just coming to enjoy a meal unexpectedly resulted in an increase in strength, truly an unexpected joy.
However, soon their attention shifted from the increase in their Soul Power to the next protagonist about to make an appearance.
After the Crab Stuffed with Orange and the Ginkgo Biloba Dish, the hot pot arrived fashionably late, placed in the large holes left intentionally in the middle of each table by the Qin sisters.
After placing the hot pot, Qin Yue and Qin Yao opened the high-tech heating devices accompanying the hot pot tables, and then began to introduce the types of soup bases in front of each diner.
Yue Lengxin widened her eyes, curiously looking at the huge copper pot in front of her.
Under Qin Yue's introduction, the soup bases in the copper pot matched up one by one with the ones they had ordered.
Yue Lengxin, Fu Ya, and Yun Xi had ordered a combination hot pot with Sukiyaki, seafood, and spicy flavors. Therefore, the copper pot in front of them was divided into three sections.
A thin metal sheet divided the entire copper pot into two parts, and in the center of the copper pot, there was a small circular area that avoided the division of the metal sheet, forming an integral whole and dividing the entire copper pot into three sections.
In the left section, there was a bright red color. The red was somewhat similar to the red of candied haws on a stick, but the oil flowers floating on the surface and the faint spicy aroma clearly indicated to the three women that the soup base inside was not only not sweet, but also likely very spicy.
There was no doubt that this red soup base was the spicy hot pot.
The right section appeared to be an ordinary light yellow soup base. The soup base had a semi-transparent color, and although it didn't emit too much fragrance, just looking at it felt very enticing.
That was the soup base for Sukiyaki.
In the small circular section in the middle, there was a slight milky white soup, with a hint of thickness. Getting closer, it felt as if the sea breeze was blowing in front of you, and the unique freshness of seafood was very obvious.
That was the seafood hot pot, located in the center.
Immediately, Qin Yue brought three pairs of hot pot spoons and placed them in the three sections, each pair consisting of a soup spoon and a draining spoon. Although there had never been draining spoons in the Douluo Continent, it was clear at a glance that these utensils were used to scoop food from the hot pot.
"Please wait a moment, the ingredients will be here soon." After introducing the hot pot, Qin Yue turned and returned to the first floor to continue serving dishes.
Seeing Qin Yue leave, the three women became curious. The pot in front of Yue Lengxin was the spicy hot pot. She picked up the draining spoon from the spicy hot pot and gently stirred it in the soup base. Soon, a strange expression appeared on her face.
Is there... nothing in this soup base except soup?
Can this be delicious?
Glancing at the other soup spoon in the pot, Yue Lengxin cautiously scooped up a little and brought it close to her nose and mouth.
The spicy sensation suddenly became stronger, making her couldn't help but to swallow her saliva.
Should I try drinking a little?
Just a little bit!
So she poured the soup from her spoon into a bowl and drank it all in one gulp.
Cough, cough, cough!
Yue Lengxin suddenly felt her eyes reddening, her mouth burning, and a tingling sensation lingering.
So spicy!
She looked at the water pitcher on the table, poured herself a glass without hesitation, and drank it down in one gulp. Only then did the fiery sensation in her mouth subside slightly, becoming more tolerable.
It was only at this moment that Yue Lengxin felt the deliciousness in the soup base besides the numbing and spicy sensations.
This soup base...
Smacking her lips a couple of times, Yue Lengxin's eyes lit up.
Although they hadn't officially started eating, she could already imagine how delicious the ingredients cooked in this flavorful and spicy soup base would be.
Sure enough, Qi Han's culinary skills were always reliable.
Unlike Yue Lengxin, Fu Ya chose to taste the seafood hot pot. Her family was originally from a coastal city, so she was naturally more familiar with seafood, and therefore, she was very interested in the seafood hot pot.
Among the three soup bases, the seafood hot pot was her suggestion.
Following Yue Lengxin's approach, Fu Ya cautiously used the soup spoon to scoop up a little bit of the seafood hot pot soup base, poured it into a bowl, and then took a sip. Suddenly, her eyes lit up.
Various flavors of fish, shellfish, and shrimp mixed together, creating a delicious taste in her mouth. With her familiarity with food, she could only distinguish one or two types of seafood from this mixture of flavors, while the rest were unidentifiable to her.
Even though there was seemingly nothing in the pot, how could there be so many flavors of seafood?
The chef is really amazing!
At this moment, before the ingredients were even served, there were quite a few curious people like Yue Lengxin and Fu Ya who tried tasting the soup base. Soon, everyone discovered the mystery within the soup base.
Despite appearing to be empty, with nothing but soup, it contained a variety of delicious flavors.
This was the difference between the hot pot base recipes Qi Han received from the system and the normal hot pot bases on Earth.
On Earth, various ingredients were often added to the hot pot base to make it visually appealing and avoid it looking empty, which could affect one's appetite. Additionally, in many places, the hot pot bases were filled with ingredients that could also be eaten, like in the case of Chongqing's tripe hot pot.
However, in all the hot pot base recipes provided by the system, the ingredients used to make the base were discarded after boiling, leaving behind a pure and flavorful soup base. There was no need to worry about it looking empty because the improved and refined soup base itself was enticing enough.
Such hot pot base ingredients didn't have much edible content, but they emphasized the process of cooking and dipping the ingredients. Perhaps, in the system's philosophy, the essence of hot pot lay in the act of "dipping."
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