"Don't worry, everyone. When making fried meatballs, we need to pay attention to the temperature of the oil."
After a moment, Jiang Qiuqiu lifted the lid off the wok. Tiny bubbles were already starting to form at the bottom. She hovered her hand over it to feel the heat. "Perfect. Once the oil looks like this, we can start adding the meatballs."
As if in slow motion, the small, springy meatballs on the plate rolled into the wok of oil.
At first, no one paid any mind as the little meatballs rolled into the large wok.
But soon, after only a minute, the oil began to spatter gently. It started to gurgle as the meatballs, which had originally sunk to the bottom, slowly floated to the surface. An incredibly alluring aroma wafted out, one so powerful it could be detected even through the viewers' crappy sensors.
The pervasive, meaty aroma instantly conquered the tough guys watching the stream.
#Sniffle... what is that smell!?#
#Terry is a wolf: This is a tough guy's favorite smell! It's the aroma of meat, meat, meat, meat! AWOOOO!#
Most of the viewers watching Jiang Qiuqiu's stream today were from Terry's circle of mixed-gene individuals. For beast-kin, the love of meat needs no explanation—it's an intense passion etched into their very Genes.
As a mixed-gene powerhouse in the Federation Army, Changbei possessed the ultimate beast-like Genes and the purest, most sincere love for meat.
The moment he caught the scent coming through his stream sensor, he froze completely. Tears of shock—or rather, drool—betrayed him and streamed from the corner of his mouth. His eyes gleamed as he muttered, shaking Qiudao. "Qiudao! Qiudao! Qiudao! What is that smell!?"
"It smells so, so good... the smell of meat..."
"I'm a goner! Is this what love smells like?!"
'The smell really is amazing, but aren't you falling for it a little too fast?' Qiudao thought, tugging at Changbei's arm. "Stop getting all worked up and just watch. There might be a tasting segment later."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah!"
He rubbed his hands together in anticipation. It smelled incredible, but he wondered if it would taste as amazing as it smelled.
'Even if it doesn't taste good, that's fine. It smells this good, so they could probably use gene-splicing tech to turn it into a perfume... Then the entire universe would be filled with my favorite scent!'
'Waaah, what a divine universe this is. I'm in love, I'm in love!'
The most important part of making fried meatballs is keeping them tender and juicy after they're cooked. This requires incredible control over the heat; in hot oil, over-frying or under-frying is fatal to their texture.
Jiang Qiuqiu was a master at controlling the heat. She gently prodded one with a long pair of chopsticks. 'They're ready.'
With a quick scoop and a drain from a small mesh strainer, a plate of Fried Bibi Beast Meatballs was ready.
Away from the oil, the aroma became even more intense.
The chat was filled with comments urging Jiang Qiuqiu to enable virtual tasting.
#Quick, enable the tasting!#
#I bow down to this aroma—#
#Is the host the head chef of the Federation's Central Restaurant?#
#Terry is a wolf: No way, the head chef wouldn't be this poor, would she?#
#Then she's a culinary flower blooming in a house of poverty!#
Pfft. The compliments were getting ridiculously flowery. Jiang Qiuqiu let out a soft laugh. "I'm enabling the tasting now."
With that, she enabled the tasting.
In less than a second, all ten of the unassuming tasting slots were snatched up.
Qiudao and Changbei were the first to secure a spot. The moment they did, a plate of meatballs materialized in front of them.
The aroma was even more potent up close. Each little meatball was perfectly round and glistening. Changbei was the first to act, picking one up and popping it into his mouth.
Savory and umami flavors exploded in his mouth. As his teeth sank into the meatball, a wave of endless satisfaction made Changbei groan. He began to devour them one after another.
Qiudao appeared mature and composed, but his speed at eating the meatballs was not the least bit slow.
This same scene was playing out for every one of the chosen 'ten'.