Chapter 46

Once the donations slowed down, Jo Miwon wore a satisfied expression.

Now it was time to begin the real content.

“Alright then. Let’s start today’s content!”

[HardToPronounce: lol so the donation farming time is finally over?]

[TigerCuticle: I’m hyped lol]

[GodViewer12: That’s the host’s usual routine. Donations first, content later~]

* * *

I stared at the screen, startled by the nonstop donation alerts.

Today’s content was a “Roulette Cooking Challenge.”

The rules were simple.

First, we spin the roulette to draw ten ingredients. Then we spin again to choose one menu.

This process would repeat three times, meaning a completely different dish had to be made each round.

Whether the mission succeeded would be decided by viewer voting based on Jo Miwon’s reaction after tasting it and the visual presentation of the food.

As I listened quietly to the explanation, something suddenly felt odd, so I asked Jo Miwon.

“But isn’t all of this completely random? What if we get a menu that doesn’t match the ingredients at all?”

Jo Miwon shrugged innocently and lightly slapped my shoulder.

“Chan. That’s for you to figure out.”

The chat immediately exploded.

[UltimateVeggieVillage: lol poor guy]

[CalmCrow: Look how evil the host is lol]

[LoveIsMelon: The world of streaming is cruel lol]

[HaveADrink: You can come in whenever you want but leaving is another story…]

Hmm. So that’s how it works.

In the end I grabbed the mouse with a resigned expression and took a deep breath.

Then I clicked the start button on the roulette that Jo Miwon and the viewers had filled in.

Spin spin spin spin spin~♪♬

▼

[…ketchup – seaweed – broccoli – egg – kelp…]

Spin spin spin-

▼

[…raisins – octopus – spinach – banana – milk…]

The roulette spun wildly with a loud sound.

I swallowed nervously and tightened my grip.

[AntBooger: lol please let it land on something hard!!]

[ChocoStick: The host wrote the same menu a bunch of times so it’s actually favorable lol]

[DonkeyPerShare: Oh god of variety shows…]

[HardworkingUncle: Please! Please!]

Click!

The roulette stopped.

And the word appearing boldly on the screen was

Ramen.

[ToadSoySauceCrab: That’s not bad though lol]

[SocialAdaptor: Wait? That’s not even an ingredient in the menu lol]

[Greenish: Out of all the ingredients it had to be ramen lol]

Of all things, ramen.

There wasn’t a single menu on the roulette that used ramen as an ingredient.

In other words, ramen was basically a dead card.

But there were still chances left.

I steadied myself and spun the roulette again.

Spin spin spin spin spin spin-

▼

[…millet – cabbage – capsaicin – eggplant – pasta…]

Click!

“Oh!”

“Wow!!!”

This time the ingredient was egg.

Eggs worked well with almost any dish.

Jo Miwon and I happily exchanged a high five.

But unlike us, the viewers reacted very differently.

[WalkingMushroom: How dare it land on eggs…]

[MintChocoMalaSoup: That’s because the host didn’t write that one…]

[GoejeongMinnow: Ah lol this is so annoyingㅡㅡ]

Feeling slightly relieved, I spun the roulette again.

Spin spin spin- Spin spin spin- Click!

“…No way.”

I grabbed my head and groaned.

The arrow pointed to eggs again.

Two duplicates out of ten chances.

Unbelievable.

[MalteseNeverHoldsBack: Why eggs again lol]

[SpicyMilk: Protein overload right?]

[HaveADrink: Who told you to put duplicates lol]

Jo Miwon protested that duplicates should be excluded.

But the viewers were ruthless.

[DrugAddict: Nope. Spin again~]

So the roulette spun again.

The following ingredients appeared one by one.

Cooking oil, salt, tofu, red pepper powder, canned tuna, bean sprouts, sugar.

Nothing overlapped and the ingredients were fairly manageable.

Jo Miwon and I both sighed with relief.

Now it was time to draw the first menu.

We already had decent ingredients.

If the menu was reasonable, success was guaranteed.

I swallowed nervously and clicked the mouse.

Spin spin spin spin spin spin spin♬
Spin spin spin spin spin-

▼

[…jeon – rolled omelet – nakji horonggui – yusanseul…]

Spin spin spin spin-

▼

[…sanseul – stir fried eggplant – assorted jeon – cheese gratin – samgyetang…]

Click!

Stir fried anchovies.

“…Are you serious?”

I froze like a statue, blinking slowly.

None of the ingredients we had included anchovies.

The chat exploded with laughter.

[TurtleKing: How are you supposed to make stir fried anchovies without anchovies lol]

[BlueWhale: This is it lol]

[OhYes: lol you’re doomed right?]

Jo Miwon looked even more shocked than I did.

He stared at me and asked cautiously.

“Can you do it?”

I shook my head and stared at the ingredients in front of me.

Can I do it?

“Well… I’ll figure something out.”

For the first time in a while, my competitive spirit kicked in.

* * *

Before starting the actual cooking, I carefully examined the ingredients.

Ramen, cooking oil, shrimp, tofu, red pepper powder, canned tuna, bean sprouts, salt.

Making stir fried anchovies without anchovies.

Even considering my past life, this was a first.

I had a rough idea of what to do.

Still, the absurdity made me laugh again.

The chat was going wild watching my expression.

[SpaceChicken: lol]

[GalaxyPenguin: You can still surrender now lol]

[AlmondBobong: Honestly today’s content difficulty was hell lol]

[RoastedEgg: I’m curious though lol how’s he gonna make it]

[SpaceChicken: I mean everything else aside how are you replacing anchovies? Is he an alchemist?]

Alchemy, huh.

In a way, cooking isn’t that different.

People say cooking is science.

Once you dig deeper, it’s basically a festival of chemical reactions.

There’s even a field called molecular gastronomy.

It analyzes the textures and structures of ingredients scientifically and creates completely new flavors from combinations that seem impossible.

So if I wanted to create convincing stir fried anchovies without anchovies, I needed a similar high level concept.

And the first ingredient I picked up was ramen.

[ChocoStick: You’re supposed to make anchovy stir fry. Why ramen all of a sudden?]

[HaveADrink: Is he giving up and just making ramen instead?]

[PinkDumbbell: This mission was impossible from the start]

Ignoring the reactions, I began smashing the ramen packet.

Bang! Bang!

I punched the bag repeatedly until the noodles inside shattered.

The heavy sounds made Jo Miwon flinch.

“C-Chan. Use words, man…”

[MeowIsMeow: What is he doing? Protesting?]

[HopelessCase: Chan’s venting his anger lol]

[HedgehogOfIncheon: He’s snapping lol]

[MintChocoRiceBowl: The host is terrified lol]

I poured the crushed ramen directly into the pan.

A donation alert rang.

[RainbowBibimNoodles donated 3,000 won.]

[What are you doing with ramen?]

The ramen pieces slowly toasted on the dry pan, releasing a nutty aroma.

I gently shook the pan and began speaking.

“The two most important things in stir fried anchovies are these.”

Watching the ramen pieces fry, I continued.

“First, the crispy texture. Second, the savory umami and salty flavor. Ramen is already fried, so it’s perfect for recreating that crispiness.”

[MuyazakiMuyaho: Still won’t taste like anchovies though.]

[MokdongKnifeMaster: But honestly it’s the best option from the ingredients we got right?]

[NutellaRice: The host is seriously walking on eggshells around Chan lol]

Once the ramen pieces turned golden, I carefully lifted the tuna can and showed it to the camera.

“Now for the umami.”

[AntBooger: Why tuna all of a sudden?]

[PoodleEatingMalaSoup: Is he using tuna oil for something? Wait…]

[Yohai: Is he trying to recreate anchovy flavor?]

[HairFiberUncle: How would tuna oil taste like anchovies lol]

I smiled quietly.

“Tuna oil can replace the nutty and slightly fishy flavor anchovies have. The flavor profile is surprisingly similar.”

I opened the can and gently pressed down the contents to pour out the oil.

“Of course just adding oil won’t magically make anchovy flavor.”

The crispy ramen pieces began to glisten as they absorbed the tuna oil.

At the same time, I adjusted the heat to lightly char them.

Taste is obviously the most important part of food.

But appearance matters too.

The closer the visual resembles anchovies, the more convincing the flavor becomes.

So I carefully coated the ramen pieces several times with the hot tuna oil.

During that process I added a small amount of ramen seasoning and a spoonful of sugar.

[RoastedEgg: What the hell am I watching right now?]

[SpaceChicken: This is cheating. Why are the ramen pieces slowly turning into anchovies?]

[RoastedEgg: lol he said he was bringing a friend who can cook but he actually brought an alchemist]

As the sugar caramelized with the oil, the ramen pieces developed a texture almost identical to stir fried anchovies.

The result looked even more convincing than I expected.

Jo Miwon stood beside me with wide eyes, frozen.

[AlmondBobong: The host didn’t secretly swap ingredients halfway right?]

Of course viewers loved provoking him.

“Hey!! Haven’t you noticed the camera never cut once?”

[LukewarmCola: lol the host has such good reactions]

[KimCheeseGamjatang: Seriously though did you secretly swap them with real anchovies? This makes no sense lol]

While they talked, my hands never stopped moving.

A moment later.

“…Now we just finish the seasoning.”

I sprinkled sesame seeds and a little sugar.

And just like that, stir fried anchovies were complete.

Visually it looked exactly like the real thing.

Anyone would assume it was anchovies.

“Since it was fried like this, the crispiness should be great too. Honestly the texture might even be better than real stir fried anchovies.”

[Sadness: Wow that actually looks convincing lol]

[ScorchedRiceBread: Hearing the explanation makes it look even tastier. This is insane]

[HardToPronounce: He actually made stir fried anchovies without anchovies lol]

[GiftOfUnderstanding: Creating something from nothing lol seriously GodChan]

Jo Miwon was quietly staring at me now.

There was no trace of joking on his face.

Only pure amazement.

I gave the pan one final shake.

The oil, seasoning, and sugar mixed together as the ramen pieces crackled.

Then I placed the pan down and turned off the heat.

At last, a plate of stir fried anchovies without a single anchovy was finished.

Jo Miwon swallowed nervously and slowly approached.

He lifted the plate toward the camera.

“Alright everyone. It’s finally done. Introducing… stir fried anchovies without anchovies.”

He glanced at me and swallowed again.

“So… can I taste it now?”