Supergalactic Xeno-Treat Smackdown Contest

Hi folks! I tried to make a recipe that I thought could actually happen in-universe. I've been developing this Jewish (matzoh ball)/Chinese (Sichuan Hot Pot Soup Base) fusion recipe for a year or so and thought it'd be a great starting point to celebrate what happens when different cultures meet (in this case, Humans and Banu). The mock seanut actually tastes fantastic after absorbing the broth and has an interesting but pleasing texture (see pic of my 2-year old munching on it!). It elevated this already-fantastic dish! The overabundance of hotdogs is a reference to the first food I encountered in Star Citizen: the venerable double dog. They actually work really well in this dish--their greasiness and smokiness is balanced by the pungency of the broth.

Originally, I wanted to try to make a dish that covered the Banu's Nine Tastes, but then I realized I could add a couple more via the concept of cultural exchange. I'm a huge nerd about the phenomenon where a country's culinary history is shaped by the meeting of cultures. For example, China didnt get chili peppers and Italy didn't get tomatoes until the 1500s! I did a lot of research to make sure that everything in the backstory is lore-accurate, but let me know if you see any discrepancies! I put the backstory after the recipe as a protest to the recipes online that make you read an entire life story before getting to the actual recipe.

In true Banu fashion, none of this food will be wasted--it's still simmering as we speak!

Here's a couple notes if you decide to make this at home:

--Chili oil is actually a bit finicky and easy to burn, I recommend reading this page to help with tuning: https://thewoksoflife.com/how-to-make-chili-oil/. Rather than flakes, I use whole dried chilis that I cut up with scissors and strain to remove seeds, keeping the spiciness level down and flavor level up.

--If using Little Sheep Hot Pot Soup Base, don't use the included chili oil, make your own instead. If you can find beef tallow hot pot soup base (available at some asian markets, usually comes in little squares), use that and you can omit the chili oil altogether.

--For matzoh ball dough, I use this stuff. I also a little bit of the included soup base mix into the dough.

Here are some other ingredients that go great in this dish:

-Bok Choy

-Napa Cabbage

-Any type of mushroom

-Thin-sliced meat

-Spam (trust me, its amazing).

-Chinese sesame paste or Tahini