Cha simply grunted out a short, "mmm," as he bent to stoke the embers of a fire that was only barely warm. As a little flicker began he grabbed a small log from a pile that sat on the other side of the room. He shoved it into the stove, and twisted a crank on the lower valve to allow air to enter the stove from beneath. He then turned a lever on the chimney pipe, allowing the smoke enough freedom to move up and out of his cave while holding the heat inside. While the new log broke down inside the oven, he stepped over to the hatch that went up into the hollow log above. He opened it just enough that air could flow in. The cool air from the snowing top of the hill was immediately felt coming in mixing with the warmer air in the room.
An iron pot filled with water was sitting on the lower cook top, and Cha dropped cubes of a dried stock inside before securing its lid. On the small table beside the stove he chopped the vegetables rough and quick, pushing the scraps into one of two buckets on the ground. The water came to a boil fairly quickly and Cha threw in the chopped vegetables. He then pulled a skillet down from a rack, dropped a bit of rendered animal fat into it and set it beside the pot. Quickly cubing the meat, he then sprinkled a mix of dried seasonings and salt on it and dropped it into the now hot skillet. He moved to the other side of the stove where he had a raised basin and he scrubbed his hands, with a bar of soap, before rinsing them and then sliding his hand into a mitt. Moving back to the skillet he tossed the meat with quick dexterous motions. Within just a few minutes he opened the pot releasing a billow of steam. He used a ladle to scoop water into the skillet, swirling it around before dumping the meat into the pot. Then he put his other hand into another mitt and lifted the pot onto the upper cooking surface of the stove. Lastly he opened the upper vent more and narrowed the lower vent reducing the air intake while releasing the heat.
"It should be ready in just a few more minutes. Just needs to stew for a bit." Cha then went about cleaning his prep table and scrubbing his skillet in the basin.