Datang First Chef

The Grand Canal of the Sui and Tang Dynasties centered on Luoyang, stretching to Zhuojun in the north and Yuhang in the south. It is a bright pearl in the history of Chinese canals.

In the Tang Dynasty, when there were no means of transportation such as high-speed rail, airplanes, and ships, Mo Wenyuan realized for the first time what a remarkable project the Sui and Tang Dynasties Grand Canal was.He is standing at the bow of the boat now, watching the rolling river flow by both sides of him. The river is wide, surrounded by high mountains on the left and right, and green grass and vegetation are covered on the yellow-brown soil. The boat he is on is not the only one visible on the river. To dredge important river courses from north to south, many sections of the Grand Canal in the Sui and Tang Dynasties are busy all year round. Ships carrying travelers and ships carrying goods come and go without stopping.

The spring breeze blew on Mo Wenyuan's face, and the mountains and trees on both sides of the bank receded rapidly. The so-called "a light boat has passed ten thousand mountains" refers to the current situation.

Zhongheiyang also stood on the bridge, arching and arching behind Mo Wenyuan. He made a sound of "baa baa baa baa baa baa baa", lamenting the power of human beings. He used supernatural powers to walk on the mainland of China Walking, crossing various cities, never paying attention to the scenery on the side of the road, the first time I went to the Grand Canal of the Sui and Tang Dynasties, human beings with little imagination power dug the river bit by bit, and invested a lot of manpower and material resources to dredge the river every year. The sheep were shocked.

The Foolish Old Man can move mountains, and ordinary people can dig rivers. The power of one person is extremely small, but the power of many people can exert great power when they gather together.

……

Life on the boat was not as boring as imagined. Before boarding the boat, Mo Wenyuan brought some travel notes and scriptures to study. If he had nothing to do, he could sleep and escape into the God of Cooking system. He is a big shot who can ride a black sheep and gallop in the air. How could it be seasick.

In addition, there is an interesting Zen master among the companions. His name is Zhile, and he comes from an unknown small temple in Luoyang. There are too many temples in Luoyang City. Complete.This Zen master didn't recite the Buddhist scriptures very well, and he didn't understand the Dharma very well, and he couldn't subdue demons and demons, but he studied his hobbies to the extreme.

He likes drinking tea very much, and his love for tea can be compared with Mo Wenyuan's love for cooking.

This trip south, Zen Master Zhile’s goal is to taste all the famous water sources in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, ranging from rivers and streams to wells and streams, to taste whether they are sweet or not, whether the water is hard or not, and whether they are suitable for soaking. Tea, what kind of tea is suitable for brewing... He has to find out all kinds of questions.

Mo Wenyuan likes to chat with such people very much. As long as people study their hobbies to the extreme, they can become a learned person. Zen Master Zhile’s understanding of tea is beyond his reach. Listening to his popular science knowledge can also enrich himself knowledge reserve.

Seeing Master Zhi Le sitting on the side of the boat, wanting to draw water from the river, he walked over and said, "Master Zhi Le wants to fetch water?"

Master Zhi Le said with a smile: "That's right. The overall quality of the water in the river is worse than that of the mountains and rivers. However, the taste of the water changes in different locations. For example, the water on the riverside has a lot of silt. It’s not very good, but the Jiangxin water is flowing all the time, gathering the essence of the river water, and using it to cook a few flavors of tea is better than Shanshui.”

In front of him were tea-making utensils, and when Mo Wenyuan saw the black sheep approaching, he took out two more cups.

Master Zhi Le treats the black sheep no differently than he treats others. From the radiant eyes of the sheep, he can see that the other party is very intelligent and thoughtful. Ordinary people are not as smart as him, so he is willing to let the black sheep go when he is cooking tea. Drink with black sheep.

Tea is considered a kind of food, and Zhongheiyang also respects the tea, drinking it in small sips, savoring it, and finally expressing his opinions in a bleating voice. The attitude of ordinary tea drinkers is not as good as him.

Master Zhi Le smiled and took out a cloth bag from his arms and opened it. Mo Wenyuan recognized Mengshan tea in the bag with sharp eyes.

Mengshan is located near Ya'an, Sichuan. It has a record of tea production since the end of the Western Han Dynasty. It was also a famous tea production place in the Tang Dynasty. The main entrance of the small and small teahouses: "The water in the heart of the Yangtze River, and the tea on the top of Mengshan Mountain".

Mo Wenyuan had heard of the reputation of this tea in modern times, and after the Tang Dynasty, it was popularized by monks in Daxingshan Temple.

There are also elegant monks in Xingshan Temple. Tea drinking was popular in the Tang Dynasty. This object is synonymous with elegance in people’s minds. Studying tea is a very face-saving thing. People who don’t understand tea are cast aside on many occasions. Yes, Mo Wenyuan has studied tea crafts these days. There are two reasons for his study, one is to increase knowledge, and the other is to consider the perfect combination of tea and cooking.

Longjing prawns are among the famous dishes in Hangzhou. In addition, tea cakes and other things have fully proved that tea can be used in dishes. Excellent cooks can cook anything, and tea will not be let go.

"But Mengshan tea?"

"Mr. Mo Xiaolang has good eyesight. This is Mengding tea in Shuchuan." He said, "Many people cook Mengding tea with the snow melted from the petals of mountain spring water, but I think it is not good." A detailed analysis of the characteristics of Mengding tea, "This tea tastes fresh and refreshing, with a strong aftertaste of sweetness. The water used in cooking should not be too sweet, so as not to aggravate the sweetness and lack of astringency." Zhile believes that drinking tea should pay attention to bitterness before sweetness. It is sweet at the beginning, and the interest is greatly reduced. "Jiangxin water itself has a light taste, neither sweet nor salty. After washing the tea leaves, it will show its true color. Use it to cook Mengding, and the aftertaste will be endless."

Afterwards, he said some technical terms about making tea. Mo Wenyuan and Zhongheiyang seemed to understand, but their eyes were full of admiration. Knowledgeable and insightful people are really amazing.

During the chat, Master Zhi Le’s hands were not idle. The tea soup was poured into a small ceramic cup. The cup is made of white porcelain. People who drink tea always have small white porcelain cups. Only the white cup can see the color of the tea soup. , Whether the color is thick or light, whether it is yellowish or greenish, the color can also tell whether the quality is good or bad.

The Mengshan tea soup was clear and slightly yellowish. Mo Wenyuan held the cup with both hands, while Zhong Heiyang buried his head deeply and exposed his tongue. The two tasted the tea at the same time.

"Ok!"

In the past, Mo Wenyuan was the only one who amazed others, building food kingdoms in other people's minds, and constructing all kinds of magical dreams like Chinese little masters, but after getting acquainted with Monk Zhi Le, he was always shocked by the other party.

Tea is as important as food. Different tea leaves have different tastes. When paired with various types of water, the final taste will be completely different. He and Taotie have very sensitive tongues, can taste the subtle differences in tea leaves, and will be shocked by the perfect match .

For example, now, Mo Wenyuan seems to be on Mengding Mountain, surrounded by low tea trees, and a young and beautiful girl is picking tea in a bamboo basket. Fragrance.

Middle Heiyang: "Baa baa baa baa baa baa!"

One person and one sheep are immersed in the world of tea, feeling ecstatic.

……

Zhi Le got off the boat in Huaiyin, and he was going to walk from Huaiyin to Yangzhou to try all the water nearby. When Mo Wenyuan invited him to go to Yangzhou, he must go to Li Sanniang's restaurant, and he would cook a vegetarian meal for Zhile. Master Le Zen.The Zen master was very happy to hear that, and he will definitely go. It is very satisfying to eat the meals cooked by Mr. Mo Xiaolang himself.

Anyone who knows anything in Luoyang City has heard of Li Sanniang's restaurant and Mo Wenyuan's craftsmanship.

Further down from Huaiyin is Jiangdu. Jiangdu is a district of Yangzhou in modern times. It is far away from the city center. It was almost separated from Yangzhou in the Tang Dynasty. Walking towards the city with his back swaying, he took a quick look at the flowers and took in the prosperity and prosperity of Yangzhou City.

After the Anshi Rebellion, Yangzhou jumped up to become the most prosperous city in the Tang Dynasty. Even the two capitals could not match it. During the reign of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, Chang'an and Luoyang had not yet declined. In terms of prosperity, Chang'an City ranked first, and Yangzhou and Luoyang were not comparable. Walking up and down, Mo Wenyuan clearly felt that the painting style of Yangzhou City was different, with the exquisite beauty of Jiangnan water town.

Zhong Heiyang looked at the two-story and three-story small buildings in Yangzhou, "baa baa baa" and said: How come there are more tall buildings here than in Luoyang Chang'an?

Mo Wenyuan said: "The two capitals have a special status. In order to prevent the building from being too high, you can see the scenery inside the palace. High-rise buildings are not allowed. The second floor is extremely rare, let alone the third floor." Yangzhou has no such concerns. The pavilions are built randomly.

The city is divided into two by Shugang, forming a double city pattern. The city above Shugang is the sub-city, which is an administrative area, where officials work, while the city below Shugang is Luocheng, which is a commercial center and residents. Needless to say, Li Sanniang's restaurant is located in the very center of Luocheng.

The Jiangnan affairs were complicated, and Li Sanniang was so busy that she didn't have time to pick up Mo Wenyuan and the others, so she sent a man to pick them up. Mo Wenyuan, who was already sitting on the back of the middle black sheep in the motorcade, passed through the street under the eyes of everyone. There are many discussions.

"Heiyang, isn't he a tofu boy?"

"Tofu Boy, what year was it called? It's more appropriate to call him Soy Sauce Man."

Mo Wenyuan has a good ear. Hearing this sentence, he almost fell off the sheep's back. The nicknames of others are very domineering, otherwise they are very elegant. Why is it that they are either tofu or soy sauce? Down to earth, right?

"No, no, no, whether it's tofu or soy sauce, it's too disrespectful. Mo Dalang has the ability to subdue demons and eliminate demons. He is another disciple of Buddha after Master Xuanzang. Please respect him."

"How respectful, Zen Master Heiyang? He hasn't been ordained yet."

"Forget it if you call him the Black Sheep Buddha. Don't everyone say that the black sheep under his crotch is a ghost, and he is still very Buddha-like. He used to be a mount for an immortal, but after being influenced by Mo Dalang, he volunteered to be his mount and used him as his nickname." , very appropriate."

Zhongheiyang and Mo Wenyuan are not happy anymore, Mo Wenyuan is dying, why is he a Zen master and Buddha?It is true that he subdues demons and eliminates demons, but he doesn't know how to be a monk, and Zhong Heiyang is upset that other people say that he has been a fairy mount, what kind of mount, what is the fairy in the sky, he only wants to carry Mo Xiaoyuan, okay?

The very unhappy Zhongheiyang temporarily stopped to bleat to the people on the side of the road, his voice was soft, his posture was fierce, and he couldn't help it. No matter how he bleats, he can't be too domineering.Passers-by on the side of the road saw him greet him and others, and guessed that the black sheep had heard their conversation, but they were very happy and clapped their hands and laughed.

"Sure enough, he has spirituality. He must have heard us."

"He should be happy."

After finishing speaking, he waved his hands proudly to Zhong Hei Yang, who was about to die of anger.

"Baa baa baa baa baa!"

Stupid people!

Really pissed him off.

……

Li Sanniang came out of the store to meet Mo Wenyuan and the others. She took a step ahead from Chang'an City. When Mo Wenyuan and the others came from Luoyang, she had already stayed in Jiangnan for more than a month, and she also witnessed the wave of soy sauce sales in Jiangnan these days.

"Lu Erlang's action is indeed the fastest. He brought soy sauce to Chang'an to sell it twenty years ago. The price is still a penny a spoonful, and the spoon is really small."

"How is it selling?"

"Ordinary people don't buy much, but servants from aristocratic families swarmed up and robbed them, and they sold them out in a few days. Other merchants later came to sell soy sauce, and the sales were not as good as him." News from the aristocratic family Lingtong, I first heard about the trend of soy sauce in the two capitals. Rare things are more expensive. Their family has a big business and loves to hoard goods.

"The ones that came later were bought by ordinary people. It's not like you don't know that a family can only pay five yuan at most, and there are many soy sauce merchants, so buyers will shop around to see which one has the bigger spoon." She tutted. Tsk tut sighed, "Compared with their spoons for making soy sauce, Lu Erlang's spoon is really too small." He made a fortune like crazy.

"Lu Erlang will definitely make money, it's not like you don't know, Aunt."

"Not to mention, you must have told Lu Er that we are waiting to open a shop in Jiangnan, and he came here to say hello to me."

After hearing this, Mo Wenyuan just laughed and didn't speak.

While gossiping, Li Sanniang also took people and sheep to visit their shop in Jiangnan. Li Sanniang was rich and wealthy, so she learned the lessons from the continuous expansion of the Changan Luoyang store, and tried to do it in one step. There are two restaurants, and both are two floors. As for selling raw food , cooked food shop occupies a small half of the street.The fly in the ointment is that the location of the store is not particularly right, and it is still a little distance from the city center, but the land in the city center is not something that can be bought with money, and Li Sanniang's restaurant is more about a large area.

The location is still very good, similar to the store in Chang'an Luoyang, very close to the market, and it is very convenient to buy and sell materials.

The hardware conditions are very good, and the rest is the software conditions. The biggest purpose of Mo Wenyuan's coming here is to help adjust the menu, trying to make the food meet the tastes of Jiangnan people.

Li Sanniang took out a folded notebook from her pocket and said, "I've already tidied it up for you, you can see it."

Mo Wenyuan took the scripture book and unfolded it. Before leaving Chang'an City, he told Li Sanniang to make it. During the one-month stay in Yangzhou, the other party sent many people to inquire and recorded all the names of famous restaurants in Yangzhou and surrounding cities. In the notebook, after the name of each store, the address and famous dishes are clearly recorded. Some stores have been commented by famous literati and left poems. It can be said that Mo Wenyuan has the most complete and most The Complete Gangnam Food Guide.

Li Sanniang joked: "There are so many shops, isn't Da Lang going to eat all of them?"

Mo Wenyuan said: "If there are sheep going with me, why not?"

Li Sanniang: "..."

You're really ready to go on a food tour!

……

Mo Wenyuan is a cautious person. He is good at deducing and summarizing that theories are correct, but he doesn't like to make rough judgments based on imaginary experiences.What's more, Li Sanniang's restaurant opened a large shop in the south of the Yangtze River, and he invested more. He felt that he had a heavy burden on his shoulders, bearing the pressure of whether the shop would be able to thrive in the future.It is said that "Literacy in life begins with adversity". This sentence is true for Mo Wenyuan. He has a lot of worries and acts cautiously. Even though he knows the future Jiangsu cuisine, he insists on tasting the local dishes of the Tang Dynasty.

Zhongheiyang will also follow, Taotie is a real gourmet, he is right to blindly trust Mo Wenyuan's dishes, but he is not stingy with his own praise when he encounters delicious food made by others.

He held on to the slim hope that there were many shops in the booklet, and he would always meet delicious food that would make him nod, right?

Mo Wenyuan looked at Zhongheiyang and said, "Yang, no, we can't go directly."

Middle black sheep: "Baa baa baa baa baa!" What does that mean?

Mo Wenyuan said: "We are too conspicuous, everyone in the south of the Yangtze River knows what you look like." Mo Xiaolang and the black sheep beside him have become a standard match, "You have to know, I can't order food at the hotel. The one who feeds you knows that you are a ghost, and in the eyes of many cooks, it is a waste of food to feed the sheep."

Sheep type is discriminated against.

Zhongheiyang didn't speak, a few lights flashed on his body, and his body changed in an instant. A black-haired young gentleman who was as tall as Mo Wenyuan appeared in front of him. His human voice was also a little soft, Mo Wenyuan only felt his heart was tickled by the tip of a feather after hearing it.

"Is this body okay?"

"Cocoa cocoa!"

Mo Wenyuan clenched his fist secretly, his voice was so cute!

……

Wei Shang is one of the famous chefs in Yangzhou. He opened a fresh fish shop, selling everything from fish sticks, steamed fish and fish balls, and there was an endless stream of guests.

Jiangsu and Zhejiang are vast. When it comes to Jiangnan, the first reaction of northerners is a land of fish and rice. However, not every city in the south of the Yangtze River is close to the sea and rivers, and has abundant aquatic products. For example, Yangzhou is a little far away from the river and sea. There are fish products, but it is not as good as the sea. state rich.

Haizhou is the ancient name of Lianyungang City, Jiangsu Province. The river and the sea are connected here, and the aquatic products are abundant. The local people are also very good at handling fish and shrimp. Wei Shang is from Haizhou. He practiced skills since he was a child. Technology came to Yangzhou and took root in Luocheng. It has been more than [-] years since he came here.

Today, two young gentlemen came to Wei Shang's store. They were born very well, and the well-informed shopkeeper took a good look at them.

The man on the left is fair and clean, with thin skin and tender flesh, with a smile on his face, his lips curled up before he spoke, and he is very well-behaved; the man on the right has not yet grown up, but he can see that his appearance is extremely prosperous. If I don't like it, I just feel that the beauty of this young gentleman when he grows up is really aggressive. Ladies like it for sure, but it is rare for a gentleman to look at him comfortably.

The two young gentlemen found an unoccupied low table and ordered all the dishes in the shop.

The waiter persuaded: "You two gentlemen, there are too many dishes, and you will definitely not be able to finish them. Just add steamed cakes to two or three dishes."

Mo Wenyuan thanked the guy for his kindness and said: "My brother has a very good appetite, even if he eats all the dishes, he won't feel bloated. You just eat, we can eat."

The buddy looked at Taotie's small arms and legs, and thought it would be strange if he could eat so much, even a porter with broad shoulders and a strong body would not be able to finish it, let alone a child, but he had already reminded him, and if the other party insisted on the key points, he would not eat it all. Do not block.

The first thing that came out was not fish meatballs, but snow-white fish meatballs. There were six pieces for one piece, and two pieces for twelve pieces. Wrinkled, but poked with chopsticks, the inside is firm.

"Eat, eat."

After hearing this, Zhong Heiyang picked up his chopsticks, and his gourmet radar told himself that the fish balls were probably done well, at least they had reached the average level.

After entering the mouth, Zhongheiyang knew that his judgment was correct. Under the wrinkled fishball skin was the firm fish meat, full of chewiness, and the skin was very interesting. It reminded him of Mo Wenyuan fried it for him as a supper. Tiger skin eggs, quite fragrant.After the fish is minced and mixed with flour, the deliciousness of the meat penetrates into the gaps of the meatballs.This meatball is different from ordinary meatballs. Not only is it not hot, but it is also ice cold. I am afraid that it has been iced with well water. It can dilute the fishy smell. As a small loss, the fish meatballs are impeccable.

"Delicious." Taotie said concisely.

"It's delicious." Mo Wenyuan also praised happily.

The fish balls are just the title song, and the fish balls, steamed fish, fish soup noodles, etc. are served one after another, filling the low couch. Fortunately, the two of them eat very fast, especially the gluttonous ones, who are even more enthusiastic after letting go of the food. The dishes were swept over quickly, and after a while, there were only empty bowls left on the table.

After eating, Mo Wenyuan was very happy. If Wei Shang represents the average level of cooks in Yangzhou, then their level is too high. High-level chefs will indeed affect the sales of Li Sanniang's restaurant, but for those who really love cooking For a skilled chef, being able to open a shop in the same city as his skilled counterparts will definitely play a role in supervising him, making Mo Wenyuan more urgent and working harder to hone his skills.

After eating, he did not forget his task and began to summarize.

"Jiangnan cuisine is not as sweet as I imagined." Mo Wenyuan is thankful that he did not use the concept of later generations to speculate on the Jiangnan cuisine of the Tang Dynasty. Most of the fresh fish is real, but it is not sweet at all. It is taste at best Light, salty is very salty.

He thought about it, and felt that it was reasonable that Jiangnan cuisine in the Tang Dynasty was not sweet. After the introduction of sucrose, sugar was a rare commodity. Even if China imported a large amount of sugar from Tianzhu, it was first used in Chang'an and other places, and the price in Jiangnan was higher again. Considering the cost, chefs in restaurants do not use sugar in cooking, especially the chef education they receive does not include sugar in stir-fried dishes.

Mo Wenyuan racked his brains to search for the development trend of Jiangsu cuisine in his mind. He feared that it would take another 1000 years for the dishes here to be similar to theirs at that time.

So far, the Jiangnan cuisine he has eaten has two obvious characteristics. Many home-cooked dishes have a bland taste, and a lot of fresh fish is used in cooking.

After mastering these two points, he has a clear idea of ​​how to change the menu of the Jiangnan restaurant. One is to change the taste of some dishes to a lighter level, and the other is to adapt measures to local conditions and cook more species in the river and sea.

……

From the fourth month of the lunar calendar, it has entered a good season to eat shad.

There are three delicacies in the Yangtze River, "saury, shad, and puffer fish". In modern times, these three fish are very uncommon, and the finless porpoise has not appeared for several years, and it has become a legend.Although the production of shad is low, it has not reached the point of extinction. You can still buy shad in big restaurants. Mo Wenyuan's original store has shad for purchase. The production is low, and it costs 500 yuan a piece.

In the Tang Dynasty, people also loved fresh fish. However, the population was really small, and they couldn’t finish the fish in the Yangtze River. The water pollution was also low. Shad was harder to catch than other fish, but it could still guarantee the basic supply.Shad is a migratory fish that spawns upstream. It regularly ovulates around the Yangtze River every year. Poyang Lake, Ganjiang River, Pearl River and other places have its spawning grounds.

Mo Wenyuan took Heiyang to the fish market early in the morning. Before dawn, the fish market was about to open its stalls. The fish from the big vendors were directly supplied to the restaurant, while the scattered small vendors caught fish and sold them here. There is a faint smell of fish in the room, because it is in the south of the Yangtze River, there is no smell of sea, Mo Wenyuan reminded: "Be careful where you step."

The muddy land was soaked by the wet river tide, the land was solid, but some of the ground was covered with a thin layer of mud. The middle black sheep liked to be clean, but they hated the mud and dirty hooves.

"Baa baa baa baa baa!"

Don't worry, I didn't step on the ground!

Hearing this, Mo Wenyuan bent down and looked down, only to find that the hooves of Zhongheiyang were slightly hanging in the air, and he was actually walking on air!

Mo Wenyuan: =mouth=!

Great for my sheep!

Mo Wenyuan walked to a small fishmonger. His fish were divided into two categories. The high-priced ones were placed in large wooden barrels, while the low-priced ones were placed on the ground. The fish were still alive and energetic, and they slapped their tails. One shot, it bounced on the ground, the far right was a dead fish, which was sold at a discount, of course Mo Wenyuan would not look at the dead fish, his attention was focused on the shad in the bucket.

He had already looked at the fish of all the families, and after comparing them, he felt that his family's fish was the best, so he returned it again.

The fish seller was a tall, middle-aged man with a simple and honest appearance, but his eyes were full of light. He looked like he knew how to do business. He greeted, "Your Majesty, want to buy shad?" He began to introduce, "I just caught this shad in the morning. It's very fresh and big. It hasn't surpassed him in ten days. Look at the scales on your eyes, they are very clear. It's not a loss to buy it back."

"Can you take a closer look?"

"Cocoa." As he said that, he wanted to help Mo Wenyuan take the fish out of the bucket, but he saw this little man with sharp eyesight and quick hands to fish himself out of the bucket. The shad that does not slip away has no room to escape.

He said awe-inspiringly: He is a familiar hand!

To judge the quality of fish is nothing more than to look at several aspects, such as unclear eyes, dry scales, body size, swimming strength, and even the strength of its struggle can be included in the scope of investigation. Selling fish Lang must have exaggerated the quality of shad, but from Mo Wenyuan's point of view, it is already better than others.

He said, "I want this bucket of fish."

The fish seller collects money and smiles openly.

The fish was packed in a bucket, and the bucket was placed on the sheep's back, and it walked on air, steadily, without a drop of water showing.

Mo Wenyuan said: "After I went back, I cooked all three fish in three different ways. Tell me which one is delicious, where it is delicious, and how it differs from local dishes."

The middle black sheep's ears stood up: "baa baa baa baa baa!"

Do you want to try it?

OMG what a blissful job it is!