Datang First Chef

In the Tang Dynasty, there were three different forms of court attendance. They were the "Grand Exhibition" held in the Taiji Hall. This was the most solemn court meeting of the year, and it was only held on Yuan Day and Winter Solstice.The next one is Shuowang Chaoshen, which is held on the first and fifteenth day of every month, and the place is the main hall of Xuanzheng Hall.The above two kinds of ceremonies are relatively grand, and it is impossible to meet civilians. Therefore, on the day Mo Wenyuan came, the sage was participating in regular meetings with other officials in the Zichen Hall. It was not very grand, and there were fewer officials. Ginseng, the pressure is reduced a lot.

However, pressure is relative. When Mo Wenyuan passed through many officials, he could feel their eyes on him. Most of them were looking at him curiously, and some were looking at him. The saint sat at the top, even if Mo Wenyuan No matter how much he wanted to know what he looked like, he absolutely couldn't raise his head at this time. He bowed his head deeply and said, "Caomin pays homage to the saint."

The sage also had no intention of embarrassing the child and said: "Give me a seat."

He was sitting on a futon-shaped cushion, in the center of Zichen Hall, and the eyes from all directions were fixed on him.

The sage is gentle: "Don't think too much, I just invited you here to hear about the method of squeezing oil. No matter how detailed the letter is, it's not as good as listening to someone directly. Since you proposed this method, no one knows it better than you. get more."

On how to explain the method of squeezing, Mo Wenyuan has typed up the draft many times. When explaining, he is unhurried, with a calm tone. When the sage is puzzled, he can answer slowly. Guan Du thought to himself that this son has a certain bearing, which is very different from ordinary gentlemen.

The sage said, "Have you heard that this Dharma was taught to you by a Bodhisattva?"

This word made Mo Wenyuan feel uneasy. He said: "The Bodhisattva loves me so much that he always teaches me some ways to benefit the country and the people, and then asks me to report to the saint. This is the proof of God's blessing to the Tang Dynasty."

As soon as these words came out, the other ministers looked at Mo Wenyuan with subtle eyes. This kid is really eloquent, and they can't do without admiration.

The sage laughed lightly when he heard what he said, and did not embarrass Mo Wenyuan too much. He asked some food-related questions, and praised Mo Wenyuan for his "precocious youth" and "superb cooking skills", so he let him go gone.

Mo Wenyuan was very focused throughout the whole process. After coping with it, he breathed a sigh of relief. His heart was finally over, so he sat in the car and went home leisurely, thinking that there should be nothing wrong with his answer.

After he left, the sage talked with the officials and said another thing: "The sugar from Tianzhu is widely used in our country. Since the discovery of its magical effect, we need to import a large amount of sugar from Tianzhu every year."

"Teaching a man how to fish is worse than giving him a fish. Since the demand is so great, why not let people go to Tianzhu to learn the sugar making method and teach it to craftsmen and farmers so that they can survive?"

"A large amount of sugarcane is planted in Bashu Jiangnan and other places. In the past, unless it was used to make stone honey, it didn't have much effect. Even for cane pulp, it didn't use much sugarcane."

Speaking of this, the officials' attitude towards Li Shimin was very clear. Sure enough, he announced in the next second: "I want to send people to Tianzhu to learn how to make sugar. The sugar cane in these places will also be useful. Err Let's see if Mo Dalang is suitable or not?"

Wei Zheng was the first to speak. He had already discussed this matter with the saint, and both of them thought that Mo Wenyuan was an excellent candidate: "In my opinion, the road to the west is long and difficult. Mo Dalang is not afraid of demons. Together with Master Xuanzang, the journey went smoothly."

"Back then, Mo Dalang pushed Tianzhu granulated sugar into the sugar, so it's perfect for him to fetch the sugar at this time."

"Extremely so."

With a few words, Mo Wenyuan's mission was decided, but the person involved was still unclear.

According to normal history, Tang Taizong sent people to India to fetch sugar in the 21st year of Zhenguan. This time, the idea came up in the 15th year of Zhenguan. It must be the butterfly effect caused by Mo Wenyuan.

……

The sage was very concerned about the method of boiling oil. After obtaining the method, he established a special oil refinery in the towns in the middle reaches of the Yellow River, and at the same time vigorously promoted the cultivation of flax.

Compared with the oil yield of ten catties per stone of soybeans, he values ​​the oil yield of forty catties per stone of flax. Now the yield of flax is not high enough to use it to extract oil as one likes, and soybean oil can be used. He wants to wait for flax After planting expansion, the main force in the vegetable oil market will become flax oil.

In history, oil was still a rare item in the Tang Dynasty, but in the Song Dynasty, there were many small food stalls selling fried food on the side of the road. No matter what the Song people ate, they had to fry it in a frying pan to enjoy it.This change is inseparable from the fall in oil prices and the popularity of oil in the market. Presumably, when the production of vegetable oil increases greatly and the price falls, the scene of "no oil, no joy" will appear in the Tang Dynasty.

Mo Wenyuan was not very worried about this future scene. He was a bachelor when he was supposed to be a bachelor. He thought that the saint would promote this matter, so he simply made a hands-off cabinet and started to bother with the deep-fried Hoto cakes in his shop.

Yes, Fried Hoto Cake is the new name for instant noodles.

In other words, it's just the name of the noodles, and things like seasoning packets. Mo Wenyuan hasn't figured out how to make them yet.

In other words, he knows how to do it, but he doesn't know where there is a plastic skin that can realize vacuum packaging, so that the seasoning bag can last for a long time.In addition, a thick paper box that can strictly seal the dough and keep it away from moisture is needed. The lack of hardware conditions prevents him from making the ideal instant noodles.

However, from Mo Xiaogou’s point of view, Mo Wenyuan’s trouble is that he is too strict with himself. After finding out that the oil extraction rate of vegetable oil is very high by pressing, which is affordable by the store, he cheerfully fried the fried glutinous rice. When the cakes were put on the shelf, countless pieces of golden Hoto cakes could be fried out of a large pot of oil, and each piece of cake sold for three Wen.

The price is also slightly crisper than steamed buns, but in the Hoto shops along Chang'an Road, even a bowl of plain noodles with nothing added costs two renminbi, and three renminbi is really not expensive.

When it was sold for the first time, someone noticed the golden pancakes and asked the clerk, "What is this?"

The guy said: "This thing is called Fried Hoto Cake."

"Fried Hoto pancakes?" the person who asked, Monk Zhanger, was puzzled. He understood what these words meant when they were taken apart, but when assembled, what was it?

The guy had already received orders from the owner that this thing could be soaked on the spot for diners to see. He broke a small piece of pancake, put it in a bowl, and then poured it in with a pot of hot water.

When he performed the instant noodle cake, many people gathered around him, and they all stared at the waiter to see his movements.

After a few breaths of effort, a small bowl of steaming noodles appeared in the bowl, and the people around were shocked, they had never seen this method before!

Some well-informed and fond of vermicelli said: "This method is similar to the method of making vermicelli."

"However, Hoto is different from vermicelli. It is made of noodles. How can the noodles be like this after soaking?"

"I don't know how it tastes."

"Xiaoer, give me a piece to try."

"Give me a piece too."

Xiao Er was honest, and asked these people when he was selling it: "Did the guest buy it and eat it on the way, or just go home and eat it for fun?"

"I bought it at this time, of course I will go home to eat and play."

"That being the case, I'll wrap the seasoning in paper for you."

"Seasoning, what's the seasoning?"

"It's just some condiments mixed with garlic powder, star anise powder, salt powder residue, and dried melon and eggplant." While talking, he gave a small paper package to the person who bought fried Hoto cakes. The seasoning powder is wrapped in a small paper bag, he said, "When the noodles are soaked, put the ingredients in the paper bag together, and the taste will be better."

Buyers were even more curious about the taste after hearing it. Some of them couldn’t go home in time. They sat at the stall and asked the waiter for hot water to brew directly. went.

The spicy and sauce buns in instant noodles are impossible to make, but the powdery seasoning buns and dried vegetable buns are not difficult to make. I saw diners pour the contents of the paper packets into a bowl and add boiling water. The variegated powder was immediately soaked, and the dried vegetables floated and swirled on the water.

The guest officer listened to what Xiao Er said, unfolded the paper bag with the seasonings, covered it on the big bowl, and pressed a pair of chopsticks on it to prevent the heat from escaping from the bowl. After a few minutes, the noodles would soak up When it was opened, he smelled its aroma and moved his index finger.

"Stinger--" "Stinger--"

Pick up two noodles and suck hard.

"How is it? How does it taste?"

"Hmm! Mmm! Mmm!"

Well, I just ate it for a long time, but I couldn't say anything. I was really anxious to the people around me. After eating more than half of a bowl of noodles, the person who made instant noodles gave a fairly pertinent evaluation: "The taste is naturally delicious. There is no Mo Dalang who can cook well."

People around looked at him with contemptuous eyes, as if saying "nonsense", who made you compare with Mo Dalang's cooking?

"But compared to the vermicelli, I think this Hoto biscuit tastes better." The noodle eater was a quick-witted person who rolled his eyes and asked the waiter, "How many months can this be preserved?"

"If you don't touch the water, it can be preserved for more than six months."

over June?Although the length of this time is not as long as that of vermicelli, it is much longer than that of steamed cakes.The person squinted his eyes and said: "If you buy more, it might be cheaper?" He is a regular customer of Li Sanniang's restaurant, and he knows that the more they buy, the cheaper the price, whether it's fans or other things, as expected, The clerk said: "If you buy ten yuan, you can get two yuan for one dollar."

"Give me 20 yuan first."

……

The advent of instant noodles has caused a sensation in a small area. Compared with fans, merchants walking outside are more fond of fried Hoto cakes. As early as the Tang Dynasty, Hoto cakes have entered thousands of households and become one of the staple foods. Fans Although the taste is novel, it is not as good as Boto in terms of its long history and status in people's hearts.

Some Tang people even have a deep-rooted idea that Hoto is a staple food, while vermicelli is a snack.

Therefore, after the fried Hoto cake was launched, it was loved by many businessmen immediately, and they ordered a large number of Hoto cakes from Li Sanniang's restaurant to take them on the road. city ​​sale.

They are bought in bulk, and the value is low, and there is room for improvement when they are sold.

Mo Xiaogou and Zhao Erniang were delighted to see that the new product was selling well, and the couple even planned to separate from each other after they made up their minds. One went to Luoyang to buy oil refining and often process Hoto cakes, while the other stayed in Chang'an City to take care of the business.

However, Zhongheiyang is not very interested in Hoto cakes. He is a gourmet. It is okay to eat instant noodles a few times, but if you eat too much, it will be a bit boring, especially the seasoning bag that comes with it. The taste is really simple. Only Mo Wenyuan changed He is willing to eat it only after adding ingredients in a proper way.Up to now, he has eaten meat sauce noodles, braised mutton noodles, dry-cut mutton noodles, Laotan sauerkraut, mutton noodles, seafood noodles and other instant noodles with special ingredients, and he is a bit tired of eating them.

Middle black sheep are very difficult to raise!

Mo Wenyuan also knows this. He has been thinking about instant noodles with all his strength recently. Now the matter of oil and noodle cakes has been resolved, but the remaining matters of packaging and sauce seasoning packets have not been resolved. It can be solved in a month, and I don't have a clue, so I just let myself go and take one step at a time.I started to return to my old job and cook the food I love.

However, there are so many delicacies that can be made, and thousands of thoughts about eating are lingering in his mind every moment. Mo Wenyuan couldn't make a choice for a while. What is the best food to eat? .

Thinking about it, Sun Wukong turned around. Every time he appeared on the stage, he was very powerful. Zhongheiyang, who was following Mo Wenyuan, bleated unkindly and asked him what was the matter.

Sun Wukong said: "I saw that the Bodhisattva ate a new kind of Hoto. It smelled so fragrant. I didn't know what kind of magic was used. You just need to heat the water to soak it. I was really surprised to see it, so I came to Chang'an specially to buy a few pieces. Walk."

Mo Wenyuan was shocked to death: "The Bodhisattva also eats instant noodles?"

Convenience Hoto is another name for deep-fried Hoto cakes, and it has been spread all over the city of Chang'an at this time. The word "convenience" is also used, so it is not difficult to understand when hearing another name. On the contrary, everyone still thinks that the name "convenience Houtou" is catchy and easy to understand.

"I have never made offerings to Bodhisattvas, so how could he eat them?"

Sun Wukong didn't realize that his inadvertent words had pulled off the dignified and noble veil on the Bodhisattva. He scratched his ears and said in puzzlement, "Can't he come to Chang'an City to buy it by himself?"

"Go to Chang'an to buy the Bodhisattva?" Mo Wenyuan was even more stunned.

The middle black sheep is beside him hehehehehehehe, Xin Dao has not revealed his identity as the incarnation of Bodhisattva in the human world, he is really a good sheep, no, he is so gluttonous.

How did you know that it would be destroyed by Monkey King's mouth!

Sun Dasheng is also very smart. Hearing the strange laughter of the middle black sheep, he became vigilant, thinking that he should save some face for the Bodhisattva, so he went over and said: "He can turn into a beggar to sell cassocks to my master. Why can’t everyone come and buy convenience goods? Bodhisattva’s ever-changing supernatural powers are well practiced, and you can’t see through the transformation into a human body.”

Mo Wenyuan was stunned for a while, and reluctantly accepted Sun Wukong's words, but after thinking about it, he always felt that Sun Wukong's words were a bit strange. Can giving cassocks to Master Xuanzang be compared with buying Hoto from him?I'm afraid I can't!

Monkey King Ye didn't want Mo Wenyuan to pursue it any further, so he directly changed the subject and said, "Although I have seen the appearance of the instant hot pot after brewing, I have never seen it as it is, and I have never tasted the taste, can I buy a piece first? "

"Of course," Mo Wenyuan whispered to Zhong Heiyang, "The Bodhisattva didn't share it with the Great Sage?" Don't ordinary people just make a new bowl and invite others to eat?Hoto is not expensive either.

The middle black sheep dismissed "baa baa baa baa", how could it be possible, the Bodhisattva is very petty, especially the delicious food, no one can take even a bite from his mouth.

Mo Wenyuan: emmmmmmmmmmm

The Bodhisattva's personality is a bit powerful!

Needless to say, Sun Wukong was full of praise after eating the instant noodles, and said that they also had some sauerkraut and pickled vegetables. After the Hoto was soaked, the vegetables could be piled up to make them taste better.

"This is the gospel of those who travel!"

Mo Wenyuan was also very happy when he heard it. His original intention of making instant noodles was to provide convenience to people who travel far and wide, and now it seems that his purpose has been achieved.

After Sun Wukong left, Zhongheiyang walked up to him reservedly and asked Mo Wenyuan if he had thought about what to eat. If he hadn't thought of it, why not listen to his suggestion?

However, Mo Wenyuan said: "I don't think so. I want to ask the Bodhisattva first. If there is anything I want to eat, I can make it and offer it to him."

The middle black sheep is like a thunderbolt from the blue sky, why, why is it like this!

Why listen to the Bodhisattva!

Mo Wenyuan laughed and said: "The Bodhisattva has helped me many times over the years, and I haven't found a good way to repay him. After thinking about it, I can only cook some of his favorite food." He comforted the black sheep and said, "You Tell me if you like something, when will I not do it for you? This time, let’s ask the Bodhisattva first.” He spoke to the black sheep in a tone like coaxing a child at home, “Let me lend the toy to my sister first. Have fun, and I will buy you a new toy later," like parents.

After hearing this, Zhongheiyang was about to burst into tears, and almost chopped off his hooves.

No no no no!I don't want to give it to Bodhisattva!

He secretly hated Bodhisattva!

Huizhi: "Ah Choo—"

……

The Bodhisattva who was eating Hoto suddenly heard Mo Wenyuan's voice: "Bodhisattva Bodhisattva, what do you want to eat?" It's all audible.Hearing his words at this moment, the Bodhisattva immediately opened his eyes wide, and even the seasoning package couldn't attract him.

A solemn and solemn voice suddenly rang in Mo Wenyuan's ears, but it was a pity that the content was not serious: "You can eat whatever you want?"

Mo Wenyuan smiled and said: "I am preparing to cook a new dish, but I am not sure what it will taste like. Thinking that the Bodhisattva has helped me a lot and there is nothing to repay, I want to take this opportunity to express my gratitude."

The Bodhisattva was in full bloom: Mr. Mo Xiaolang is really a gentleman of courtesy!won his heart.

He pretended to cough twice and said reservedly: "Let's make some sweet pastries." He emphasized, "I want sweets that I can eat." The cakes and other things that Mo Wenyuan made before almost all had eggs, and the oil was also meat. Oils that otherwise contain animal milk.

Take these points alone, he can't eat them, so although the Bodhisattva wants to eat sweets, he seldom eats them because of the rules and regulations.

Sweet food?Although the Bodhisattva's request was broad, it was easy to refine in Mo Wenyuan's mind. After thinking for a while, he made a decision, and said to the Bodhisattva, "Can the Bodhisattva eat red dates and yams?" Allergic to certain ingredients.

Bodhisattva said solemnly: "All things are equal, how can there be any reason to eat or not?" What he said was full of Buddha nature, but Mo Wenyuan had already heard another meaning of Bodhisattva, that is, everything can be eaten Yes, what is not eaten, does not exist.

"That's good, then I will use red dates to make some sweet food for Bodhisattva."

……

Mo Wenyuan is very good at cooking with seasonal vegetables, not to mention that the technological level in the Tang Dynasty was not enough and there were no greenhouse vegetables to speak of, even in modern times, people are more inclined to buy seasonal vegetables than out-of-season vegetables.Seasonal dishes have the charm of seasonal dishes, whether it is the taste or the state of the vegetables, they are all at their peak.

In a sense, jujubes are not a seasonal food, because what Mo Wenyuan uses is not jujubes that are sweet and plump after August, but jujubes that are completely fermented after the first frost. Sweet dried dates.

After the tenth month of the lunar calendar, red dates are the world. Whether it is for nourishment or the sweetness that children like, this kind of food has become very popular after it is on the market.Li Sanniang’s restaurant even buys red dates in big bags. Even if they don’t have the main dish of red dates, throwing a few into the soup is healthy and delicious.

The two pastries that Mo Wenyuan made are not difficult, just like sweet-scented osmanthus lotus root. The key is to be patient and willing to spend time. The two red date desserts he is going to make are red date glutinous rice grains and yam date paste cake.

Yam Jujube Cake is not difficult to make, but handling the ingredients is really troublesome.Yam is an alias of yam in the Tang Dynasty. It is said that because the word yam collided with the pronunciation of Tang Dynasty Zong Li Yu, it was changed to yam. Of course, yam is still honestly called Yam, and the name cannot be changed for a while. .

The way to deal with the yam is to wash the outer skin and steam it directly in the pot. After the steaming is done, the hardness of the filling in the yam will also become soft, so crush it with a spoon.But before steaming in the pot, he also spent a lot of energy selecting yams. There is no other reason. Most of the yams these days are astringent, and the mud made is not delicious. If you want to find yams that are tender and not astringent, you need to be careful. pick.

The jujube does not need the skin, but only the meat. In order to remove the outermost layer of skin, it must be soaked in water for an hour, and then steamed in a pot.

The yam paste and red date paste are stacked together firmly, and finally the cakes are pressed out with embossing. The simple and delicious cakes are ready.

Another kind of jujube glutinous rice heart is a little more complicated to make, but the finished product is delicious, even Mo Wenyuan likes it very much.First find a large red date, open the belly, and take out the red date core.Then mix glutinous rice with honey and sugar, knead it into small pieces of dough, stuff it into red dates, and finally brush a layer of sugar water on the finished product and steam it in a pot.

The finished granules are very full, and the glutinous rice granules can't wait to break through the shackles after they swell, and they almost want to swell and come out.

The surface of the glutinous rice and jujube skin has a layer of sticky syrup that can be drawn. Mo Wenyuan felt itchy after seeing it, and couldn't help picking one with chopsticks and stuffing it into his mouth.

"!" He held his face in his hands, his eyes happily narrowed into crescent moons. Glutinous rice, honey and sugar are a perfect match, and they can bring out the sticky and soft sweetness to the extreme, entangled between his lips and tongue, Red dates are inherently sweet after drying, and jujube paste and glutinous rice grains blend and promote each other, and the wonderful movement of ancient desserts is being performed in his mouth.

Middle Heiyang: "Baa baa baa baa baa!"

Give me one!Just give me one!

Mo Wenyuan picked the biggest one and stuffed it into the mouth of the middle black sheep. He was captured by the sweetness first, and turned his ears happily. He randomly thought that this dish was made by Mo Wenyuan for the Bodhisattva, and his heart was filled with resentment.

snort!He would not have such an attitude even if he made Li Sanniang for him and got Mo Puppy Zhao Erniang or for the development of new products, but for Bodhisattva...

Just very unhappy!

It can be said to be very double standard!

……

Another day later, the bodhisattva who received the extra offering from Mo Wenyuan was ecstatic.

He ate non-stop in Xianshan overseas, and he muttered while eating: "Mo Dalang is really good! The dishes are very suitable for my taste!"

Another Monkey King who turned somersaults to find the Bodhisattva: "..."

"The jujube is for eating, can I have a piece of it?"

The Bodhisattva was furious: "Well, you monkey, why don't you come early and late every time, but come when I'm eating! Did you do it on purpose!"

Really angry!