Datang First Chef

The daily competition between the two top chefs is to be amazed by the food made by each other. Wei Wen put the exquisite Shenglong dumplings into his mouth, chewed and chewed, and the picture in his mind was different from that of Zhongheiyang.

He has never heard of a dragon chant, and he cannot simulate the sound of a dragon in his mind, so what he sees is a clear picture, the dragon is soaring in the sky, the clouds are getting thinner and thinner, and he is on the dragon's back, closing his eyes. Close your eyes and feel the wind on your cheeks.

The umami taste hit his face violently, like a wave, he felt the cold sea water, as if suddenly falling from the clouds, deep into the bottom of the sea.Go to the sky and enter the sea, and travel with the dragon.

He opened his eyes suddenly, and the overbearing umami taste was still rinsing in his mouth. This taste is completely different from the shrimp dumplings he made. His umami taste is a deep-rooted, soft, moist and silent umami taste. And what Mo Wenyuan did was really like a dragon, very domineering.

Umami!

Mo Wenyuan said: "How?" He was quite confident about Shenglong Dumplings, and there was a slight smile on his face when he asked.

"Baa baa baa baa baa!"

I heard the dragon chant!

"It's very delicious. The overbearing umami of Shenglong dumplings is beyond words." Wei Wen's literary talent seems to be inspired by the taste of the dishes. The sea water becomes more colorful because of the existence of dragons. When Nezha makes troubles in the sea, the Third Dragon Prince who is raging in the sea will not have the aura of the dragon in his mind.

Mo Wenyuan said: "It's the first time I've made this dish. I want to give some to my mother, and give it to the guest officers in the restaurant. If they don't like it, there will be more Shenglong dumplings on the restaurant's menu."

Wei Wendao: "I still have leftovers from the stuffing I made just now, so I might as well wrap the shrimp dumplings together. It's better to eat the dishes of the day, and the taste will not be good after that." He said, "By the way, let the diners Taste one or two, and see if Weijia Restaurant can add this dish."

"It must be from Jiade." Mo Wenyuan said, "I will talk to the waiter, and when the dishes are served, I will tell others that Wei Lang made them, so we can't confuse them."

……

The business of Li Sanniang's restaurant is very good, there is a lot of traffic in front of the door, and there is an endless stream of guests. It is said that Mo Dalang is back, and the customers in the restaurant are even more crowded. dishes.

The status of ancient craftsmen is very low compared with modern ones, but no matter what period of time, celebrity chefs are sought after, especially in the Tang Dynasty, many famous chefs with ancestral craftsmanship entered the Houfu family, served the powerful, and the folk small The store's menu recipes are not as many as the recipes accumulated by the big family year after year. Even in modern times, precious recipes need to be kept secret and passed down from generation to generation.

Mo Wenyuan cooks well, is young, and has the halo of a Buddha on his body. Although he is not as famous as Liu Yong, who "everywhere there is a well water, can sing Liu Ci", he is not far behind. Many people see He is like a romantic figure in a picture book, even if he joins in the fun, he has to pay his respects.

So there are more customers in the store today than in the future.

One table was bigger than the others. Hu Weizhen and Qin Weishan were sitting together, surrounded by people from the Jiangnan restaurant. Their business was more or less affected by Li Sanniang's restaurant, so they would not be left out in front of the door. There are few cars and horses, but the store economy is much more tense than before, and some are forced by the market to turn tension into motivation, concentrate on researching new dishes, and achieve results.

Hu Weizhen is a mean and straightforward little old man, with the strength of a craftsman in his bones. He thinks that he has improved a little in the past six months, so he really wants to see how Mo Wenyuan's cooking skills are, and whether he has improved compared to six months ago.

He thought enthusiastically, even if he has made progress, he should not be able to compare with himself. The cooking skills are profound, and the difference in experience cannot be compared by a flash of inspiration. Mo Dalang is indeed a good seed, and he is also very good at cooking. But if you let him admit that he is poor, Hu Weizhen is absolutely unwilling.He wished he could cook a few dishes and compare them heartily with Mo Wenyuan, so as to satisfy his determination to win.

The only problem is that he has a good face, if he really proposes a competition, it will inevitably be considered as bullying by the big, which is very disgraceful.

Thinking of this, he really was neither advancing nor retreating, it was extremely uncomfortable.

The children and nephews were all trembling and afraid to speak, and only a few big bosses were left to chat. Not to mention merchants like Qin Weishan, Li Sanniang’s restaurant is their big customer, and they take good care of business. People often visit this store, and when they heard that Mo Dalang was back, they all watched the show with a smile in their hearts.The old cooks here are different. Of course, Jiang Lang's face is not good-looking, and those who are a bit inquisitive have similar ideas to Hu Weizhen. They want to see Mo Wenyuan's skills, but they feel shameful.

It would be fine if other shops had a foothold in the south. Regional discrimination existed deep-rooted in every dynasty. They were more or less satisfied with the fact that Mo Wenyuan spent half a year formulating a menu and launching southern dishes that people in the south of the Yangtze River liked. Difficult to level.

You are a northerner, why do you cook southern dishes?

The waiters serve the dishes in a smooth manner. Some dishes are divided into meals, and some are shared meals. If diners request, the dishes will be served first for them to see, and then they will be divided into individual portions. There are many people at their table, so order There were also a lot of dishes, and not long after, a waiter came up and asked: "Mo Dalang and Wei Lang have made new dishes, and I want to give them to all the guests to taste, do you want any of them?"

"Wei Lang? Wei Wen is here too?"

"The legs are so fast."

"New dish? What made it?"

"It's prawns. The two gentlemen use prawns as fillings to make stuffed dice."

Hearing the stuffing of dumplings, people who know how to do it said one after another: "If you want it, you must want it."

The buddy didn’t expect to hear other answers. The reputations of Wei Wen and Mo Wenyuan are very useful in the Jiangnan area, not to mention that the two sides have joined forces at the moment. As long as the famous diners are reported, there will be all the diners who don’t want to eat. He said with a smile on his face: " Please wait a moment, all the guests, the dishes will be served soon."

Dishes need to be decorated, and Mo Wenyuan knows it well. The color and taste of the food itself account for eight points, and the utensils containing the dishes account for two points. Due to the technical limitations of the age, the patterns on the porcelain cannot be too exquisite or gorgeous, but the unique style can still be used. did it.

The two types of shrimp dumplings are divided into small ceramic cups and small bamboo steamers. The size of soup dumplings and steamed dumplings is slightly different, so the quantity in the container will not be the same.

Ordinary diners call it delicious after eating, but chefs have their own ideas after eating, some feel sad, seem to feel that their talents are not enough, some are aroused to be competitive, and some are lost in thinking about how to improve, or Some tried to reverse the cooking methods of the two.

Hu Weizhen was curious too much, how did Wei Wen remove the fishy smell, how did Mo Wenyuan make dumpling wrappers, and the taste of Cheng noodles was quite different from ordinary flour.

Also, if he made shrimp dumplings, how would he do it?

A series of questions made him think deeply.

After the new products were delivered, Mo Wenyuan and Wei Wen came out from the back kitchen. One was to ask how the cooks were eating, and the other was to say that they had nothing to eat today when the ingredients were used up.

Of course, I saw a table of chefs and suppliers as I was walking, and I should come forward to have a chat or talk about how well the food is. The light young man couldn't help but asked, "Is the skin of the dice in the steamer also made of flour?"

Before Mo Wenyuan could say anything, an elder shouted: "Nonsense, this method is a secret that Mo Dalang never passed on. Do you want to find out?"

This person was like waking up from a dream, speechless.

A businessman who traveled all over the world tried to smooth things over: "Is this skin from the same source as the skin used in pastry? I see that the taste of the pastry shop downstairs is similar."

The chefs were shocked, they had never tasted the cakes from Li Sanniang's restaurant?

Pastry chefs and chefs are separated these days. They don't think much of Mo Dalang. After being shocked half a year ago, they can easily resist their temper and eat the food in their restaurants. However, these foods are limited to the restaurant menu. They look down on the small shops outside.

Naturally, Chengpi was missed.

To everyone's surprise, Mo Wenyuan opened and closed his mouth and explained the method of Chengfen: "This powder is called Chengfen, ordinary flour can be processed, and the method is not difficult, just add water and knead it after waking up... ..."

Before he finished speaking, Hu Weizhen interrupted: "It's okay to stop, this is a secret that your family doesn't pass on, don't let others know."

His interruption was just right, and the rest of the people's eyes flickered after hearing it, especially those who had bad intentions and wanted to get something for nothing, and even buried Hu Weizhen in their hearts, let them listen to what's wrong, they don't feel that they are broken.

Hu Weizhen poked his neck like a proud old rooster, Mo Wenyuan smiled slightly: "Don't worry, Hu Bo, this method is not unique to me, but I learned it from an ancient book. If you read that book, you can do it too." Come out here."

"It's neither a method I created, nor a secret that I don't pass on. The communication with everyone here is only for the purpose of attracting jade. Once the recipe is completed, I will be my cook every time I sit down.”

"Culinary skills are everyone's business. We must not only eat the dishes of one family. It is a good thing to spread the practice of Chengmian widely, and there will be more usages. The related dishes will be more abundant."

After hearing this, Wei Wen's eyes flashed with admiration, he nodded, and agreed happily, thinking that what Mo Wenyuan said was very correct, while the rest of the people were a little deeply touched, and even had tears in their eyes. People who have the idea of ​​taking advantage of it are also ashamed and speechless at this time.

The old rooster Hu Weizhen blew his beard and stared at Mo Wenyuan and said, "Too tender, too tender, what you say is just a kid's explanation." If you express his thoughts in modern language, it must be, you are too idealistic.

But I have to say that even Hu Weizhen was touched by his idealism. It is true that the students have the habit of underestimating the literati who have been criticized, and that is after they have exchanged their knowledge of poetry. It's too petty to look down on each other when they communicate, and to be ashamed to discuss each other.

Mo Wenyuan's words today, even if they can't talk about changing the atmosphere of the Jiangnan culinary circle, are definitely touching.

……

Golden autumn and October are the harvest season. Large areas of golden rice in the north dye the earth, heavy fruits hang down all over the branches, and the leaves are stained red with frost, and the mountains and plains have changed color.

During the harvest season, Mo Wenyuan took the Zhonghei sheep on an "autumn excursion". The Zhonghei sheep was crazier than a runaway wild horse, desperately having fun.

He was not happy because he could be in contact with nature, but felt that he had lighted up new skills and could finally help Mo Xiaoyuan.

If the god who is jealous of evil knows that the innate beast has such an idea, he will be stunned. When did Taotie become so helpful?

Li Sanniang said with the same person before: "I have asked several lords including Qin Dalang to find good land. They are very concerned about this matter, and they wrote letters one after another to inform them of the good land in the Jiangnan border."

"I have sorted out the names of these fields and wrote them down in the notebook. Anyway, there is no rush. You can just take a tour of this place and take a look at the fields."

"I'll give you the money first, and if you're interested in buying it, you don't need to report it to me."

In the Tang Dynasty, especially in the early days, the purchase of fertile land was not something you could buy if you wanted to. If you bought it, you had to be more secretive and not fanciful.

The reason for this situation is very simple. In the early Tang Dynasty, the equal-field system was generally practiced, and the land under the equal-field system was granted by the state. That is to say, a large part of the land was not privately owned, but shared by the state. Private land sales The situation is not strictly protected by law.

This situation was reversed in the middle and late Tang Dynasty. From the beginning of Tang Xuanzong, there was a saying that "people's private land should be cultivated by themselves, which is not advisable." Same as cattle purchase contract.

Of course, now is the period of Tang Taizong, and Xuanzong's words have not yet appeared.

I don't know if it's a characteristic of the Tang Dynasty, Mo Wenyuan always felt that the land equalization system here collapsed faster, especially in the Jiangnan border, where the sky is high and the emperor is far away, and there are a lot of fertile land. There are more transactions related to land than in the north. And the land equalization system does not seem to have been well implemented, and compared with the emperors in the official history, this saint has a higher acceptance of private land sales. Of course, Mo Wenyuan guessed that it has something to do with the purchase of double releases.

Strange to say, most of the land sellers in the south of the Yangtze River are descendants of down-and-out aristocratic families, and the buyers are often from the new merchant class.

"There are not many fields near Yangzhou. I read letters from several people, and the fields in Jinling and Huaiyin are more dense. In my opinion, I should go to Jinling first."

When he arrived in Jinling, Mo Wenyuan rode on the back of Zhonghei sheep and was carried around by him. When he walked to the right field, he would sniff and bleat.

This field is not good.

The field is very fertile.

The soil of this field is very good.

This is the kind of flax.

A few words, simple and clear, saved Mo Wenyuan a lot of time. He couldn't help stroking the small horns of the black sheep and exclaimed: "Thanks to you, otherwise I don't know how much time it would have taken."

It's amazing to say that they also met several farmers who didn't know Mo Wenyuan and Zhongheiyang on the way. They always looked at Zhongheiyang with salivating eyes, and discussed with Mo Wenyuan: "This sheep can Do you want to sell it?"

Zhongheiyang wished he could knock down the daring farmers with his little horns that hadn't grown well.

Mo Wenyuan quickly pressed his little horn to show his determination: "If you don't sell it or sell it, if you sell me, this sheep will not be sold."

The attitude is very firm.

After a rough detour around the south of the Yangtze River, Zhongheiyang did find a good field, which can be used not only for growing flax, but also for planting other things.

Mo Wenyuan believed in Zhongheiyang's judgment, so he bought it directly when he agreed, and even bought a few fish ponds.

Looking at the farmland and fish ponds he bought, he suddenly felt a surge of pride and ambition. He was imprisoned in the Tang Dynasty and became a large farmer with many fish ponds and fields. He felt very good.

Zhong Heiyang "baa baa baa baa baa" looked at Mo Wenyuan with a questioning expression.

Mo Xiaoyuan is in a good mood?

"It's really good." He replied honestly, "I feel refreshed when I think of a fish pond in Arita."

Zhong Heiyang didn't know what he was happy about, but this little point didn't affect his answering the conversation. At first, he wanted to help Mo Wenyuan buy the Tianxia Granary, but considering that the farmland was within the scope of Shennong's responsibility, it had nothing to do with him , I am not very daring to speak big words.

He recognizes his own abilities, adjusts his goals, and is full of pride and ambition.

"Baa baa baa baa baa!"

If you are happy, I will help you to belong to the fish ponds all over the world.

Mo Wenyuan: "Pfft!"

Contracting fish ponds all over the world, Zhongheiyang, you are too domineering CEO!

……

One person, one goat, stopped and went, traveling in mountains and rivers, and finally returned to Li Sanniang's restaurant after more than a month.

Li Sanniang looked at the land contract and heard Mo Wenyuan talk about how to find local farmers to rent a lease for cultivation. She nodded with relief, thinking that Mo Wenyuan was very good at doing things.

There are two meanings of renting farming, one is to help others to cultivate the fields, and the other is to rent their fields to cultivate, no matter which situation is very common, and since the birth of the equal-field system, leased land has been protected by law, and There is nothing bad about it, and the lease contract also has express provisions, so there is no need to worry about whether someone will take advantage of loopholes.

After handing over the matter, Li Sanniang turned the topic to another group of people: "After you left, Hu Bo and others came to visit a few times. It seems that they have cooking experience to share with you. I suggest you choose the fields and return. Uncertain, now they come once every three days, the time is fixed."

"Today is the third day, they are coming, do you want to see them?"

"Yes, yes, why don't you want to?" Mo Wenyuan was quite happy, as soon as he came back, this matter happened, he was very happy.

……

Hu Weizhen came here for a simple purpose, to show Mo Wenyuan his latest achievements. Seeing that Mo Wenyuan and Wei Wen made the perfect shrimp dumpling, he didn't want to admit defeat. He studied how to perfectly explain the shrimp and noodles every day.

The old man’s competitive spirit should not be underestimated. After Mo Wenyuan and Wei Wen succeeded in steaming and cooking, he clearly realized that it is impossible to surpass them with the same method, so he found another way and found another method. Finally decided to try the deep fried prawns.

Several oil shops popped up in the south of the Yangtze River, some government-run and some private-run, all selling vegetable oil made from flax and soybeans.

He doesn't know how to make oil from soybeans, but the sages are well known to the common people. Hu Weizhen thought that the new government-run organizations would not harm them, so he bought some and came back to try.

After trying it, I was amazed and felt that it is cheap and better than meat oil.

With the right oil, his research journey was more effective, and a month of pondering would eventually yield results.

Hu Weizhen finally waited for Mo Wenyuan, and the other party greeted him kindly and asked Hu Bo what new food he had made.

He held his head high and said, "I also make shrimp dumplings, but the method of making them is different from yours."

"If you want to have a look, why don't you go back to Hu's Restaurant with me, and we'll find Wei Wen on the way, and you two will have a tasting together."

Mo Wenyuan readily agreed.

Wei Wen's restaurant was also on the way, and after hearing what Hu Weizhen said, he was also very interested, so he immediately put down his work and the three of them went together.

Hu's Restaurant is different from other restaurants and restaurants in that the house is constantly refurbished, and it also reveals the unique and heavy taste of history that belongs to the old shop.

Both Li Sanniang's restaurant and Wei Wen's restaurant have only sprung up in the past ten years, and they are very new and dynamic.

Hu Weizhen made an exception and brought two people into the back kitchen, which was rare for him, let alone a chef with a foreign surname, even his son was not allowed to enter and leave the hall at will unless he was promised.

Mo Wenyuan looked around carefully, and was shocked by the spotless countertops and various knives. The kitchens of famous chefs are different, but they can often reflect their personalities. Hu Weizhen's personality is always perfect.

Unexpectedly, the little old man is still a perfectionist.

"The two of you use steaming and boiling to make shrimp horns respectively. I know that I can't surpass you in these two methods for a while, so I found another way and used deep-frying."

Fried?

It seems that he didn't do it secretly in order to repay favors. Instead, he showed the method openly. The shrimps are made of high-quality river shrimps, which are very big. Hu Weizhen's knife skills are also very beautiful. Shrimp line, the movement is smooth and flowing. The most wonderful thing is that he divides the firm shrimp meat into two and spreads it on the cutting board in a triangle shape.

Anchovies!

Mo Wenyuan was really shocked by this move.

Hu Weizhen did not choose to whiten the shrimp with dough. He thought that the flour of the dough came from the same source, mainly because it would be interesting to coat the shrimp with a layer of flour, so he sent the egg and flour together. The liquid was between sparse and between condensation.

This is not over yet, he picked up a large plate from the table and put it under the noses of Mo Wenyuan and Wei Wen, Wei Wen didn't respond to what it was, but Mo Wenyuan was so surprised that his mouth could not close.

This turned out to be bread crumbs!

Then he chopped the chicken pieces into minced chicken and wrapped them on the shrimp noodles. He didn't know what treatment method he used, so that the shrimp meat and the minced chicken were not separated and wrapped tightly together.

Finally, a layer of liquid is dragged on the shrimp and chicken, then coated with homemade Tang Dynasty bread crumbs, and finally thrown into the oil pan for deep frying.

"Crackling-"

"Crackling-"

After the golden anchovy prawns came out of the oven, the little old man raised his beard proudly and said, "Can you try my deep-fried shrimp dumplings?"

The two of them picked it up and ate it without saying a word.

"click click"

"click click"

After taking the first bite, the crisp sound echoed in the mouth, and the teeth collided with the crisp and thin bread crumbs. Wei Wen was stunned, unable to restrain the desire to chew, and the crackling sound flew around.

how come?How come it tastes so good?

After the crunch, it becomes solid minced chicken. Mo Wenyuan closed his eyes, as if he was conquered by its extremely layered taste.

Chicken is a very chewy and elastic meat, and minced chicken also has these characteristics, not to mention that among all meats, chicken is the most suitable for frying. It is wrapped in a hard skin, and the meat is more tender.

The final shrimp meat is simply the finishing touch. The chicken and shrimp meat are delicious and delicious. The minced chicken is probably mixed with a little oil, and the internal oil and the oil in the external fryer are all poured into the shrimp meat. to make it more delicious and juicy.

Mo Wenyuan sighed with enjoyment, even in modern times, he has never eaten such delicious fried shrimp!

"how?"

Mo Wenyuan, whose language tends to be poor, said: "Like a frightened bird, like a dragon swimming." This poem was originally used to describe the beauty of Luoshen, and it was used to comment on a dish, which really gave Hu Weizhen enough face.

His neck was about to break.

Wei Wen couldn't help asking: "How does this crispy taste come from?"

Hu Weizhen smiled mysteriously: "You didn't eat it? This is the steamed cake you and I eat every day!"

Bread crumbs, or steamed cake crumbs, was also discovered by him accidentally. The grandson at home likes to eat crispy things, so his wife used the method of roasting the steamed cakes for him to eat again. The baked steamed cakes have a hard shell. The inside is soft, but he aimed at the taste of the outside, baked the steamed cake for a longer time until the inside and outside became hard, and then crushed it with a stone pestle.

The real body of bread crumbs is crushed baked steamed cakes.

"Hu Bo Miao Si is comparable to ordinary people." What is even more commendable is that he is still innovating at this age, and even Wei Wen admires it.

"This shrimp is worthy of leaving a name in wild history."

It is impossible to let food enter the official history, so it is quite an honor to leave a name in unofficial history.

"It's not right." Hu Weizhen first pretended to be modest, and then couldn't help saying, "It's just a meal, how can it be famous in unofficial history?"

Wei Wen didn't have a good idea in this regard, he got stuck after praising the unofficial history, and he looked at Mo Wenyuan as if asking for help.

Mo Wenyuan really has a way.

He said: "Hu Bo is willing to cook this dish in public? Of course, key steps such as steaming cakes are not necessary."

Huber dismissed it and said, "I've made it for both of you, why do you care about that?" Since he showed the second person the recipe of the steamed breadcrumbs, he was not going to keep the recipe as a family secret. .

Mo Wenyuan said: "This is very good. I used to be the chef of the Peony Banquet, and I left a few articles. If I want to make a name for the wild history, I just have to ask literati to write a book about this recipe. If we jointly organize a The Jiangnan River Food Fair invites literati, inkmen, and ordinary people to taste all kinds of delicacies made of fresh shrimp and fresh fish, and then invites them to leave some words to write about this meeting, maybe it will be famous in wild history?"

He said: "If we can find some more famous local chefs, we can learn from each other and learn from each other in the meeting, and we will be able to leave a good reputation."

"I think there was a reason why Yi Ya and others were able to leave the chef's name in those days. Shi Guan remembered it and left his pen and ink. His name has been passed down to this day. Although we hold a gathering that cannot be heard by historians, it is a new word. Isn't it the first time in history to take the title of a literati to discuss skills?"

Not to mention the face-saving Hu Weizhen, even Wei Wen was attracted by the future drawn by Mo Wenyuan.

In fact, when you think about it, there is no exclusive method for many dishes. Whether they are delicious or not depends on the skill of the knife, the control of the heat and the seasoning. These are not afraid of others stealing.

They looked at each other.

Or, do it?