Datang First Chef

Holding a banquet for the royal family is very different from making a peony banquet. A few days earlier, Mo Wenyuan and his disciples were taken into the palace. The dishes were prepared several times in advance, and they were checked by Shangshi Bureau. There is no problem with the ingredients, and there are no taboos or even taboos, so they can be served on the table.

Mo Wenyuan accepted this well. His modern master is a veteran in organizing state banquets, specializing in Shanghainese cuisine. Every time he is invited to a banquet, the master and apprentice will be locked up in the "small black room" for several days After accepting all-round investigations, all three generations of Mo Wenyuan's ancestors have been wiped clean.

The Tang Dynasty was limited by the times and technology, and it was not modern and comprehensive, but it was as far as possible without leaving the bottom.

Mo Wenyuan didn't show his timidity, but his apprentices, even though they had seen the world, couldn't bear cooking in the Daming Palace, and had to accept various guard inspections, and they were a little nervous.

"It's all right." After the inspection, Mo Wenyuan said, "Relax."

The disciples saw that the master was very calm, and they worshiped him even more. Many thoughts turned in their minds. For a while, they were "As expected of the master, he has been in and out of the palace many times", and for a while, "The master may have even been to the Tiangong. In his eyes, he is very bright." The palace is too much."

Mo Wenyuan didn't know what the crowd was thinking, so he just said to them: "Adjust your breathing, go cleanse yourself and take a bath first, then come directly to the front of the hall, familiarize yourself with the location of the chopping boards on the stove, wait for a day, and make sure you know this place like the front of the restaurant. "

Everyone said in unison: "Yes, Master!"

……

The banquet organized by Tang Taizong was a dinner, but in the morning he summoned his master and disciples into the palace for questioning. Ever since he saw Tang Xuanzang, he greeted him with great enthusiasm, and put his hands on the master's hand, as if he wanted to express his heart , Passing his emotions to the past, but Tang Xuanzang took it calmly, and did not forget to say the Buddha's name, his expression was indifferent, and he thought that Sun Wukong's calmness was learned from his master.

The sage looked at his unchanging appearance for more than ten years and sighed: "No matter how the world changes, Yudi's appearance and overall style have not changed much."

This topic is quite sensitive, but any emperor, even an emperor through the ages, will feel that his face is easy to age when he gradually leaves his prime, life is short, and he begins to pursue immortality, especially in this age where demons and ghosts coexist, he believes in elixir even more magical effect.

Master Xuanzang smiled indifferently, and said calmly: "It's just that you have a good face. You can do the same if you exercise hard and eat clean."

Tang Taizong nodded and said, "So that's the case."

Sun Wukong and the others don't know how to talk to saints, and Li Shimin has also heard that the Monkey King and the gods don't give face, so he just praised them and let them go.

They were happy and leisurely, and all their thoughts were on the evening banquet.

……

Shangshi Bureau is very busy.

Under normal circumstances, the work of Shangshi Bureau is relatively idle, because there are many chefs in the bureau, but their service objects are limited.

Not only did the amount of dishes increase today, but there were also fewer cooks, Shang Shi Ling murmured, wondering if Mo Wenyuan and the others could finish the food on time.

It was the first time to invite someone into the palace for a banquet. They, the secret chefs of the palace, were not happy. Inviting people meant that they did not trust their cooking skills!

Mo Wenyuan could guess their mood, but he didn't really care about it. He had a good temper and was familiar with the cruelty of the chef world.

In the chef's world, there is no emotion.

The first thing they cook is cold dishes on the small food table. The small food table is a small wooden board in front of everyone at the banquet, on which wine and vegetables are often placed.Of course, the size of each food table is not large, even if it is a meal-sharing system, it can hold up to four small dishes, so the dishes are continuously served, wave after wave.The timing of each change of the dish card must be very clever to ensure that most people have finished eating before taking away the plates last time.

According to the Chinese banquet food tradition, cold dishes and drinks are always served on the first round. He changed the wine part to non-alcoholic mixed fruit juice and iced mung bean soup, both of which are served in a cup and placed in a bowl , As for the dishes, there are Sixi Roasted Bran, Cold Salad with Three Shreds, Fried Broad Beans that are delicious as a snack, and Bergamot Avalokitesvara, which is a test of knife skills and has a profound meaning.

Taste, fun, implication, beauty, all aspects have been taken into consideration, even the female officials who served the dishes were shocked by their superb knife skills.

It's no wonder that the sage would abandon Shangshi Bureau and choose a private chef. Just looking at the bergamot Avalokitesvara lotus can tell his skill.

……

The ministers don't like the banquet given by saints very much, especially the reception banquet for eminent monks.For other banquets, although they have to sit upright and abide by the etiquette, at least there are dances to watch, singing and dancing, the beauty is like jade, and the eyes are still very comfortable.

But Master Xuanzang is an eminent monk, and he is not close to female sex. Ordinary entertainment, singing and dancing performances have nothing to do with him. The sage will not arrange these shows to show respect for his younger brother. The hall is vast and full of civil and military officials. Sit in two rows, don't hold hands and look at tears, and don't talk casually. There is really nothing to do.

Some people who have a lot of enemies are still muttering in their hearts that they should not be arrogant or impetuous when they have dinner later, and their actions are in line with the rites of a gentleman, so as not to leave grounds for impeachment by political opponents.

But when the dishes came out, their faces changed. The dishes were cold and the dishes were cold. The firework was not as strong as the heat, and the smell had long been in the air. The only thing that could shock people was the appearance. , Xin Dao this way is too Zen.

The appearance of this dish can only be described in words, and it is hard to tell. In the literal sense, there are Guanyin bergamot and lotus flowers. A large white lotus flower is placed on a white porcelain plate. It is bright yellow, the color is tender and vivid, like the feathers of a spring oriole, the more it goes out, the more lotus petals, there are five or six layers, and the layers are clustered together. It can only be described as lifelike. Their minds are already filled with With the elegant fragrance of lotus.

There are many bergamots outside the lotus, these bergamots were carved out by Mo Wenyuan with gluten, the taste has never been tried by the courtiers, so I can't say whether it is good or not, but the taste is already very outstanding.

The sage was startled when he saw this dish, and hurriedly said to the people around him, "What's the name of this dish?"

The waiter said respectfully, "It's the Buddha's Hand Avalokitesvara."

"Good name, good meaning." He turned to Master Xuanzang and said, "What do you think, Brother Yu?"

Master Xuanzang himself doesn’t care much about what food looks like. In his mind, it’s quite illusory to work hard on the appearance of food and deliberately make it very Zen. Even if it is, Master Xuanzang can only look at him with the eyes of admiring works of art.

But he is not ignorant of worldly affairs, so he knows how to answer now, so he nodded to the sage: "Mo Dalang's knife skills are superb, this dish has profound implications, and its shape looks very Buddha-like."

The light comments made the saint feel better. He moved his chopsticks, gently tore off a petal and stuffed it into his mouth. After he moved his chopsticks, others started to eat.

……

Zhu Bajie has been looking forward to this meal for a long time. Since he passed Li Sanniang's restaurant and was not allowed to enter, the delicious Bajie lost his soul, leaving only a pair of stinky skins wandering around the world.He was depressed, but Sun Wukong, who was not loved by his teachers and brothers, never cared about him. It was only after entering the palace today that he felt a little warmth from eating.

He has the skin of a pig, but he is not very good at using the senses of a pig. For example, his sense of smell is only a little better than that of ordinary people. After watching "Lotus" for a long time, he can smell everything except the faint sour smell that remains in the air. No, I can't even tell what kind of sculpture this flower is.

He first folded the young yellow leaf in the center and stuffed it into his mouth. When his tongue touched the vegetable leaf, he jerked violently. The slight sour taste swept every corner of his mouth. Fluid involuntarily gushed out from the depths of his throat, and his teeth chattered up and down, creaking. Hearing the sound made his ears feel itchy and hot, and the cold temperature made the vegetable leaves more brittle. After he finished chewing, he realized that the tender yellow lotus heart turned out to be Chinese cabbage.

Most of the people present were in the same mood as Zhu Bajie, and they felt deeply after eating. They didn’t expect that the body of the lotus flower was Chinese cabbage. As for the part of the bergamot, the bent wrist and palm turned out to be soft Chinese cabbage boiled in broth. The stalks, as for the fingers, are made of gluten. They are also full of broth, and they are quite full after eating, which slightly dispels the hunger caused by the appetizing sour leaves.

The saint praised: "Mo Dalang is really unique!"

For the ministers, Mo Wenyuan's good craftsmanship finally made this banquet not particularly difficult. They didn't need to stare at the opposite person, they just needed to focus all their attention on the food table. When the dishes were removed after a round of eating, the maids who often walked at the banquet were surprised to find that many of the dishes left in the past were clean. Surprising.

While drinking the cold and sweet mung bean soup, Zhu Bajie couldn't help but move his eyes towards the end of the palace. His heart was pounding, just like a young girl waiting for her sweetheart to come. A round of dishes is no less important to him than anything else.

Not only him, but all civil and military officials are also the same, but they are more reserved and are still trying to control their eyes.

What is the next round, the next round of dishes!

……

In the back kitchen, everyone was busy. The banquet had a total of sixteen dishes, including two drinks, four cold dishes, four hot dishes, two staple foods, one soup, and three desserts.Four hot dishes, like cold dishes, are served together, along with staple food.

If cold dishes are prepared in advance and can be prepared relatively leisurely, then hot dishes are different. Steaming, frying, stir-frying, and cooking all have to be completed in a short time. Even after the completion, the maids who serve the dishes have to race against time , lest the heat dissipate and the taste of the food deteriorates.

The back kitchen was extremely busy, every stove was used, and there were also those who placed plates and carved, each performing their own duties, although they were busy, they were in an orderly manner.

Like the cold dishes, the three dishes in the stir-fry have all appeared in Li Sanniang's restaurant before, except for a vegetarian roast goose, which is the first time to make it today. This dish is not difficult to make, and it will not be unpalatable. According to Mo Wenyuan, it can be divided into delicious and very delicious.

Looking at this comment, he knows that he is a fan of vegetarian roast goose, and he never gets tired of eating it.

Vegetarian goose is crispy on the outside and crispy on the inside, golden in color. The cooking method is not difficult. To make it delicious, you just need to grasp the temperature and time of the fried bean curd, and seasoning on the surface is enough.

He made this dish with his own hands, and his apprentice knew how to do it, but the degree of crispiness was not to his liking. Anyway, it was fried in a big pot, so I left it all to him.

The pot is large, with a thin bottom, and is heated evenly. Vegetable oil is poured into the bottom of the pot first. As the temperature rises, the golden oil keeps resisting in the pot.He picked up the rolled bean curd with long bamboo chopsticks and slid it down from the edge of the pot. The sizzling oil blossoms rose from the bottom from the moment it fell into the pot, rising and falling with the bean curd.

The color of the embryos became brighter and brighter, and the dull yellow turned into golden yellow. He fished them out with lightning speed and placed them on paper to dry.

Cutting into sections and putting them on the plate was done in one go. The maids almost ran to deliver the dishes with small steps. Their steps were steady. When the hall returned to its dignified appearance, they presented the dishes in front of everyone. The officials who ate up the cold dishes trusted them Mo Wenyuan's handiwork is to open the lid and eat it without looking at the eyes of the people around him, whether his posture is dignified or not.

They know very well that even their political opponents probably don't have time to catch their pigtails at this time, because everyone is too busy to eat and eat, so they can't control others.

Vinegar and sugar are added to the sauce of the roasted vegetarian goose. Not only does it not taste too strong, but it complements the rice perfectly. There are two main dishes he prepared, one is this year’s new rice, and the other is Shanghai vegetable pan-fried buns , the vast majority of people choose to eat with rice as a side dish. The sweet and sour sauce flows slowly on the beaten rice, leaving light brown marks. Take it out of the middle and eat it, and the outer coating still maintains a perfect crispy texture.

Crispy and then soft, the taste of the soft bean curd is richer, the sauce penetrates into the texture perfectly, and the sweet and sour juice splashes on the lips and tongue after chewing.The white and fat rice is crystal clear, and the taste is richer after being stained with brown sauce. The aroma of rice, beans, sour, and sweet, you can eat a big bowl of rice with the sauce.

Originally, the officials lacked interest in the banquet, and even the ministers who had many complaints could no longer speak. On the contrary, their moods were high, and the Tao was really right!Of course, even if they don't want to come, that's impossible.

In any case, the banquet prepared by Mo Wenyuan and the disciples won the unanimous love of everyone, even the old gourmets who have eaten all the delicacies in the world are full of praise.

……

The saint was very satisfied with the meal, and after the banquet, he specially summoned Mo Wenyuan and his disciples to praise them.Zhao Shenshan and the others never imagined that they would still have the chance to face the saint, so they all put their foreheads on the ground, not daring to look up at Tianyan.

Mo Wenyuan was very calm, and the sage praised him for being neither humble nor overbearing. This attitude is quite pleasing. The sage praised: "Mo Dalang's craftsmanship is really worth seeing once, and the name really deserves it."

Anyone who has eaten the food made by Mo Wenyuan always wants to eat it for the second time, and Li Shimin is no exception. Let’s eat, he had an idea, organized the reason in a few breaths, and said to Mo Wenyuan kindly: “From my point of view, Mo Dalang’s craftsmanship is enough to take on the important task of a state banquet. You will be amazed by the delicious food in our country."

The means of showing national strength are not limited to bombs and cannons. Exquisite food and rich culture are all part of soft power, and the promotion of soft power is not the first in modern times. It was a habit in the Tang Dynasty.

"If there is another national banquet in the future, I will invite you, Mo Dalang, to the palace to have a banquet. Can you still make it?"

"It makes it, of course it makes it!"

……

After the state banquet, Mo Wenyuan and his disciples were respectfully sent out of the Daming Palace. The saints ate happily and gave them many rewards. The servants sent them directly to Li Sanniang's restaurant, and they will be subdivided when they have time. .

Hearing the sage's praise, the disciples were so ecstatic, walking on the ground was like stepping on cotton, shaking three times, thinking that they could enter the Daming Palace in the future, they were even more excited, thinking that this is the grand dame of Guangzong Yaozu. good thing.

Mo Wenyuan returned with all his apprentices, and the momentum was so great that half of the people in Guangde Square came to watch the excitement.

Some of them said in a few words, some said, "I may have eaten what the saints eat" and they were proud, while others complained, "You must know, the restaurant has been closed for a few days, and I don't know what to do. The five internal organs temple The greedy worm kept groaning."

Mo Wenyuan said with a smile: "The restaurant will open tomorrow, and then we can just come and pay homage to the Wu Zang Temple."

After entering the door, he shouted: "The sheep are back!"

Mo Wenyuan murmured in his heart that it was strange that Yang didn't go out to meet him when he was away for a few days.

Li Sanniang said: "Go to your house and have a look, the sheep seem to be sleeping in the house."

Mo Wenyuan hurried to go, opened the door but was dumbfounded, and saw the sheep lying on the ground with four hooves hugging the legs of the Hu bed in Mo Wenyuan's room, feeling aggrieved.

And don't ask him how he can see the grievance on the sheep's face, he knows that the sheep is very wronged.

Mo Wenyuan hurriedly said: "Sheep, what's wrong?"

The big black sheep suddenly opened his eyes, and when he saw Mo Wenyuan, he baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa then when he saw Mo Wenyuan suddenly, the sense of grievance in it rushed over his face like overwhelming mountains and seas.

Big Black Sheep: I told you before that one day my lower body is not very comfortable, and my thoughts are fluctuating, even I am not interested in finding food for you, Da Lang!

Mo Wenyuan coughed in embarrassment, but still said: "This, this is a normal phenomenon that exists for reproduction."

The big black sheep bleated and said: I know.

Mo Wenyuan: I know what to do and ask me what to do. It is a normal physiological phenomenon that I can handle on my own. What is the difficulty?

The big black sheep was about to cry: But I saw the male and female sheep in the wild reproduce, and it would be over in a breath of time. I waited for a long time, but it didn't stop.

Mo Wenyuan: =口=! ! !

He has never seen the mating and mating of sheep, but in his last life, he also heard that even a lion is only a few seconds at a time. Humans and animals are still different in this respect. Although sheep have sheep bodies, they can also Turning into a human form should be different from ordinary sheep, right?

He still doesn't know how Huizhi taught the sheep a physiology lesson, otherwise he would have shouted that the monk mistook the sheep!

The sheep saw that he hadn't spoken for a long time, and thought there was something wrong. He had thought carefully before, and now he brought up the old matter again.

The big black sheep said seriously: "Baa baa baa baa baa!"

I looked at those sheep today, and found that many sheep have been gelded, and they are fat and fat, with little smell.

Mo Wenyuan: "..."

Big Black Sheep: "Baa baa baa baa baa!" Not as good as me...

"No, no, don't even think about it." Mo Wenyuan categorically refused. He couldn't understand why the sheep was so determined to be a ram.Is it because he killed too many sheep and pigs that were gelded, and suffered retribution?

He said earnestly: "Don't bring up this matter again, no matter how troubled you are, don't take the idea of ​​cutting off the root of your troubles, you know?"

Sheep: "baa~"

"No, don't ask why, it's just not allowed." Mo Wenyuan, like a dictatorial tyrant, firmly rejected the big black sheep's proposal, and refused to give a reason.

The big black sheep was a little depressed, but he always listened to what Mo Wenyuan said, and he would not agree if he disagreed.

Seeing his appearance, Mo Wenyuan took a deep breath and said, "Wait a minute, I'll get you a good book in a few days, and you'll know what's going on after you read it."

But he gritted his teeth in his heart, and kept complaining about being the enlightenment educator for the sheep. He must have been taught by someone who heard the sheep, but he actually taught this result, which is really bad intentions!

It's like Ren Woxing who tricked Dongfang Bubai into practicing the Sunflower Book!

But with him here, Yang would never be allowed to practice the Sunflower Book!

The Bodhisattva in the distance sneezed: Ah-choo——

Who is missing me?

……

"Ah-"

"Ah-"

"Ah-"

The Bodhisattva sneezed several times in a row, and Sun Wukong, who was opposite him, was very surprised: "Bodhisattvas also feel cold?"

Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva was always angry with him, and now he was even more angry when he heard this.

Needless to say, the reason why Sun Wukong came to the door, he pretended to help the master pass the message to eat and drink, it was like a radar embedded in his brain, once the Bodhisattva had something delicious, he would not invite him.

Today is not to eat offerings, but the food that he turned into a human body and lined up to buy.

Sun Wukong was very powerful, and he picked up vegetables with his chopsticks and said: "I heard that the Bodhisattva has been to the underworld recently, Chamo Dalang's past and present lives?"

The Bodhisattva cast a sideways glance at him and said, "You monkey is quite clear."

Sun Wukong said: "But you want to enshrine Mo Dalang as a god? What about his previous life, does he have merit?" Generally speaking, it is easier to become a Buddha if you have merit.

The Bodhisattva sighed and said, "You might as well know that, but Mo Dalang has no previous life, this is the first life, but he is not a god who went down to the world, he is probably born to be a beautiful thing, but he was born in Li Sanniang's arms. , get a person."

Hearing this, Sun Wukong was more kind to Mo Wenyuan: "In this way, it is easier for him to become a god, as long as there is enough incense and great achievements."

"Extremely."

Sun Wukong was silent for a while, and said abruptly while eating: "Bodhisattva, do you know the thing about gluttonous yearning for spring?"

Bodhisattva: "Pfft—" A mouthful of food spewed out.

Why do you always treat a monk like this, talk to me about being as hard as iron, do you think it is appropriate to talk to me about Sichun? ? ?