Datang First Chef

The footsteps of the stinky food spread throughout the Eastern Tang Dynasty with the cool autumn wind. It is clear that Chang'an is far from Luoyang, but Wei Wen and the others have also heard about the taste of this thing.

It has been three years since the Jiangnan River Food Fair was held for the first time. The local food in Huaiyang was not obvious at first, but now it has become famous all over the world because of the food fair.

Also famous are chefs including Wei Wen and Hu Weizhen, as well as big businessmen who sponsored the Hexian Festival.

Three years have passed, Hu Weizhen and others have not changed much. He is already very old, and the years are just adding a few more lines to his face.

Except that Wei Wen has grown more mature, it seems that nothing has changed.

Hu Weizhen was still as bad-tempered as before, and when he heard the stinky dish that was widely spread, he put on a disdainful face and said: "It's such a small thing as small as a sesame bean, but it can be spread. !"

Hu Weizhen was accompanied by a stupid young apprentice, who could be his grandson regardless of his age. The villain's craftsmanship is not bad, but he is very simple and a little stupid. Is it delicious? He also said that it can be served in the dishes, woo woo woo woo woo woo—"

Before he finished speaking, Hu Weizhen covered his mouth from behind him, and he could only let out a helpless whimper. It happened that Qin Weishan entered the door at this time, and saw that the teacher, father, and apprentice were making a fuss, and his straight eyebrows trembled. He whispered next to Wei Wen: "What are you talking about, Mr. Hu is so happy."

Wei Wen turned his lips up and down: "I'm talking about Mo Dalang's stinky tofu."

"Mo Dalang's stinky tofu?" Qin Weishan opened his eyes wide and said, "It's really delicious." He paused and said, "But I went to Chang'an a few days ago to eat the ones made by him himself, and they are even better than those made here taste."

"I heard that Mo Dalang is researching stinky vegetables, and he wants to make other things besides tofu. It seems that there are fish..."

fish? ? ?

Wei Wen is a culinary lunatic and heard fish again at this time, so he paid it back. He and Mo Wenyuan have a very good relationship. I went to Chang'an to ask my friends for advice, let alone now, I couldn't sit still: "I want to go to Chang'an."

Qin Ulsan:? ? ?

Is it sudden?

Unexpectedly, Hu Weizhen, who was reprimanding the young apprentice, heard it, and fake coughed: "The old man will go with you."

"Wait, wait, wait." Qin Weishan quickly waved his hands and said, "Don't worry, you two, Dalang intends to come to Jiangnan, and he will leave after a while, if you go to Chang'an, you will not go astray. "

……

The stinky dishes do not smell good, but they have an irresistible charm, not only for the diners, but also for the cooks. Mo Wenyuan was already trimming, and after making stinky fermented bean curd, he was out of control. Ways to make more stinky dishes.

He tried stinky winter melon, moldy beans and other foods one after another. The big black sheep was happy to eat at first, but after a while, he couldn't bear it anymore, and said, "Is there any meat to eat?"

He is a sheep that likes to eat meat, and he can't bear to eat vegetarian dishes every day.

After thinking about it, Mo Wenyuan said: "If there are stinky vegetables, there should be another stinky mandarin fish that can be made." But he is not an expert here, and it takes a lot of work to make it.

There is also a method of stinky mandarin fish in the God of Chef system, but no matter how the traditional production method is made, it will have a fishy smell that makes him not very happy. He is still very serious about eating, and he is unwilling to serve out defective food. So I spent a lot of time researching this thing.

Mandarin fish has many names, chrysanthemum fish and sweet-scented osmanthus fish are its aliases. Because of its firm flesh and delicious taste, it has been popular with Chinese people since ancient times. The Tang people left a poem of "peach blossoms and flowing water mandarin fish fat".

Mo Wenyuan hesitated and said: "If you want to make fish, you have to go to the south of the Yangtze River." Although this fish is widely distributed, it still needs rivers to produce fish. It is really inconvenient in Chang'an. He looks for ingredients from all over the East, but he can't be relied on for mass production in the future, right?

He intends to engage in aquaculture.

Big Black Sheep lazily changed his posture and 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."

He still remembers this place fresh, Jiangnan, what a delicious place!

……

Even in the Tang Dynasty, Jiangnan was a rare and prosperous place. The aristocratic families and wealthy merchants all gathered here. Even the common people were richer than other places, and it was not much worse than Chang'an.

Moreover, compared with Chang'an, Luoyang and other places, Jiangnan has a wider scope, so this place has become the area where Li Sanniang's restaurants have opened the most stores. Not only there are stores in Huaiyang, but also in Jinling. The store in Suzhou and Hangzhou is also in preparation, and they sell soy sauce. There are countless stalls.

It is not very cold in Yangzhou in autumn, and Mo Wenyuan and the sheep feel very comfortable being blown by the slightly cool wind. The edges of the frosty leaves are stained with a trace of red, which is very poetic.

It was also a coincidence that the day when he got off the boat was very fine, and many young ladies went out with their sisters to enjoy the autumn scenery.

Women in the Tang Dynasty were more open and bold than those in other dynasties, and Mo Wenyuan was naturally handsome, which was very attractive.

He looks like Li Sanniang, with big eyes, a straight nose, an elegant chin, and fair skin. He has a certain style all over his body, even if he doesn't wear fancy clothes, he is several times better looking than those fashionable young people.

When the women on the side of the road saw him, they all took off the flowers on their heads and threw them directly on Mo Wenyuan, and some threw sachets and handkerchiefs.

When Qin Weishan and others came to pick up Mo Wenyuan, they saw this scene.

Wei Wen didn't feel much after seeing it. He was not very keen on the affairs of men and women, and he was young but unmarried. Qin Weishan was speechless and a little jealous.

Hu Weizhen was the one who reflected the most in the group. He will be very old next year and he will be full of children and grandchildren, but at this moment he has turned into a sour lemon. Seeing that Mo Wenyuan's eyes are not eyes, and his nose is not a nose, he is still filled with righteous indignation: "I am not ashamed to be with so many people. The girl is secretly looking at her."

His little apprentice, who was called Hu Xiaolang, said at this time like an idiot: "It's a girl who is giving Mo Dalang a glance, Master, you are wrong."

"Gentlemen, ladies are good-looking, the ancients never deceived me."

Hu Weizhen slapped him on the head with a slap and said, "How did you learn the Book of Songs?" The old man knows that he is "a fair lady, a gentleman is a good guy".

Wei Wen and Qin Weishan looked like they were talking about cross talk, and they both wanted to laugh but didn't dare to laugh. Hu Weizhen's skin is very thin, and he would blow up at any point, but this pair of master and apprentice is really interesting together. Fortunately, Hu Xiaolang is his nephew. , if someone else would have been expelled from the division long ago!

Mo Wenyuan saw several people hurriedly told the big black sheep to speed up, avoided the rain of falling petals, and greeted them one by one: "Hu Bo, Wei Lang, Qin Lang, and this... "

Hu Weizhen was very satisfied that Mo Wenyuan was the first to greet him. He proudly stroked his long goatee and said, "This is my little apprentice. You can call him Hu Xiaolang."

"How is Hu Xiaolang?"

The little fool shook his head and said, "Very good, very good, Mo Dalang, you look really good."

Mo Wenyuan: "..."

Should he say thank you for the compliment?Xiaoyou is really straightforward.

Hu Xiaolang still had a childlike heart, after greeting Mo Wenyuan, his eyes were glued to the big black sheep, and he didn't know that the big black sheep turned its head to avoid his sight, and just refused to let him see.

He murmured, "Does the sheep not like me?"

Mo Wenyuan waved his hands again and again: "It's not true, and I don't know why, the sheep is not very happy after getting off the boat, and it has nothing to do with you."

He even recalled it carefully. He was obviously fine when he was on the boat, but after getting off the boat...

Big Black Sheep: I don't know why, but seeing so many girls showing affection to Mo Xiaoyuan is not very refreshing.

Several people walked into the store together, during which Mo Wenyuan talked about the stinky mandarin fish he was about to make, and also said something that embarrassed him.

"Stinky mandarin fish?" Hearing this, Wei Wen was very interested. Hu Bo didn't show his face, but his ears were pricked up. He said: "You can only tell me with words, we still can't figure out the taste of this dish, how about you?" You won't know until you eat it."

Mo Wenyuan said: "Yes, according to the usual method, the stinky mandarin fish can be marinated in only seven days, but now that the weather is getting colder, it will take a lot of work to catch the mandarin fish."

Qin Weishan interjected: "Don't worry Mo Dalang, let alone in autumn, even in winter, if you want mandarin fish, I can find it for you."

"Thank you Qin Lang for that."

Mo Wenyuan was full of energy, so he started pickling mandarin fish the next day. He went to the bank of the river early in the morning to pick out mandarin fish.

Qin Weishan had greeted the fisherman a long time ago, and following Mo Wenyuan’s observation, the mandarin fish caught early in the morning were the freshest, most of them were still alive, some were swimming in the bucket, and some were placed on the sackcloth , The powerful tail slaps the ground.

Mo Wenyuan is not a seafood cook, and he doesn't have the ability to tell the quality of fish at a glance, but with the help of the big black sheep, he can easily pick out the freshest fish.

Wei Wen was already waiting at Li Sanniang's restaurant to see how he marinated the stinky mandarin fish.

"How is this pickling method different from the usual ones?" He asked seriously, Wei Wen thought very well, since stinky mandarin fish and stinky mandarin fish have a smell, it must be something special.

However, Mo Wenyuan said: "There is nothing special about it, the pickling method is similar to pickling sauerkraut."

He specially took a large wooden barrel to marinate mandarin fish. It is reasonable to say that the tank can also pickle mandarin fish, but the taste is much worse than that of the wooden barrel. It may be because the fish is a living thing, and the natural taste of wood is good for other fish. A chemical reaction occurs.

The fish is stacked in wooden barrels layer by layer, one layer of fish and one layer of salt, and finally the surface of the fish is pressed with a clean big stone, and the mouth of the barrel is sealed with a cloth, which is really the same as the method of pickling sauerkraut. Same.

"This way the fish won't spoil?"

"Not only will it not rot, but even the fish scales will not fall off."

Wei Wen was deep in thought, and he said: "I have traveled all over the world to learn how to make delicious fish, and I have seen people pickle fish in the Southland, but they use carp and ordinary river fish, and the pickling method is different. It's much more complicated and takes longer."

Mo Wenyuan asked curiously, "How do you pickle it?"

"It is also marinated in wooden barrels, but before marinating, the belly of the fish must be cut open, the gills and internal organs are discarded, and the blood stains are removed with clean water. Finally, it is spread flat in the barrel, and the barrel is filled with rice wine, so that the fish is pressed in the wine."

"The fish obtained by this method can be stored for more than ten years."

As soon as the number came out, everyone was shocked, even Mo Wenyuan was no exception. He had heard of this method of salting fish in modern times, saying that it was a unique local representative food of the Miao and Dong people in Qiandongnan, Guizhou. There was actually a rudimentary form of salted fish.

"However, the fish produced by this method has neither bad smell nor fishy smell, but it is a good thing that it can be preserved for a long time."

"good."

A week later, after the fish was marinated, the stone on the barrel was removed, and a faint odor was tolerable. Of course, for Mo Wenyuan, the smell was far worse than that of Qingfang Workshop But for Wei Wen and Hu Weizhen, the taste was very bad. They covered their eyes, mouth and nose with their hands, and frowned.

Mo Wenyuan smiled and said, "That's not enough? Someday I'll take you to a fermented bean curd workshop on the outskirts of the city to see what really stinks."

Wei Wen and Hu Weizhen shook their heads one after another: "Don't leave, don't leave, we just need to know the taste of fermented bean curd, why do we need to know how to make it?" Hearing that Mo Dalang had stayed in the workshop for several months, just thinking about it, they would Full of admiration for him.

This is the person who really dedicates his life to food!

The stinky mandarin fish is not suitable for steaming because of its strong smell, so Mo Wenyuan made a braised stinky mandarin fish.

The smell of the braised sauce could not completely overwhelm the smell of the fish. Wei Wen and the others sat upright on the edge of the table. The beauty of the dish.

"I see." Wei Wen has been able to ignore the faint smell, and now he cares more about the firmness of the meat. Compared with carp and crucian carp, the flesh of mandarin fish is thicker, but it doesn't feel like chopsticks are inserted into the meat. To the point of resistance, after pickling and fermentation, it achieved this effect.

Salt is inherently water-absorbing. During the marinating process, they absorb the water in the fish, and the live bacteria produced during the fermentation process keep the fish fresh and full of vitality, although it has a slight smell. taste, but in terms of the quality of the fish itself, it has been significantly improved.

Put the meat in your mouth and savor it carefully. The meat is firm and tender, and it is more delicious than ordinary mandarin fish.

But at the same time, they also felt the flaw of this dish that cannot be ignored, that is the fishy smell that Mo Wenyuan said, this kind of fishy smell is very sharp and penetrates the chef's brain.

If this smell cannot be removed, then the stinky mandarin fish is not a perfect stinky mandarin fish.

Hu Weizhen first asked: "Can you use acquired methods to remove the fishy smell?" He said, "Add more onion and garlic or cook with cooking wine." Generally, chefs use these methods to remove the smell when they clean up fish.

Mo Wenyuan nodded and said: "No, this fishy smell is closely related to the delicious taste of mandarin fish. If it is covered with large ingredients, the taste of the fish itself will not be able to be exerted."

"In this way, it can only be improved during the pickling process."

"Yes."

Everyone fell into deep thought, and finally it was Wei Wendao: "There are so many ways to get rid of the fishy smell, let's try them one by one."

……

In the interval between trying to remove the fishy smell, Mo Wenyuan also did a big thing, that is, trying to artificially breed mandarin fish.

China has a long history of fish farming. According to historical records, around the time of the Western Zhou Dynasty, people already had the awareness of fish farming, and invented things such as fish baskets and fish covers.

In the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, fish ponds appeared. "Lu Shi Chunqiu" recorded: "Treat the ponds and gardens, irrigate them quickly." This ponds and gardens refer to fish ponds.

In the Western Han Dynasty, there were a lot of pond fish in the Kunming pond in the capital. How many pond fish were there? They actually caused the price of fish in the capital to drop and successfully interfered with the market.

The fish farming techniques in the Tang Dynasty were similar to those in the Western Han Dynasty, and fish were raised in ponds.

It stands to reason that the production of mandarin fish is not very low. Although it is not like carp, it is everywhere, but in the south of the Yangtze River, as long as you have money, you can buy mandarin fish. If Mo Wenyuan wants it, he can buy it from Qin Weishan. Can.

He wanted to raise mandarin fish artificially, not because it was expensive, but because he wanted to practice the technology he had finally bought from the God of Chef system.

As Mo Wenyuan's cooking skills became more and more sophisticated, and he learned more and more eating methods, the help of the God of Cooking system became extremely limited, so Mo Wenyuan focused his attention on those prices that were very, very expensive. High, but can play a role in changing the agricultural technology of society.

For example, the price of river fish breeding technology is so high that Mo Wenyuan can lose half of his points for so many years, but he still bought this technology after comparing it with others.

I don’t know if my childhood memories are too deep. The mulberry fishponds in the geography books in junior high school are still vivid in my mind. At that time, Mo Wenyuan felt that the production method that can combine many agriculture together is very powerful, let alone now.

The breeding methods bought by the God of Cooking System are very comprehensive. There are ordinary fish fry cultivation methods and total cultivation methods. There are all kinds of cultivation methods. Whichever he wants to learn, he can call it up and check it at any time.

The technology of mandarin fish cultured artificially did not start to be studied until the 70s after the founding of New China, and it has come to maturity in just three to four decades.Most people choose to raise mandarin fish in ponds. Mo Wenyuan tried this method for the first time.

Li Sanniang bought many fields in the south of the Yangtze River, some of which may have ponds. He has visited them and found that the ponds are very large and suitable for raising fish.With this big pond, he doesn't need to dig another one.

The big black sheep followed Mo Wenyuan to the pond. They did not hire other people, but completed the cleaning of the pond by themselves. Of course, the big sheep did it in a blink of an eye, and Mo Wenyuan had almost cleaned up the ground.

"Clean up the area around the pond first." Before he finished speaking, he heard the sheep "baa baa baa baa baa" come to claim credit.

Mo Wenyuan looked back and found that the weeds around the pond had all disappeared.

He paused and said, "Then I will clean up the silt at the bottom of the pond. I'll get lime powder."

Big Black Sheep: "Baa baa baa baa baa baa!" It's okay, just leave it to me!

Cleaning up the silt, disinfecting with quicklime, the action of the big black sheep is extraordinary, and it was all completed in an instant. While Mo Wenyuan was stunned, he also lamented his strength again.

The big black sheep baa-baa-baa-baa-baa-baa-baa-baa-baa-baa-baa-baa-baa-baa-baa-baa-baa-baa-baa-baa-baa-bah-baa-baa-baa-baa-baa-baa-baa-baa-baa-baa-baa-baa-baa baaa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa baa bai baa, excited with great interest: "What else is there to do!"

"Then let's go pick fry."

There are two periods of breeding for mandarin fish fry, either in spring or in autumn. Now it is autumn, and the breeding time is not too late. Since there is no mandarin fish breeding here, he can only talk on paper. According to the data The contents of the selection fry.

Its spawning time starts in June, and now many small fry can be found in the river area where mandarin fish are often active, because no one is raising mandarin fish at this time, and they need to find the fry by themselves.

"The key point is to look for fish fry that grow vigorously and have strong vitality." Mo Wenyuan said in an analogy, "The main thing is to choose fish that have strong tails and like to grab food."

Taotie is the son of a dragon, ordering the small mandarin fish fry is a piece of cake, the fish fry almost lined up into the vat, and after being transported to the well-watered fish pond, Mo Wenyuan calculated eight hundred to one thousand fish fry per mu. Put the fish, this number is more appropriate.

He stood beside the fish pond with the sheep, his face full of satisfaction, and he planted many fry in autumn, and he will be able to harvest many big fish next year!

……

Three cobblers are better than Zhuge Liang, not to mention that Wei Wen and Hu Weizhen are not yet cobblers. With the addition of two fresh fish masters, Mo Wenyuan quickly overcame the problems that had troubled him for a while.

If you remove the fishy smell, it's very simple, just smoke it before marinating.

Smoking method is a rare but practical way to remove fishy smell. Most people use it in the wild, because it needs to be cured in the later stage, so it does not need to be thoroughly smoked. It is enough to achieve the purpose of removing fishy smell after a little time.

After using this method, the fish obtained by marinating for the second time not only has less fishy smell, but also has more woody aroma in the fish, and the taste is much improved than before.

The pickled stinky mandarin fish not only tastes good, but also has a longer storage time. Although it is not as good as pickled vegetables, it can be compared with ham and becomes a good thing to carry when going out.

The only problem is that there are still many people who cannot accept the smell of mandarin fish, and the applicability is half and half.

But as far as Mo Wenyuan is concerned, he is already very happy.

……

Mo Wenyuan is already an adult in the Tang Dynasty. Since he is an adult, he must have some social activities, not to mention that he has the most senior qualifications in the Jiangnan store. Those who are invited by the rich family or big businessmen occasionally go to of.

This invitation was a gathering of famous and romantic people in the south of the Yangtze River. Mo Wenyuan knew several of them and knew that they were not too ridiculous, so he agreed.

Then he enjoyed some special products among young students of the Tang Dynasty, buying and springing together.

The leader, Mr. Wang, is surnamed Wang, and he is usually called Wang Erlang. This man is a romantic seed, and he winked at Mo Wenyuan and said, "Take Mo Dalang to a good place today."

Mo Wenyuan: Hehe.

I have a bad feeling.

Mo Wenyuan had a good relationship with Zhang Xianxian, a famous prostitute in the south of the Yangtze River, and occasionally went to his fake mother's house to help with the banquet, but the way Wang Erlang took them today was different from usual.

The other gentlemen all smiled knowingly as they walked, and Mo Wenyuan said in his heart: No, no way!

The sheep always followed Mo Wenyuan. At this time, the mood was more depressed, the tip of the tail was drooping, and the tail did not shake when walking.

"arrive."

Wang Erlang stopped, and everyone stood in front of the courtyard of the one-story house. This courtyard was not very different from Zhang Duzhi's home. Seeing Wang Erlang coming, his false mother went out to greet him.

What I saw was not a woman who still had a charm, but a handsome man.

Mo Wenyuan: You cultural people really know how to play.

Big Black Sheep: "Baa baa baa baa baa!"

Suddenly excited!