Shangshi female official

Chapter 130 Squirrel Mandarin Fish 2
Although the female officials of the Sixth Bureau treated their mother respectfully here, when Wang Yifu was just outside the door, she clearly saw the female officials from the Shangyi Bureau and the Shangfu Bureau heading towards Yongshou Palace.

One errand and two orders, and the one I got was probably the one from Yongshou Palace. The empress's path is really not easy.

At three o'clock, these female officials had just left before Wang Yifu could enter the side hall to meet the Empress Empress. What is going on in the competition?"

"Back to the empress, it's just the emperor's birthday banquet. I don't know who will make the birthday dishes for the Shangshi Bureau. The two female officials are both good at craftsmanship, and the two Shangshi adults have different opinions. I have to ask the empress to decide according to her strength. Who will cook that dish."

"Which one does Chen Shangshi prefer?"

"Your Majesty, it's... it's inconvenient for me to answer. If I answer, it will be unfair. Even if it is a competition, how can I treat it unfairly."

Only now did the empress have time to put down the phoenix seal, she raised her hand slightly, and let the people around her take away the phoenix seal documents and other things.

"You think so?"

"Your Majesty, if the Food Bureau can judge its superiority by cooking skills, it will save your Majesty a lot of trouble. If there is such a culture, those matters of forming parties for personal gain can also be eased a lot."

"What you said makes sense, but the atmosphere can't be developed overnight. It's more important to change the style now, can you understand?"

"Your Majesty, don't worry, although I'm young and not cautious, Chen Shangshi agreed to the competition, so it must be thoughtful. Why don't you trust Chen Shangshi?"

The empress breathed a sigh of relief, and said: "Your master and apprentice agree to the competition, so I don't need to ask any more questions. You can serve the meal today."

"Follow your mother's will."

The palace lady Shangyi asked if the meal was passed on, and the empress agreed, and the maids set a dining table for the empress, and the empress's regular dishes were placed in the center of the hall, and the two plates of squirrel mandarin fish were finally placed on the empress's small red sandalwood table.

The squirrel mandarin fish is eaten fresh, so the ingredients have to be selected on the same day. When Wang Yifu arrived at the Shangshi Bureau in the morning, people from Guanglu Temple happened to bring the ingredients, and a wooden barrel of mandarin fish was chosen by Mo Xi.

Mo Xi picked and picked, saying that the short ones were taller than the ones, so she reluctantly picked one.

When Moxi was serious about choosing fish, Wang Yifu didn't see Ruan Sishan, and after thinking about it, she guessed that Guanglu Temple must have picked a good one and sent it to Ruan Sishan.

In terms of fish freshness, Moxi lost three points first.

Look at the shape of these two fish dishes again. One is the common fish head and fish tail with two ends. In the middle, the fish meat is cut into a cross-shaped knife and fried. It is fried until golden and crispy. , put a few green beans for decoration.

The other plate is surrounded by the plate like a live squirrel. Only the upper mouth is left on the fish head, and two white onion shreds are pasted on the mouth as a beard, and two fish bones are left on the lower mouth as the squirrel's hands. , the fish is also cut with a cross-cut knife and fried with batter. Two pieces of fish are curled into small drums and placed back and forth, like a squirrel's body dragging a big tail.

The plate of live squirrels was poured with a thinner layer of orange-red gravy. Wang Yifu looked at the color, probably because the squirrels were poured with less sauce, and the taste might be a bit bland.

After Zhou Nanny came in, she saluted the empress, and then introduced: "Your Majesty, the squirrel mandarin fish from the two female officials has been served, please rinse your mouth and taste it."

The maid who served the meal divided the two plates of squirrel mandarin fish into a small piece, put it on a small disk and sent it to Wang Yifu's table who was kneeling by the side.

Wang Yifu first tasted the plate that looked like a live squirrel. The taste was slightly sweet and sour. As she expected, it was a bit bland. When she bit into it, the fish was tender and slightly scalding, but it was these fierce Hot, let this fish taste more fresh.

After rinsing her mouth with water, Wang Yifu tasted another plate of fish. The sweet and sour taste was smelled through her nose before she tasted it. The juice was a bit heavy, and Wang Yifu thought that the juice would collapse After eating the fried battered skin, the fish meat still has a crispy texture when chewed in the mouth.

Just cooked fish, crisp paste and sweet and sour juice rolls in the mouth, tastes just right, any more salty, or sweet, or sour, or less, it seems that it will break This balances the flavors well.

This person's control over seasoning has been so precise that it can be called terrifying.

Wang Yifu bowed to the Empress Empress, and the Empress Empress tasted the two dishes of fish. After tasting them once, her eyebrows were crescent-like, and the brows were gathered together, she drank tea and rinsed her mouth to taste it again.

Mother Zhou saw that the Empress had tasted it, and asked, "My Lady, which of the two squirrel mandarin fish dishes is better, do you have an idea?"

The empress only said: "Let the two female officials come in."

Ruan Sishan and Mo Xi came across the door carrying their skirts, entered the side hall, and knelt down to worship the empress.

"Let's get back together, both of you."

The two stood up, the empress raised her eyebrows when she saw the two, she seemed to be pleasantly surprised, and sighed: "Isn't this Ruan Sishan and Mo Xi, so you two cooked this dish?"

Both of them were slightly embarrassed, and replied respectfully in front of the empress: "The empress loves you so much, and the servants are afraid."

"It's what the two of you did, no wonder it's hard for me to make a choice."

"Your Majesty won the prize."

Mother Zhou asked again: "Mother, do you still have no idea about these two plates of squirrel mandarin fish?"

"Both dishes are delicious. This dish is really well-made, and the fish meat is more tender than the other dish. The other dish." Empress Empress pointed to the dish with thick gravy, and said: "The seasoned sauce It's better, and the skin is more crispy. Each has its own strengths, and it's really hard to choose."

"Then what should I do? I really can't choose who will cook the birthday dishes for the emperor."

The Empress thought silently for a while, and after blinking her eyes a couple of times, she came up with an idea and said: "From my palace's point of view, there is no need to choose a single person."

Nanny Zhou bowed and asked, "Your Majesty, what's your opinion, please ask for your instructions."

"Let Ruan Sishan and Mo Xi cook together to celebrate the birthday, isn't it the best of both worlds?"

Wang Yifu pursed her lips and suppressed a smile. This idea was very embarrassing. The two of them were at odds with each other, and they couldn't say they were at odds in front of the empress, especially when the foreign historian came to court. Knowing that the royal kitchen of my vast country is very discordant.

But after thinking about it carefully, this idea is really good. If Mo Xi cooks this dish alone, I'm afraid Qiu Shangshi and others will not stop there. If there are some troubles on the day of the emperor's birthday, I'm afraid it will ruin Mo Xi. .

"Your Majesty is intelligent, and I am far beyond my reach." Afraid that the two of them would lose their sense of proportion in front of the Empress Empress, Madam Zhou immediately knelt down and flattered her, and continued: "What your Majesty said is indeed the best way, you two should kneel down quickly. Obey the order!"

(End of this chapter)