self-improvement as a cook

Chapter 14

Although Anran has never made birthday cakes before, it is the signature of Anji's frozen noodles in modern times.As the pace of life continues to accelerate, the diet of ordinary people has also undergone tremendous changes. Both men and women must continue to struggle in the workplace in order to survive in modern society. The most direct change is that they no longer have time to spend in the kitchen.

Even on holidays, most of them have entertainment, so quick-frozen food came into being. When the foreign hamburger first appeared, it gave everyone a lot of surprises. It is convenient, fast and full, which greatly meets the needs of ordinary people. Gradually degraded, which is quite regrettable.

An Ran does not deny that foreign food has its unique features, but insists that only Chinese food can be called culture, and culture needs to be precipitated, and China has thousands of years of cultural inheritance. These once brilliant things , with the passage of time, some may be buried and some are lost, but An Ran believes that as long as there are us Chinese, or in other words, as long as there are Chinese and our heritage, one day they will be unearthed again and stand at the top of the world again shining brightly.

Take pasta as an example. The convenience of hamburgers has brought surprises to everyone, but China’s own pasta has extraordinary meanings, such as longevity peaches.

Now we all know that foreigners attach importance to birthdays, but they don’t know that in the ancient times of our country, they have already begun to pay attention to it. Standing at thirty, not confused at forty, knowing the destiny at fifty, and the ancient times with a low average life expectancy make birthdays every year extraordinarily important.

Those with money and status can set up hundreds of tables to celebrate their birthdays. Ordinary people will also make some longevity peach noodles, which imply long-term auspiciousness. In particular, birthday peaches can be given to relatives, friends and neighbors for auspiciousness.

The ingredients and methods are very simple, similar to steamed buns, just a small change will bring people different surprises, which is also the most wonderful thing.

Add some sugar to the flour, and the stuffing stuffed tightly in modern times, Anji Shoutao has [-] flavors to choose from. Here, there is only red bean paste stuffing, so there is no choice.

Knead into the shape of water droplets, use the back of the knife to press out the lines of the longevity peach, let it stand for a while, then put it in the steamer, and steam it for a quarter of an hour on high heat. For ten days, An Ran made four birthday peaches, put some green vegetable leaves under them, put them in the basket, covered them with a piece of floral blue cloth, carried them in her arms, and then the mother and daughter went to the big kitchen go.

It has been more than two months since An Ran crossed, except for the last time when she got drunk and went to the west aisle to cause trouble, she has never been to other places, every day is the outside kitchen, her own small courtyard, her own small courtyard, The outside kitchen, two points and one line, is very simple, so I have never been to the big kitchen.

The big kitchen is not far from the outer kitchen. Because the old man needs to have banquets in the garden from time to time, it is located on the edge of the garden. It is close to the garden. It is also very convenient to serve and eat. It is far from being comparable to the broken yard in the outer kitchen. Boss A courtyard, a row of neat houses extending in all directions, women, servants, maids, stewards, people coming in and out, dazzling.

An Ran and her godmother came in through the small door at the back. As soon as they entered, they saw several women picking vegetables and washing vegetables on the well platform at the side of the courtyard. Among them was a fat woman with small eyes and big mouth. It looks like it's not easy to get along with him, he looks like someone who is in charge, and is yelling: "You guys, don't dawdle, the guest invited by our grand master today is a big one, and it is the master of the Futai of our Jizhou Prefecture. , if the dishes are not delivered in time because of us, no one will be able to bear the burden if the Elder Master apologises, Xiaoshuang, you, what about you, why are you so dumbfounded, hurry up and work."

Xiaoshuang?Hearing this name, An Ran couldn't help but look at the little girl who was among several servants. She remembered that her godmother said that there are only two girls in this big kitchen, one is Shanliu who was handed out last time, and the other is Chang Gui from the accountant. His daughter, and another one, seems to be called Xiaoshuang, could it be this girl?

An Ran couldn't help taking a closer look at her, her skin was a bit dark, her frame was not big, she looked thin and small, although her appearance was ordinary, but she had a kind of endearing taste, she sat there not knowing what to think, a little absent-minded.

An Ran was looking at Xiao Shuang, when suddenly she heard her godmother approaching her ear and said: "That girl over there, do you see that, the one in green clothes is Xiao Shuang, if you can come in remember not to offend her, don't look at this girl The one who said nothing was Second Aunt's distant niece, and the way is hard."

An Ranxin said, whoever has no background in this big kitchen is herself, doesn't she have to rely on her godmother's connections to have a chance to come in and have a try? It can be seen that connections are everywhere.

The woman in charge caught a glimpse of Mrs. Liu, and frowned slightly. In the past, she only got some things for Mrs. Liu because of her old friendship in the past years. I will lose myself, although there are not many benefits, it is a gain anyway, but I don't want to, the other day I got drunk and agreed to help her daughter find a job in the big kitchen.

Don’t regret it after sobering up. Let’s just say that I am a small steward of a handyman, even An Fu, the chief steward of this big kitchen. If I want to let someone in, I have to ask Ding Shoucai, the chief steward of the mansion. Afterwards, he took care of this matter all in one, and he was simply overwhelmed. Although he had a close relationship with Anfu, how far is it? Does the errand in this big kitchen speak for himself?

But I have already agreed, so I can only bite the bullet and go to Anshun to say something. I thought that Anfu would definitely not agree. At that time, I just told Mrs. Liu that Anfu refused, and it passed. I don't know whether Mrs. Liu was lucky or he was lucky. Anfu heard this, but said let me come over and take a look, so he went to deliver the letter. He didn't think that the two women were winless, so they came at this time, and they were busy preparing the garden. As for the banquet, how can I have time to care about these things, so naturally I don't have a good face.

But people can't rush out when they come. After all, they have some old feelings, so they walked over and said in a neutral way: "Why come at this time, I'm busy."

With a flash of An Ran's eyes, she knew that the relationship between the godmother and this Aunt Yu was not deep, and after thinking about it, she understood that if the relationship was really good, this Aunt Yu would be in charge of the big kitchen, so she would have no rights. Boss, let me tell you something, it shouldn't be difficult to transfer the godmother to be a handyman, but the godmother has been cooking in the kitchen outside, so it can be seen that she is trying to gain benefits, even if the godmother does not have many benefits here, anyway There are also some, although the big kitchen is full of oil and water, but she may not be able to take care of the handymen alone, so naturally she has to think of other ways.

Seeing that the godmother was a little embarrassed by Aunt Yu's sneering words, she still smiled to flatter her: "Isn't it because I am afraid that I will be late and let others snatch it away? It is rare to have such a good opportunity. Old sister, please help me a lot." Ah." Saying that, a piece of broken silver was stuffed into Aunt Yu's hand without a trace.

An Ran couldn't tell what it was like in her heart, but she understood a little bit that she recognized this godmother, and if she could go out in the future, she must be filial to her godmother.

The godmother has helped herself in this way, and she has to work hard to achieve it. Thinking of this, she handed over the basket in her arms: "I heard from the godmother that today is the birthday of the aunt, and An Ran has no other filial piety. Eat well, bring blessings and longevity to the aunt, and make it auspicious, so don't be disgusted with it."

Aunt Yu was stunned, An Ran knew that this girl climbed onto the old man's bed and was let out by her aunt, and became a laughing stock in the whole house. This girl, I don't understand. In the past, this girl made things difficult for Mrs. Liu, but now she is in the hands of Mrs. Liu, so she has to be dealt with. If she is not dealt with to death, she will be sorry for all the wrongs she suffered in the past, but Mrs. Liu is fine, so she can't help but not Cleaning up people, and even recognizing her as a goddamn daughter, she single-mindedly planned her future for this girl. It's not such a good way to be kind, she's simply a bad person.

As far as the things this girl did before, if she didn't succeed in something good, she would get a chance to stand out in the future, so how could she remember the benefits of Mrs. Liu.

I can't see An Ran in my heart, I pretended not to see her just now, but I didn't want to, this girl took the initiative to talk to me, and, no matter how pleasant the words were, she was completely different from the bitter and mean girl before. People, can't help but look at her carefully, this look is really a little surprised.

Is this still that girl?Although her eyebrows and eyes have not changed, but this charm, no matter how you look at it, she doesn't look like a person. Before An Ran was an out-and-out vixen, she was a monster, and she knew how to seduce men all day long. Now this girl stands upright. Looking at it, the small face does not apply any makeup, but it is more red and white, clear and refreshing, and the old vixenity is gone, and there is a smile, and it is refreshing to speak. Can't hate it.

Curious about what this girl had done for herself, she lifted the floral cloth on the basket, and couldn't help being startled, the four Bai Shengsheng birthday peaches were neatly stacked in the basket, taking advantage of the emerald green leaves underneath, although simple , but people can't help but like it, the most important thing is that it has a good meaning and is auspicious.

Seeing this, the dissatisfaction in Aunt Yu's heart earlier disappeared unknowingly, and a smile appeared on her plump face: "I never noticed before that you are such a dexterous girl. I really don't know this Shou Tao." No matter how you do it, you will like it when you look at it.”

An Ran said in a low voice: "I don't have any other good things to celebrate my birthday, so I can only make a few birthday peaches to meet the occasion, as long as the aunt doesn't dislike it." These few words are very suitable for Aunt Yu, and she smiled: "Okay , your heart, the aunt has taken it, and I will take you there to give the steward a look. Let's put the ugly words first, and then I will take you there. This matter may not be successful. It depends on yourself good fortune."

Aunt Liu hurriedly said: "Naturally, my sister is willing to help this, it is already a blessing for us mothers and daughters, and I will not do my sister's business if it is successful or not."

Granny Yu nodded: "It's good that you understand, just wait here, remember not to move around, the big kitchen is no better than your outside kitchen, the rules are stricter." Aunt Liu quickly agreed, standing against the wall in an orderly manner , did not dare to move.

An Ran looked sad, but there was nothing she could do. How could a person not bow his head under the eaves. Since coming here, An Ran has experienced the cruelest reality of the world, but he has also gained a different kind of warmth and family affection. There are gains and losses. , This is life, as grandpa said, you must maintain peace of mind in any situation, so that you can gain.

Follow Aunt Yu through the porch, probably for the convenience of passing the dishes, the porch of the big kitchen is connected to the garden, so that if it catches up with rain, you can go over the porch to serve the food without getting wet.

The kitchen is in the eaves of the corridor, and the kitchens are connected to each other. There are more than a dozen fires in the large and small stoves. No matter where the kitchen is, it will not be too quiet. The sound of stir-frying, the crisp sound of bowls and plates touching each other, the sound of dishes being passed around... mixed with the strong aroma of vegetables, this is the environment and taste that I am very familiar with. She belongs here, and here is her dream. Has her roots.

Just as he was thinking wildly, suddenly a live fish jumped over from there, slapped and fell to the ground, flipped back and forth a few times, and ran behind him a kid in a hurry, looking like he was about fourteen or five years old, his hands He was carrying a gleaming kitchen knife in his hand, his clothes were dripping with water, even his hair was wet, he looked very distressed, and he was about to catch fish when he ran over.

I don't want to, the fish is still very happy even though it is out of the water. The yard is paved with stone slabs, and it is even more slippery when it is wet. The dog gnawed at the mud, and the kitchen knife in his hand flew straight towards a man in the clothes of the steward not far away. The steward hurriedly dodged to the side, and the knife stuck in the pillar behind him.

The steward's face turned pale with fright, and he piled up on the ground as soon as his legs softened. He pointed at the kid who fell on the ground with his mouth full of blood, and trembled angrily: "I don't have any grudge against you, I killed your father." , What's wrong with your mother, are you killing fish or killing me? The temple in our big kitchen is too small to recruit you, a god of killing. What should you do? Go ahead and wait for the meal if you don't leave what."

The kid got up and touched his mouth, then left with his head drooping.

Seeing An Fu's angry face, Aunt Yu thought to herself, it's really not the right time to come, why did I catch up with this matter? An Ran went back first, and came back later, not wanting to, An Fu saw her at a glance, and said angrily: "You don't lead the people to work hard, what are you doing here? Today, the master is hosting a banquet for the lords of Futai, if you delay When it's over, don't blame me for not being sympathetic, and I'll send you a meal, and the old face of decades will be gone."

Aunt Yu had no choice but to bite the bullet and said: "You can put 120% of your heart in charge, and you won't delay the master's business. I came here right now because I mentioned a girl to you in the morning who wanted to work in the big kitchen and top the mountain willow. What do you say Let me bring someone to have a look, do you remember the steward?"

When An Fu looked up and saw the gleaming kitchen knife on the pillar, he couldn't help wiping off a cold sweat, almost giving up his old life here.

He secretly breathed a sigh of relief after something like this happened to Shanliu, but that girl is not a worker, she wears rouge and powder all day long, wears red and green clothes, and walks around in a demonic fashion, with that smell all over her body Both punctured the nose.

Although he is the steward of this big kitchen, he looks at the beautiful scenery, but he is not in the dark. Even if he is the steward, this big kitchen is not up to him. The old man Zheng at the top is a great Buddha. The master paid a lot of money to invite him back from Beijing. Yes, he hurt his wrist, so he would occasionally go to the stove or something, and usually he would guide his two apprentices from behind.

Mr. Zheng's two apprentices, Gao Deming and Zhao Yongfeng, are also well-known chefs. They were able to become teachers, but because the old man injured his hand, they all followed him, and they became the two masters in the mansion today. kitchen.

The three of them are not easy to serve. If the old man goes to the stove, the two disciples will be the ones who will help him, but if two chefs go to the stove, the people who will help the two chefs will be the people from the big kitchen. This is a rare and good thing. If these two chefs take a fancy to him, take him in as an apprentice, and learn a good skill, why not be better than being a servant. Therefore, the chef's job, at the beginning, he wished he could break his head.

The previous ones were smart by my own eyes. They also helped cook in the big kitchen for a few years. .

Mr. Zheng is alright, he doesn’t work in the big kitchen very much, Gao Deming has a gentle temper and is easy to talk to, so he doesn’t agree with him, and he might get away with it by saying a few nice words, but Zhao Yongfeng is very picky, if he scolds himself every day, I can't get through this day, what I said is not to mention how ugly it is, saying that every person in the big kitchen counts as one, they are all useless idiots, if they can eat but not work, it is better to raise a group of pigs.

These words were even scolded by himself, An Fu felt aggrieved, but there was nothing he could do, so he tried his best to figure out how to get a proud chef to help this picky Chef Zhao, so that he could have an An Sheng .

It's easy to think about this, but it's extremely difficult to do. Everyone knows that the job in the big kitchen is very tricky, and Ding Shoucai, the big housekeeper, has been watching him closely. People filled in.

Don't blame Zhao Yongfeng for being picky. Everyone in this big kitchen has a background, and each one is better than the other, but the work under his hand is not successful. A good one came in, so I went out to pick someone myself.

I don't want to, this handyman almost took his own life, how could he be in the mood at the moment, just about to wave for Aunt Yu to go back, but he saw the little girl who came with Aunt Yu, bent slightly, Stretching out his little hand, he easily lifted the big silver carp weighing four to five catties from the ground.

An Ran looked left and right, saw a large pond built against the wall on one side, probed in, and sure enough there were more than a dozen fish in it, so she put the fish in her hand into it.

An Fu's eyes flickered, this girl is neat, but I don't know if it's just a coincidence, why don't you try, thinking of this, he said: "Now that you're here, let's try, first catch a fish and kill it."

An Ran knew that this was an opportunity, so she would not let it go. Besides, killing a fish was really not a big deal for her. She went to pull out the kitchen knife from the pillar of the porch. The farce just now, I didn't think it was funny, but I weighed the knife in my hand, the steel edge was good, and the weight was just right, although it was not as good as the one I was used to in Hyundai, but it was much better than the one in the outside kitchen.

With the knife in his hand, he got up faster, caught the fish, let the blood out, peeled the scales, removed the gills, and removed the fishy line. After a while, a fish was cleaned up, and he looked up at Anshun: "Dare to ask the steward, this fish Do you want to make soup?"

This series of smooth movements of An Ran really shocked An Fu and Aunt Yu next to her. Aunt Yu said to herself, she really didn't expect this girl to have such a skill. Ordering money to be stuffed into the big kitchen by favor, such a talent is really wasted in her outside kitchen.

You don't need to guess just by looking at Guanshi An's expression at this moment, you can tell that this girl will definitely stay, and she probably won't take on Shanliu's job, but she knows that Guanshi An is looking for someone to help Chef Zhao Well, even though An Ran is a girl, but she has a neat hand, as long as Chef Zhao pays attention, the girl and boy are not all the same.

If she can step up to Chef Zhao, this girl will be great in the future. If she can really enter the big kitchen this time, I should get close to her, it might be beneficial.

An Fu was stunned for a while, and when he came back to his senses, hope arose in his heart, not to mention the way this girl killed fish, just by asking her, she knew she was an expert.

This silver carp is used in big kitchens to make soup, and only experts know it. As far as this question is concerned, this girl is not an idiot who doesn't understand anything. Anyway, she has to try it. In case Zhao Yongfeng If you are satisfied, your life will be much better in the future.

Thinking about it, he said: "Put these things down first, and follow me."

Speaking of which, An Fu was really ill and went to the doctor in a hurry. There is no one who just came, butchered a fish and went to the chef to get it. You know, most of the chef's helpers are his own disciples. Zhao Yongfeng is so picky. Even if he wanted to recruit disciples, he would naturally have to choose thousands of disciples, and he really didn't intend to embarrass Anfu on purpose.

Fortunately, Anfu was not bad luck, he went to the doctor in a hurry and found Anran, so many things were predestined, and he couldn't force it at all.

An Ran followed An Fu and walked inside, before she went in, she heard a rough voice roaring: "You are a pig, do you know what I want to cook?"

Then a weak voice said: "Fried, fried beef."

"Since you know it's fried beef, what do you cut for me, if you know it, get out of here, don't pretend to be an ancestor here, I don't lack ancestors here, get out." Then a young man ran away. When he came out, there was still a piece of beef on his face, and he was very embarrassed.

Seeing An Fu, tears almost fell out: "Steward, I can't continue with this small job..."

An Fu glared at him: "I still have the face to cry." He couldn't help but sighed in his heart, the job in front of the chef was originally a mess for everyone, but now it's a good thing, and he wished he could hide.

Just as the kid was about to defend himself, the voice inside yelled again: "Anfu, don't put such trash on me from now on, come another one, your Master Zhao's temper will come up, you might kill him alive."

An Ran couldn't help laughing, this temper was really violent.

(End of this chapter)