self-improvement as a cook

Chapter 42

The so-called broken golden rice is actually fried rice with eggs. Although it is just a simple fried rice with eggs, it is not easy to stir-fry broken golden rice. You need to coat each grain with a layer of golden egg liquid and put it on a plate. From a distance, it looks like a plate of broken gold is shining, which is worthy of the name of broken gold.

To make broken golden rice, the rice is very important. It needs to be steamed so that it is neither soft nor hard. An Ran likes to use the method of scooping up the rice. Select good rice, soak it in the spring water in the yard for half an hour, scoop it in boiling water, and then put it in the basket Steamed, so that the rice grains are crystal clear and full, and they will never stick together.

An Ran has to admit that using this method is considered opportunistic. Modern times pay attention to nutrition, and the rice that is scooped up once will lose some nutrients, so most of them do not use this method.

The reason why I use it today is because this Mr. Mei is really difficult to deal with. From his few words, An Ran knows that this old man is picky about food to the point of being picky. To make this dish of broken gold rice perfect, as long as the old gentleman says yes, it will be much easier for me to ask him to come forward to help.

Only the yolk is used for the three eggs. The chicken that lays the egg is raised by Mrs. Shuanzi. It is a real free-range chicken. The yolk is golden and shiny. Good ingredients have already made half of the success of this broken gold rice, and the rest is the heat.

Gouzi wanted to help light the fire, but his uncle Gao Bingyi snatched it away, so he had to stand beside Mr. Mei, watching An Ran's movements outside the kitchen.

According to the traditional method, this Broken Gold Rice can be served only with rice and eggs, but An Ran likes to garnish it with some green, so she chopped some chopped green onion for later use.

When Mr. Mei saw the knife in her hand, he let out a low exclamation. An Ran knew that since he knew the master so well, he must know the knife. After all, it was something the master had used all his life.

The pot needs to be fully heated before pouring oil. Put more oil, let the hot oil slide back and forth in the pot several times, and then pour the oil out, so as to avoid sticking to the pot. After the rice is put into the pot, do not cut it with the edge of the iron spoon. In order not to chop the rice grains, this dish of broken golden rice is not worthy of the name.

After pouring in the egg yolk, it must be stir-fried over a high heat, so that the rice grains are evenly wrapped in the egg liquid, jumping back and forth between the air and the iron pan, as if they have a soul, but in a flash, under the power of the fire, the crystal rice grains Gradually dyed in a golden color, while dancing, the light and shadow of broken gold flowed out, following the movement of An Ran's spoon, up and down, like an elf dancing in a pot, very beautiful.

When all the rice grains are coated with a layer of egg liquid, sprinkle with fine salt and pepper, and garnish with chopped green onions before serving, this broken golden rice is ready.

As soon as An Ran put down the pot, Mr. Mei said: "Wonderful, wonderful, it really is better than blue when you are a young girl. You are so young, but you have learned ten percent of your master's cooking skills, and you can turn over the cooker." It is innovative, the rice grains are plump and crystal clear, each rice grain is coated with a layer of golden egg liquid, and then decorated with the green and tender chopped green onions, it is the finishing touch, it is really wonderful."

As he spoke, he scooped up a spoonful and closed his eyes, chewing slowly with great enjoyment, while the greedy dog ​​next to him kept swallowing his saliva.

An Ran couldn't help being funny, after all, it was nothing more than fried rice with eggs, and only a person like Mr. Mei would be so serious, and even if it suits his taste, he probably wouldn't eat too much.

Sure enough, Mr. Mei put it down after only three mouthfuls, and said to An Ran: "It's a pity that I used breakfast when I came out today. It's a pity for your craftsmanship."

"It's not a pity, it's a pity..." Gouzi laughed and said: "Old man, if you don't eat, there is Gouzi. Although Gouzi also had breakfast, Gouzi has a big appetite, and now he is hungry again. You If the old man doesn't eat it, give it to the dog."

The old man snorted and laughed: "You are a lucky man, come on, let me eat it for you."

Gouzi's eyes lit up, and as soon as the old man spoke, he rushed over and devoured it hungrily. After a while, he ate up a plate of broken gold rice, and even the plate was very clean.

The old gentleman not only shook his head: "This is really ruining a good thing."

An Ran: "I don't agree with Mr.'s words, so I cook carefully for the sake of eating. People who only eat can be happy and happy, which is the greatest reward for the cook."

The old man pondered for a while: "You are right. The country is based on the people, and food is the most important thing for the people. If the people in the world can eat enough and eat well, the world will be truly peaceful." He said and pointed Pointing to the knife box over there: "This is your master's kitchen knife. Old man Zheng has used it all his life, but he didn't want to give it to you. It can be seen that he wants you to inherit his mantle. It's no wonder that your two senior brothers don't look like they were young. Learning crafts from your master, after all, your comprehension is a little weaker. After studying for so many years, you haven’t even learned half of your master’s skills. If five years ago, with an apprentice like you by your side, old man Zheng wouldn’t be able to..."

An Ran was afraid that he would go on and reveal some secrets that shouldn't be disclosed. After all, there are not only them here, but also Gao Bingyi and Gouzi. Now the cooks of the North and South Schools are fighting to the death. As for the root cause, it is the master and the dog five years ago. What about Han Zizhang's imperial chef competition? Now Han Zizhang is proud of it, and his minions are all over the world. If it is true, it may cause unnecessary trouble to the master.

Quickly took over Mr. Mei's words, and said with a smile: "Sir, An Ran was only eleven five years ago."

Mr. Mei couldn't help laughing: "That's true, you girl is really born to be a cook, you have learned all the skills of your master at a young age, and you will be able to pay back in the future."

An Ran shook her head: "Don't brag, I'm far behind the master, the master said I lack knowledge and experience."

Mr. Mei's eyes flashed: "No wonder your master will let you out, but old man Zheng is really relieved, let you run around like a flowery little girl, if you meet bad people, it will be too late to regret it. "

An Ran patted the knife box: "There is a master's knife to ward off evil spirits."

Mr. Mei laughed: "You are a brave girl, the broken gold rice you cook is very suitable for the old man, tell me, what do you want the old man to do for you?"

An Ran blinked her eyes: "An Ran wants Mr. Mei to take over Fuchunju."

Mr. Mei nodded at her: "So you girl also wants to help your southern cooks."

Gao Bingyi heard this, and knelt on the ground with a plop: "Sir, please help us. If you don't help, our southern cooks will not even be able to eat a full meal here in Yanzhou Mansion. We are not up to date, and our craftsmanship is not good. , but after working as a cook for so many years, relying on the kitchen knife in his hand to support the young and old in the family, we are not afraid of starvation, what can the elderly and children in the family do."

Gouziniang also came out at this time, and knelt down on Gouzi: "Sir, Gouzi's father is gone. Thanks to these brothers and sisters who have taken care of our mother and me these years, otherwise we would have no way to survive. The reason why learning this craft is not Are you expecting to support your wife and children, now you can’t even support the youngest at home, how can you call these seven-foot men, just help us.”

Mr. Mei sighed: "The past few years, Han Zizhang has been making too much trouble. It is said that he is a person in the industry, and he should watch out for each other. He is good enough to suppress the cooks of the Nanpai blindly. Don't you think that this big swallow will The northern faction cannot succeed, the north and the south each have their own unique skills, why must you die and live, your master's benevolence back then made these villains proud."

As soon as An Ran heard it, she knew that Mr. Mei was well aware of the filth of the culinary competition back then, and her face darkened: "Master has the master's consideration."

Mr. Mei nodded: "Yes, after all, your master has a far-sighted vision." He said, looking at Gao Bingyi: "I didn't agree with you before, and I also had my considerations. Fuchunju is also a well-known restaurant in Yanzhou. It was very prosperous at the beginning, but the chefs I found later were not as good as the other cooks. The southern dishes they made looked decent, but the taste was not right, the taste was almost the same, and the appearance was not very similar. The characteristic is that it is meticulous and exquisite, and the style is elegant. Without the meticulousness, it also loses the style. What is it called Nancai? .”

What Gao Bingyi said made Gao Bingyi's face flushed, he was very ashamed, and drooped his head: "It's because I'm not good at learning, and I made my husband angry."

"It's not enough to be angry, but, anyway, you have learned many years of craftsmanship in the south, why did you come back after learning something different, not to mention, how many southern cuisine chefs have come to Fuchun Residence these years, you just watch , should also learn it."

Seeing Mr. Mei scolding his uncle one sentence after another, Gouzi felt dissatisfied and poked his neck: "Mr. has wronged people. I heard from my father that those chefs who are good at their craft are all serious about their unique skills." , even my own disciples are not easy to teach, let alone others."

An Ran patted him: "How can you talk to Mister, and still not apologize to Mister."

Gouzi Duduzui reluctantly said: "Gouzi offended Mr., sir, don't blame Gouzi."

Since Mr. Mei would not care about a child like him, he smiled, but then sighed: "This kid said the same thing, but the old man forgot about that."

Gao Bingyi suddenly said: "It would be great if the chefs in front were like Ms. An. Not only did she not hide it, but she would also tell me the tricks when cooking, and she wrote a detailed description for fear that I might not remember them." How to do it, let me study it in detail, if all the chefs in the world are like girls, I don't think there will be so many cooks doing nothing."

Mr. Mei couldn't help raising his eyebrows: "Is it true, why are you so generous, so your master's unique skills are not known to the outside world."

An Ran: "The master's unique skills are not rumored, it's not hidden, it's just that he didn't find the right person. Cooking is not a very respectable profession. Most of them learn to cook, just to make a living. If so, it's not I like this profession from the bottom of my heart. The job of a cook is to pass it on from hand to hand. The heart comes first, and the hand comes later. Only with the heart and then learning the craft can you learn it well. I told me that I wish all the cooks in the world could live a good life, so how can I begrudge my unique skills, not to mention, to put it bluntly, there is no unique skill in cooking, as long as you put your heart into it, you still worry about not having good skills."

Mr. Mei nodded: "That's true, but you girl is not talking about it, you really want to let you take in an apprentice one day, will you also push back."

Seeing Gouzi blinking and looking at him, An Ran couldn't help but patted his forehead: "Don't look at me like that, it's not that I won't accept you, it's that I don't know how long I will stay in Qizhou, so I turned around and left, leaving Don’t you misunderstand my disciples if you don’t learn well? The apprentice in front of me regretted it all, but at least my master and two senior brothers can also give advice to him. In this way, my sister made an agreement with you for two years. Years later, if you still want to learn how to cook, my sister will accept you as an apprentice."

As soon as Gouzi's eyes lit up, he kowtowed three times to An Ran: "Gouzi kowtowed to the master."

An Ran was stunned: "Don't tell me it's been two years, why did you call me Master so soon?"

Gouzi smiled and said, "Don't say that two years is 20 years. Gouzi also wants to worship his sister as a master. It's nothing to kowtow to the master in advance."

Mr. Mei stroked his beard: "This kid is very clever, come on, the old man happens to be here today, so I will give him a testimony, so you can accept this apprentice. With your cooking skills, you should also recruit a few more apprentices." , don’t be like your master, just accept two, when something happens, no one can come out and take care of it.”

An Ran didn't know whether to laugh or cry. It seemed that Mr. Mei had some criticisms about her two senior brothers. Seeing Gao Bingyi looking at her eagerly, she couldn't help shaking.

Mr. Mei looked amused: "Gao Bingyi, it would be wrong for you to worship this little girl as your master at your age."

An Ran nodded hurriedly, that's right, that's right, this guy is over 40, twice as old as himself, wouldn't it be a joke if he asked himself to be his master?

Seeing his disappointment, Mr. Mei said: "Don't be sad, your cooking skills are not bad. The reason why the dishes you cook are not authentic is probably because of some deviations. Let's take the two dishes you made earlier. For example, you are using the wrong oil to disassemble and stew silver carp heads." Then, he asked An Ran: "What kind of oil should be used to disassemble and stew silver carp heads?"

An Ran: "To make this dish, cooked lard is absolutely indispensable. If it is missing, the glutinous and sticky texture of the skin will not be made. This stewed silver carp head will make the soup hang water, and the delicious taste will also Big discount."

Mr. Mei nodded: "This time, you know why I didn't eat it with just one mouthful. The old man's mouth is full of delicious food. If you use that thin soup to hang water to fool the old man, if you don't smoke you, it's fine." The old man's temper has improved, and your steamed lion's head dish has the right choice of meat, the right knife, and enough heat, but the taste is not right."

Gao Bingyi looked at An Ran for help, and An Ran thought for a while: "When I moved from the steamer to the casserole, there was cooked pigskin underneath."

Seeing Gao Bingyi's puzzled expression, An Ran knew that he hadn't let it go, and said with a smile: "Next time when you make it again, remember to put a piece of cooked pigskin at the bottom of the casserole for a try."

Mr. Mei couldn't help saying: "You need to know that the difference is a thousand miles away, and the taste of this cooking is almost wrong." He said and looked at An Ran: "As long as you are willing to come out to be a chef, the old man will make the first dish. Go down to Fuchunju, otherwise, if the old man orders it, it will be nothing more than smashing the brand name of Southern Cuisine."

Gao Bingyi was immediately overjoyed. If Anran could be the chef of Fuchunju, it would be a real blessing for them southern cooks. Although he had only met him three times, Gao Bingyi had almost figured out Anran's temperament. He was a man who never kept secrets , Moreover, she will give careful guidance and teaching, as long as you follow her, even for a month, it is better than learning from others for ten years.

Thinking of this, she was about to kowtow to An Ran, An Ran was taken aback, and hurriedly avoided: "An Ran is young, if you talk about it, you are a senior, I can accept your gift, there is no need, I promise."

Both Gao Bingyi and Gouziniang breathed a sigh of relief.

Mr. Mei: "Don't worry, you don't need to go to the stove every day. Gao Bingyi's cooking skills are not bad. You only need to give him a few pointers, and the Fuchunju's signboard will not be smashed. However, you have to be prepared for something. But there is a rule in the business. If you change your owner’s restaurant, you have to accept the challenge from other cooks. This is why the old man doesn’t want to take care of this kind of thing. This challenge is equivalent to a cooking competition. I heard that this competition is a game of life and death. "

An Ran understands what Mr. Mei said. The so-called life and death situation is not a life-and-death situation, but a blow to the job, just like when the master lost the competition with Han Zizhang, the master cut off his wrist in public. It's like smashing your own job.

The same is true for the old grandson in Jizhou Mansion. Although he wanted to let him go, but let An Jiamu break his wrist, it would mean that he would never be a cook in his life.

Mr. Mei sighed: "Besides, I heard that this kind of situation is the choice of dishes for challengers. Although Fuchunju sells southern dishes, the eight restaurants in Qizhou Prefecture are the leaders of northern dishes. To put it bluntly, this Yanzhou The mansion is the root of Beicai. If someone comes to challenge Beicai with you, girl, are you sure you will win? If you win, it will be very good. Not only will you keep Fuchun residence, but also give the south of Yanzhou mansion Pai cook won a place, even if it can't be as good as it was five years ago, at least it won't be worse than it is now. There's no more ground to stand on."

As soon as Mr. Mei said the words, Gao Bingyi's face changed. Yes, why did he forget that there is still this rule in their kitchen business? His own unique skills, and the eight most famous restaurants in Qizhou, almost every restaurant has its own unique skills, so Enron won one or two games by chance, and the result is undoubtedly lost.These northern cooks wished they could run out all the southern cooks in the world, they would be merciless.

An Ran thought for a while, although she was not sure of winning, she would not lose with her skills. What she was worried about was not winning or losing, but after this battle, she would not be able to hide. With such a big movement, will there be trouble again?

Seeing her silent, Mr. Mei couldn't help sighing: "This matter is too embarrassing for you little girl, not to mention you, even your master is not fully sure about the unique skills of Qizhou's eight restaurants."

An Ran thought for a while: "I'm not afraid, but, can this matter not be spread?"

Mr. Mei was stunned: "How is this possible? No matter whether you win or lose, as long as you dare to take this challenge, you will surely become famous. What are you worried about? Are you afraid that Han Zizhang will find out that you are old man Zheng's disciple and make things difficult for you?"

An Ran shook her head: "Whether it is for the master or for the colleagues in the world, An Ran will fight him sooner or later."

Mr. Mei laughed: "This sentence is just like old man Zheng's apprentice. Based on this sentence, I will help you anyway. I can't help you in terms of craftsmanship. I have given up this old face. At least Can guarantee that the judgment that day is absolutely fair, how about it, girl dare to accept it."

An Ran looked at Gao Bingyi, and suddenly remembered her grandfather's words, she must stick to her heart even in adversity, she helped her in this matter, and she should help, if she shrinks back at this time, is she still a cook?

Thinking of this, her eyes fixed: "Okay, An Ran can feel relieved if you have Mr.'s words. As long as Mr. Fu Chunju is sold, An Ran will be able to make Fu Chunju a firm foothold in Qizhou."

In the living room of the Liang Mansion in Yanzhou, Liang Zisheng, the magistrate, invited all the chefs from the eight major restaurants in Qizhou to discuss the matter of Fuchun Residence.

Liang Zisheng looked at Qian Hong of Jufeng Building and Feng Ji of Huiquan Pavilion: "You two masters, how should we deal with this matter?"

The two looked at each other, and Qian Hong said in a rather embarrassed way: "If Mr. Mei doesn't show up, based on Fuchunju's current intentions, we don't need to deal with it at all, and we can't continue to open it, but now Mr. Mei is taking over Fuchunju. , It is equivalent to standing out for the cooks of the Southern School, Mr. Mei was a teacher of the emperor, he is highly respected, and he is also a great Confucian in the world. If he comes forward, if he blatantly deals with Fu Chunju, I am afraid it will be inappropriate."

The chef of Yanhetang next to him jumped out suddenly: "According to Dong Qian's intention, let Fuchunju be opened in Qizhou City, this is Qizhou City, and it is the root of our northern cuisine. The cooks from the southern faction stand here, and we, the cooks from the northern faction, will continue to mess around." Then he snorted, "Don't talk about others, even my master will be unhappy."

When he mentioned his master, everyone looked at him with slight or heavy disdain, but their expressions still changed. The person who spoke was Zhao Laoliu, the chef of Yanhetang. He was in his forties and had always been Yanhetang's chef. Er Huo, because he was married to Cui Qing, Han Zizhang's big apprentice, he didn't know how to talk about it, but he talked about a teacher with Han Zizhang, and he was very close, Liu Cheng, the owner of Yanhetang, wanted to curry favor with Han Zizhang, so he promoted him to find him He became the head chef.

Although the cooks of the North and South factions have been at odds for a long time, there is an unchanging rule in the kitchen industry, that is, one must speak with craftsmanship, the work in hand can convince others, and the words have weight, but this Mr. Zhao Liu looks honest, but he is a master who relies on lip service.The reason why he was allowed to sit here was entirely for Han Zizhang's sake, otherwise, depending on him, the gate of the Liang Mansion would not even be able to enter.

However, when he carried Han Zizhang out, he had to show some respect. Liang Zisheng coughed: "What Chef Zhao said makes sense, let's discuss it, discuss it."

Suddenly I heard a cold voice: "Whatever to discuss, just follow the old rules of our kitchen business." As he spoke, he glanced at Zhao Laoliu: "Chef Zhao is a relative of Gaozu Han Yuchu, so he must be able to do it." The imperial chef is teaching you, and the craftsmanship is exquisite, how about Chef Zhao, the younger son Fu Chunju, leading the charge?"

Boss Zhao's face turned green and pale and looked ugly at the same time, Qian Hong hurriedly said: "Master Zhifu, the people present here are either your uncle or senior, how can you, a yellow-mouthed child, have the right to talk."

The person who just spoke was Qian Shichen, the young owner of Jufenglou, who is also the chef of Jufenglou. The time-honored brands like Huiquange of Jufenglou, which have been passed down for hundreds of years, are mostly their own businesses. The lifeblood of a restaurant, therefore, the two owners are also the top chefs of Dayan Pai.

Among the younger generation, the young owner of Jufenglou is counting on his success. Regardless of his age, he is only in his early twenties, and his culinary skills have been passed down from his father. If he has the ability, he will naturally be arrogant. The sixth son, who is a talker, is not interested in the cook's long-standing north-south struggle, and he is a little interested when he hears that Mr. Mei has taken over Fuchunju.

Mr. Mei is not only a teacher of the emperor, but also a famous gourmet in Dayan. Although he likes southern cuisine, he is an authentic Qizhou native, and he is very fond of northern cuisine. He has heard his father mention that this Mei Mr. Han even looks down on the craftsmanship of Han Yuchu in the imperial dining room, and the only one who can catch his eyes is the former Zheng Chunyang.

Qian Shichen is most interested in what kind of chef should be hired for such a restaurant opened by such a talkative and cunning restaurant, and this also aroused his competitive spirit, and he wanted to see more and more that he could Mr. Mei's favorite chef, what kind of skills does he have?
Zhao Laoliu now has a backer, how could he swallow this breath, and slapped the table: "Bi, Bi, my old Zhao has been a cook for half his life, and I am afraid that he will not succeed as a southern barbarian."

Liang Zisheng stood up: "Since that's the case, let's follow what we discussed today. Whether we can drive the Nanpai cooks out of Qizhou Mansion depends on the skills of all the chefs here."

They dispersed for a while, and Qian Hong and his wife returned to Jufeng Building, Qian Hong called his son to him: "You shouldn't speak nonsense today, don't think about it, who is Mr. Mei, and the cook he hired is not good , you are young after all, and your skills are not yet ready, once you meet a real master, you are afraid that you will suffer."

Mei Shichen didn't take it seriously: "Father's words are wrong. Didn't you always teach your son that if you want to improve your cooking skills, you have to compete with a master. This time, you finally have the opportunity. How can you look forward and look backward?"

Qian Hong sighed: "At the end of the day, what our Qian family is doing is business. If it weren't for the threatening situation, father really didn't want to get involved in this messy water. Mr. Zheng had seen it as his father back then. , but there is no airs, he is kind and charitable, and talked to his father about many classic dishes and techniques of northern cuisine. The unique skills of the cuisine are gradually lost, which makes Beicai decline. He encourages his father to manage Jufenglou well and pass on his own unique skills. The old man talked eloquently and was very worried about the future of the kitchen industry. Compared with Han Zizhang, who has a small belly , Mr. Zheng is worthy of being the number one chef in the world."

"Even so, he lost to Han Zizhang in the end. When will we cooks, we will be talking about the level of skill."

Qian Hong shook his head: "You, you are young and arrogant, that's all, I'll let you go this time, and you'll know the depth after a little bit of fighting."

Qian Shichen said, "How could father know that I lost."

Qian Hong shook his head and sighed: "Based on Mr. Mei's gold-lettered signboard, the chef in Fuchunju must not be an ordinary person. I'm afraid this time it will be a big trouble."

Not to mention that all the cooks from the northern faction here are gearing up to drive the cooks from the southern faction out of the Qizhou mansion at once. Besides, An Ran has been busy working in Fuchun residence these days.

Mr. Mei said that he took down the restaurant, but he is an out-and-out shopkeeper. He has already left the words to An Ran. The reason why the old man bought this restaurant is because of her craftsmanship, thinking that he will have a smooth mouth in the future. It's all for eating, just helping the cooks of the Nanpai by the way, counting on his old man to do business, don't even think about it, if Fuchunju can be opened, and don't do his business, his old man will be famous.

The only thing that can help An Ran is to hand over his hideous and terrifying servant to An Ran, and tell him to do something. An Ran is speechless, but she can only handle it with her own hands.

At the beginning, she didn't realize how capable this servant was, but gradually, An Ran finally realized the intention of the old man to arrange him here. Although this man was a bit ugly, he was indeed a good hand at doing things, no matter what was entrusted to him He was able to smooth it out in the fastest time, and it was really thanks to him that Fuchunju was able to open on time.

Seeing his ability, An Ran decided to put away his perverted vision. After all, he didn't want to burn his face. It was already very unfortunate, and it was really wrong to have to endure his own slow treatment. Moreover, when did he become A superficial person who judges people by their appearance, sees people by their essence, what's the use of having a good-looking face.

Today's An Ran also temporarily moved to live in Fuchunju. The owner of Fuchunju originally opened the restaurant for her own convenience, so she also lives here.

At the beginning, I bought the front and back two houses in succession. The Fuchun residence was opened in the front, and the two-entry yard in the back was used as a residence. Although it is not big, it has the style of Jiangnan gardens. There are flowers and trees on both sides of the gallery, even if you only enter two times, it still has a sense of winding paths leading to secluded places. Unfortunately, it is not Jiangnan after all. In autumn, the flowers and trees wither, but it adds a bit of bleakness.

A few maids hired by Fuchun Residence helped to tidy up, and An Ran moved in. I really like the mood here, and it is more convenient.

Because of the desire to make amends, and the fact that it has been raining since yesterday, and the autumn rain is pattering down, the person who invaded felt chills from the bones, so An Ran gave up the idea of ​​cooking. In such a cold day, the dishes are ready and served It's almost cold, but it's time to eat something warm.

Then I thought of a dish, and asked the maid to set up tables, chairs and benches in the small pavilion in the front yard, put charcoal fire on the table, and went to the kitchen to prepare it all morning. At noon, I finally cooked it, and brought out a big casserole and put it on the charcoal fire. , The sporadic charcoal fire can just warm the casserole. The ingredients in the casserole have been cooked for a long time, and they are placed on the charcoal fire, just to keep it hot.

This is the result of An Ran's thinking for a long time. Only in this way can he be sincere and make up for his contempt towards others before. He asked Gou Zi to invite him. After a few days of contact, the two have become familiar with each other. Only then did I know his name, probably Mr. Mei's servant, after Mr. Mei's surname, the name is very jerry-built, called Mei Da.

An Ran thought, maybe Mr. Mei was too lazy to bother to choose a name. Seeing that he was born strong, he named him casually. An Ran decided to call him Big Brother Mei. Although his face was burnt, he didn't look too old. Moreover, he has helped himself a lot, so he should also call Big Brother.

An Ran has no sense of master and servant at all, what's more, she was just a little girl in An Mansion, and she is not as respectable as Mei Da.

Mei Da came in, glanced at the open casserole on the table, was puzzled for a moment, then looked at An Ran, An Ran knew that his voice was broken, and if it was not necessary, she didn't like to talk, so naturally she wouldn't force him to show her self-conscious sincerity Enough smile: "Brother Mei, do you mind if I call you Brother Mei?"

May shook his head hesitantly.An Ran breathed a sigh of relief: "Thanks to Big Brother Mei's help these days, things in Fuchunju can go so smoothly, An Ran can't do anything else, just this little cooking skill, I bought a pot, please Mei Brother Mei eats a home-cooked meal, at least it's An Ran's kindness, so please don't say no to Brother Mei."

Mei Da seemed a little frightened. Looking at the pot on the table, Long Jiu Fang raised his head and moved his lips and said a few words: "Do you want me to go?"

An Ran was stunned, knowing that he had misunderstood, she quickly waved her hands: "No, no, it's just for Xie Mei. Besides, Mei is so capable. If he leaves, An Ran will not know where to find such a good helper."

As he spoke, he handed the chopsticks to him: "It's best to eat this in cold weather." As he spoke, he lifted the lid of the casserole, and a strong aroma came to his nostrils. , and introduced to him: "The top layer is cabbage leaves. The cabbage in Qizhou is sweet and delicious. Spread it on the top and blanch it with thick soup before it can be eaten. The bottom layer is cabbage leaves. The vermicelli, made by Shuan Ziniang herself, is stronger than buying from outside. Under the vermicelli, there are tofu, there are white tofu and fried tofu. If you don’t like tofu, the bottom is the meat. I should have used square meat. I was afraid that it would not be good for stewing, so I chose pork belly and cut it into thin slices. The broth has been simmering for an hour, and it has already tasted delicious, you can taste it."

Say the same, help him pick the same, she picks the same, Mei Da eats the same, after he finishes eating, An Ran will pick him again, seeing his food is extraordinarily sweet, An Ran suddenly feels very satisfied, such a man is so good, not picky eaters , easy to feed, not much talk, just know how to work, if only there is such a person by my side.

Just as he was thinking about it, he suddenly heard Mr. Mei's voice: "It's so fragrant, it's good for you two, hiding here behind the old man's back and eating good food, it's time to fight."

Mei Da had already stood up and went out to help the old gentleman in. An Ran put a soft cushion on the bench to make the old gentleman sit more comfortably: "It's raining and the road is slippery, why are you here?"

Mr. Mei gave her a rather childish look: "But come here, I don't know that you two are stealing such a good thing, and you still don't give me chopsticks for the old man, you want to be greedy for my old man."

An Ran didn't take it seriously, knowing that Mr. Mei had the temperament of an old naughty boy, so she handed him chopsticks, picked out some sliced ​​meat and tofu for him, according to his liking.

The old gentleman ate a few mouthfuls, pointed at An Ran and said, "I never thought you would cook this. This is the food in Huizhou. When I traveled all over the world and passed through Huizhou, I just stayed there for more than half a year because of this pot, isn't it? The emperor issued an imperial decree to invite this old man to come to Beijing, and this old man settled down somewhere. Later, when I remembered this in the palace, I pestered your master to make it to satisfy my cravings. Your master made it exquisitely, but I couldn’t eat it anyway. I don’t think it tastes like the one in Huizhou back then, but I dare not say it, as far as your master’s temper is concerned, if I say it, I won’t be able to eat well in the future.”

An Ran couldn't help laughing: "Actually, this is the food of the common people, and the food is also common to the common people. The ingredients in the imperial dining room are selected from thousands of choices, and the chef's cooking methods are always refined. As everyone knows, the food of the common people is all about roughness. If it is too detailed, it will lose the original taste, just put these ingredients in a casserole layer by layer, mix with water and seasoning and simmer for an hour, it will be the most authentic."

Mr. Mei laughed and said: "That's the truth. I couldn't figure it out back then. How can such a good dish be without wine? Mrs. Mei, go and bring me a jar of good wine from Fuchunju. If you don't get drunk, you won't return."

(End of this chapter)