Chapter 337 They Will Remember Forever
Before the first dish was finished, General Xie stood up with a glass of wine.
When everyone saw General Xie stand up, they immediately stopped eating or drinking and looked at General Xie quietly.
General Xie cleared his throat and raised his glass.
"Everyone, you have all worked hard over the past year. This cup is for you."
Everyone stood up as well, raised their glasses to toast each other from afar, and then drank it all in one gulp.
General Xie finished a glass of wine, but instead of sitting down, he filled his own glass again.
The people present were all old followers of General Xie, and it was clear at a glance that he wanted to have a second drink with everyone.
Then everyone picked up the wine jug and filled their own glasses.
General Xie raised his glass again: "The second glass is for you all. I hope that in the coming time, you will continue to stick to your posts and protect the peace and prosperity of Daliang."
As soon as these words came out, the soldiers' faces turned stern, and they said in unison: "I will never let you down, General, and Daliang!"
General Xie drank the wine in his glass, nodded to everyone, and then sat down.
The others also sat back in their seats and continued eating.
The waiter, who had been keeping an eye on the situation in the hall, saw the right moment and continued to serve the dishes.
The waiters came in one after another, and dishes were served to the table one after another.
Each table was filled to the brim with a dazzling array of dishes.
There was the big plate chicken that General Xie had tasted in the Shen Mansion last time, as well as plum ribs, sweet and sour carp, venison, spicy pig's trotters, and osmanthus steamed cakes that General Xie had never tasted before...
Most of them are meat dishes, and there are only two vegetarian dishes.
One serving of lettuce with oyster sauce and one serving of cabbage with vinegar.
The soldiers' eyes were sparkling, brighter than the lights outside.
This year's New Year's banquet is many times more sumptuous than previous years. No wonder General Xie said he would give them a unique banquet.
What General Xie was most interested in was the plate of venison. He had eaten venison before.
Either grilled or boiled.
But it was the first time he saw venison served as a cold dish.
What’s even more amazing is that in addition to the venison, there are also some fried mint leaves as a side dish on the plate.
On one side of the plate were two dishes of reddish-brown sauce, which was used to dip the venison.
According to the waiter who served the dish, this sauce is also related to mint.
The sauce is made with raw mint and raw garlic, and some white vinegar is added to it.
It smells a bit sour and refreshing.
General Xie picked up a piece of venison, dipped it in the sauce, and put it into his mouth.
The venison should be braised, then torn into long strips and mixed into the sauce.
When you put the venison wrapped in sauce in your mouth, you will first taste the sourness of the sauce on the tip of your tongue, and then there is a sweet aftertaste.
When you chew it, you can taste the sweetness and spiciness with a hint of sourness.
At the end, you can even smell a slight spicy aroma that is easily overlooked.
General Xie was slightly stunned. He seemed to understand why the main flavor of this venison dish was sour and spicy instead of spicy and hot.
Because only the sour and spicy taste can highlight the aroma of the venison cold dish.
He picked up another piece of fried mint and put it in his mouth.
The mint leaves were fried until golden and shiny and tasted crispy.
It is crispy but not greasy, with a refreshing mint taste.
General Xie chewed the fried mint leaves in his mouth, a smile in his eyes.
No wonder everyone said that Shen Huazheng’s cooking skills were excellent and quite ingenious.
Just looking at the two different ways of using mint in this dish, you can tell that she is indeed thoughtful.
Raw mint is used as a condiment and added to the dipping sauce, perfectly bringing out the delicious flavor of the venison.
Fried mint leaves are served as a side dish to relieve diners' greasiness.
It’s really interesting.
Mrs. Yun's family was a famous wealthy family in Jiangnan, and she loved exquisite snacks and candied fruits.
Influenced by her, Yun Gan also became interested in those sour and sweet candied fruits.
Yun Gan was overjoyed when he saw the plum pork ribs served by the waiter.
The sweet and sour plums can actually be made into a dish with pork ribs.
If the general hadn't arranged this banquet, he wouldn't have known there were so many novel cooking methods.
This dish uses flaky ribs with evenly distributed bones and tender meat.
Each piece of ribs is covered with honey-colored sauce, and it is so delicious that you can't help smelling and looking at it.
Yun Gan picked up a piece of shiny and rosy pork ribs with chopsticks and brought it to his mouth.
Take a light bite, the sauce is slightly sour and has a hint of sweetness.
The ribs are firm, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and sour and delicious.
The sour and sweet taste of the plums has been perfectly integrated into the meat, which not only enhances the freshness of the meat, but also relieves the greasiness of the ribs.
After the sweet and sour taste, the meaty aroma follows and unexpectedly fills your entire mouth.
The juicy and tender spareribs and the sweet and sour freshness of the plums perfectly collide with each other, creating a unique taste.
After swallowing, there is still a faint aroma of meat and sweet taste of plum between lips and teeth, which makes people happy.
In addition to venison and plum ribs, the other dishes on the table were also delicious.
The skin of the sweet and sour carp is extremely crispy, and when you bite it, you can hear a "crunching" sound between your lips and teeth.
The fish meat wrapped under the skin is tender and smooth, which not only retains the freshness of the fish meat but also adds a bit of toughness.
It's a pleasant surprise when eaten with the sweet and sour sauce.
Even the fish bones in the fish meat are fried until crispy and break into pieces when chewed. Most of them cannot be spit out and can be swallowed directly.
The spicy pig's trotters are very tasty, not only the skin is fragrant and the meat is smooth, but also full of gelatin. Even the bones are fragrant.
After taking a bite, the spicy sauce seeps into the tip of your tongue little by little, causing a spicy shudder.
The salty and slightly spicy aroma of sauce and meat mixed together, blooming all over the lips and teeth.
Salty, spicy, fragrant, tender, fresh...
Various flavors intertwine in the mouth, lingering for a long time, making people linger.
The soldiers devoured the dishes on the table with relish, clinked glasses and the atmosphere gradually became lively.
"Come on, come on, I'll toast to everyone. I wish you all the best and everything goes smoothly without any worries."
"Okay, let's do it!"
Since it is a New Year's banquet, we must drink.
But this time the banquet was not held in their camp, but in the food court.
General Xie and Yun Gan were worried that some people would cause trouble if they drank too much, so they asked everyone to drink fruit wine with a lower alcohol content.
But speaking of it, this wine with a strong fruity aroma seems to go better with the dishes on the table.
Someone suddenly raised his glass and said, "We haven't toasted the general yet."
"Yes, yes, yes. Let's go and toast to the general."
As soon as these words came out, the people at the same table stood up one after another, holding their wine glasses and walking towards the main table where General Xie was sitting.
When people at other tables saw that someone was going to toast the main table, they followed suit.
The leader raised his glass and said, "General, I toast you."
Others also raised their glasses and said, "General, we toast to you."
In fact, according to the usual rules, one should wait until the first person has finished toasting before the others come forward one by one to express their respect.
But today's situation is special, General Xie and Yun Gan both told everyone to drink less alcohol, even if it is a lower alcohol content.
So, when they toasted, they toasted together.
Yun Gan and the people at the main table also raised their glasses and stood up: "General, I toast to you!"
General Xie also picked up the wine glass, stood up, and drank it all.
After the soldiers finished toasting, they returned to their seats.
The atmosphere at the table was lively, with everyone drinking and chatting from time to time.
Everyone had the same look of enjoyment on their faces and felt warm in their hearts.
This year's annual banquet is indeed unique. The dishes are delicious and attractive, and even the various decorations around are very pleasing to the eye.
This was their first time to have a New Year's banquet in the capital, and it might also be the only time in their lives.
But no matter what, they will remember this day forever.
For some things, once is enough.
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