Chapter 469 The wind blew you away, but the food is still there
Princess Lejia looked at the glutinous rice carefully and murmured to herself: "No wonder it is called Eight Treasure Rice. There are really eight treasures."
There are now a total of six ingredients on the glutinous rice, plus the pine nuts and white sesame seeds hidden in the glutinous rice, making it exactly eight.
Chen Huazheng: "Actually, you can add other sweets as well, as long as you like them. There is no specific quantity or category limit."
As she spoke, she poured the remaining syrup over the glutinous rice, and the eight-treasure rice pudding was officially ready.
Shen Huazheng looked at the "finished" eight-treasure rice pudding with a satisfied smile on her face.
Eight Treasure Rice Pudding has a long history, and it is difficult to trace it back to the exact year of its birth.
However, its traces can still be found in some ancient books and documents.
In the Western Zhou Dynasty's "Book of Zhou: The First Chapter of Tianguan Zongzai", it was mentioned: "The food on the bamboo tray is made of glutinous rice balls and rice flour."
At that time, "Qiu'er Fenci" was a food made by grinding grains into powder. Some scholars have suggested that it may contain the grain-based production concept of Eight Treasure Rice Pudding.
Some people also believe that this is most likely the prototype of Eight Treasure Rice Pudding.
During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, Jia Sixie mentioned the production method of "zongzi" in "Qimin Yaoshu", which included a combination of various ingredients, which is similar to the eight-treasure rice in terms of ingredient combination.
Although the name "Eight Treasure Rice Pudding" had not yet appeared at this time, the early records of these food production laid the foundation for the formation of Eight Treasure Rice Pudding.
Moreover, just as zongzi can be divided into sweet and savory ones, eight-treasure rice pudding can also be divided into sweet and savory ones.
My grandfather said that because of different customs in different parts of the country, the tastes and ingredients are also different.
The eight-treasure rice pudding made is naturally different.
But no matter where the eight-treasure rice is from, it always carries the meaning of reunion, happiness and auspiciousness.
This eight-treasure rice dish, which has a colorful appearance and good meaning, is also an inseparable part of Shen Huazheng's memory.
Today I can finally eat the eight-treasure rice pudding that I remember.
There was a lot of food for afternoon tea, but for dinner, Shen Huazheng and the other two simply had a bowl of mutton noodles, and then moved on to the dessert.
The maid scooped a little eight-treasure rice pudding for each of them and put it in a bowl, then placed it in front of them.
Princess Lejia had been craving for the food for a long time, and she immediately picked up the spoon, scooped up a spoonful of eight-treasure rice pudding, and put it into her mouth.
The glutinous rice mixed with the delicate and soft bean paste enters your mouth. It is fragrant, soft, smooth and sweet with a slight salty taste.
It’s incredibly delicious.
Princess Lejia swallowed the eight-treasure rice pudding in her mouth, and surprise suddenly appeared in her big eyes.
When steaming the glutinous rice for the second time, the aroma of various ingredients permeates into the rice grains.
The glutinous rice absorbs the flavors of other ingredients, and the red bean paste is delicate, smooth, and rich in flavor.
While eating, you can also taste white sesame seeds and pine nuts hidden in the glutinous rice.
The soft, glutinous and delicate taste adds a layer of crispy fragrance.
What’s even more surprising is the aroma of scallion oil added to the glutinous rice.
She never imagined that the combination of scallion oil and glutinous rice would be so harmonious, it was simply a perfect match.
The aroma of scallion oil and the fragrance of glutinous rice blend together, which not only makes the glutinous rice smoother, but also improves the taste level, making it taste unique.
Zhou Ying tasted the glutinous rice and squinted her eyes slightly because it tasted so good.
Eight Treasure Rice Pudding has attractive color and overflowing aroma.
With every bite, you can taste the softness of the glutinous rice and the deliciousness of the various ingredients.
The steamed glutinous rice has more distinct grains than the boiled one, is soft but not sticky, and has an excellent taste.
The glutinous rice is soft and the red bean paste is delicate.
The ginkgo nuts have been soaked in syrup and taste sweet.
Take a bite, and the unique aroma of ginkgo and the fresh fragrance of glutinous rice intertwine in your mouth, and the more you chew, the more delicious it becomes.
Zhou Ying scooped up another piece of tangerine cake with a spoon and put it into her mouth.
When eaten alone, the tangerine cake has a smooth texture and is full of tangerine fragrance.
It can be added to eight-treasure rice pudding to give it a different flavor.
After chewing it, your mouth is immediately filled with sweetness and fragrance, which makes you feel happy.
Princess Lejia swallowed the glutinous rice in her mouth and said, "It smells so good. No wonder Zheng Zheng specially cooked some scallion oil two days ago and saved it. It turned out to be for making eight-treasure rice pudding."
This eight-treasure rice pudding tastes particularly moist and delicious. It is really tasty.
If the scallion oil made this time was not completely different from the scallion oil she used to make scallion oil noodles before, both in terms of ingredients and methods, she would have thought Zheng Zheng wanted to make scallion oil noodles.
It seems that Zheng Zheng started thinking about making eight-treasure rice pudding from that time.
Zhou Ying: "A Ning is right. Scallion oil not only goes well with glutinous rice, but also with tangerine cakes."
She even thought that scallion oil and tangerine cake could be used alone to make a dish, which would definitely be delicious.
Princess Lejia scooped up another spoonful of eight-treasure rice and muttered, "They're all called scallion oil, but the scallion oil used in scallion oil noodles, scallion oil chicken, and eight-treasure rice is different."
Chen Huazheng smiled and said, "The food culture is broad and profound, and there are countless types of food, and of course the same goes for sauces. There are still differences between scallion oil and scallion oil."
There are many ways to make scallion oil, including Chaoshan scallion oil, Cantonese scallion oil, Su style scallion oil and Min style scallion oil.
The aroma of Chaoshan scallion oil is mild, not burnt or bitter, and has a light sweet fragrance.
It is usually used when making eight-treasure rice, various fried foods and fish rice.
Cantonese scallion oil has a fresh and delicious flavor and is usually used when eating boiled chicken or steamed fish.
Suzhou-style scallion oil is rich and fragrant and is generally used to make scallion oil noodles.
Fujian-style scallion oil has a caramelized and sweet flavor, and is suitable for seasoning rice and seafood.
Shen Huazheng scooped up a spoonful of eight-treasure rice pudding with a spoon, put it into her mouth, and tasted it carefully.
This time, she added Chaoshan scallion oil to the eight-treasure rice pudding, which not only added fragrance to the eight-treasure rice pudding, but also balanced the sweetness.
As you chew, you can smell the faint aroma of scallion oil hidden in the glutinous rice.
The feeling of the subtle fragrance is really fascinating.
*
Ning Yu and General Xie sat around the table with a bowl of dumplings in front of them.
In addition to dumplings, there were also mutton soup, barbecue and steamed buns on the table.
General Xie looked at Ning Yu and waved his hand generously.
"You can eat as much as you want from me. If you don't have enough, I'll have someone grill some more meat for you."
"Of course, I won't be polite to you."
Seeing so many delicious foods, Ning Yu instantly forgot all his worries about investigating the case.
He picked up a dumpling with chopsticks, dipped it in the small dish of sauce, then brought it to his mouth and couldn't wait to take a bite.
The dumpling skin is smooth but not too soft, but rather has a hint of toughness.
As soon as your teeth bite open the dumpling skin, the sweet gravy inside will flow out, making the tip of your tongue feel slightly numbing.
Take another bite and you will taste the tender and juicy lamb filling inside.
Ning Yu chewed the dumplings in his mouth, with only one thought in his mind -
So fresh and fragrant!!
The mutton filling in the dumplings did not have too many seasonings, just a simple little ginger and scallion juice.
While removing the mutton smell, the original sweetness of the mutton is retained to the greatest extent.
Served with spicy sauce, it creates a wonderful flavor.
General Xie also picked up a dumpling with chopsticks, blew on it, and then put it into his mouth.
When I took a bite, the meat filling actually burst with juice. Fortunately, I had cooled it down a bit in advance, otherwise I would have been scalded by this delicacy.
General Xie was slightly stunned. The dumplings made with mutton stuffing were so plump and delicious.
Mutton was a major feature at this time, so why had he never thought of making dumplings with mutton before? It seemed that he had to be bold in everything he did.
Not only does it have no smell, it is also tender and juicy.
The toughness and smoothness of the dumpling skin and the sweetness of the meat filling are perfectly combined to form a unique taste.
Ning Yu didn't stop for a moment and ate five or six dumplings in a row.
General Xie was somewhat speechless: "Slow down, no one is competing with you for it. Be careful not to choke."
He is not young anymore, but still so greedy. Isn't he afraid of being laughed at?
Ning Yu swallowed the dumplings in her mouth happily, scooped up the mutton soup in the bowl with a spoon and took a sip.
It is so pleasant to eat mutton dumplings and drink mutton soup.
"Old Xie, you are living a very comfortable life here."
The mutton here is really delicious whether it is roasted, boiled, or used to make dumplings.
To be honest, life in Yuzhang County was so comfortable that he didn't want to go back to the capital.
After I go back, I will never be able to eat such delicious mutton again.
However, it's not possible to never go back.
Once the case is solved, he will have to go back to work.
General Xie chuckled a few times and poured Ning Yu a glass of wine: "Why, you want to stay too?"
Speaking of which, he was used to living in the Northwest and felt quite comfortable there.
Now that Lord Xiao Shen and his colleagues have agreed to open a branch in the northwest, he will feel more comfortable there.
Ning Yu picked up the wine glass, clinked it with General Xie's, and drank it all in one gulp.
"I do want to, but Doctor Xu and his team will be arriving in Yuzhang County soon. By then, the case should have some clues."
He has been away from Beijing for some time. If there is no progress in the case, it will be difficult to explain to His Majesty.
General Xie nodded, and the smile on his face faded slightly.
He was just joking just now. Ning Yu was a Beijing official, and he was ordered to come here to investigate the case.
Of course it's impossible to stay here for long.
Now this case is complicated and confusing, and no one knows when we can find out who is behind the scenes.
What conspiracy is that person brewing?
He won't be able to sleep peacefully until he finds out the culprit behind this.
After all, they have been friends for many years. As soon as Ning Yu saw General Xie's expression, he knew what he was worried about.
He patted his chest and assured: "Old Xie, don't worry. I will definitely investigate this case thoroughly. Don't you believe me?"
General Xie smiled immediately: "Of course I believe you."
By then, with the information brought by the imperial physician, Ning Yu would be able to solve the case quickly with his abilities.
Ning Yu looked at General Xie with a smile: "Old Xie, why don't you treat me to a few more meals of mutton while I'm still in Ru'an."
Even though there are countless delicious foods in the capital, you can't eat lamb as good as this.
He went all out to get to the bottom of the case and uncover the culprit behind it, so that Old Xie wouldn't have to worry about the situation inside Ru'an while guarding the border.
It wouldn't be too much to eat a few of his meals.
General Xie agreed immediately: "What's the problem? Leave it to me."
Ning Yu immediately smiled, picked up the wine jug, poured some wine, and clinked glasses with General Xie.
"Come on, let's not go home until we are drunk today."
"Come on, you still have to investigate a case tomorrow, why don't you get drunk? Just finish this cup, and don't drink any more."
"If you don't want to drink, then don't drink. You're more nagging than my mother."
*
Magistrate Lin looked at the "sky garden" in front of him and the layers of green, his heart filled with amazement.
Previously, Shen Huazheng had explained in detail to the officials the idea and purpose of this "sky garden", and also showed them a small vegetable building built by officials from the Ministry of Industry.
When Prefect Lin heard that Shen Huazheng was planning to build a "sky garden" three meters high and divided into three floors, he was so excited that he couldn't sleep well all night.
Today he finally saw the "garden in the sky" that he had been thinking about day and night.
It is basically consistent with what Shen Huazheng had described at the beginning. This vegetable garden is an upgraded version of the original vegetable building.
Just like the previous vegetable building, this "sky garden" also uses drip irrigation, requiring only a very small amount of water. The excess water can flow back into the pool for recycling and will never be wasted.
Chen Huazheng carefully introduced to Prefect Lin and a group of officials: "These are shepherd's purse and spinach. They are drought-resistant and easy to grow. A crop can be harvested in half a month."
"The second layer is for garlic sprouts, and the bottom layer is for lettuce. These vegetables have a short growth cycle and require less nutrients, so they are perfect for the northwest region."
While listening to Shen Huazheng's introduction, Prefect Lin looked at the vegetables on the wooden rack and was delighted.
This is indeed the case of using one piece of land to obtain the harvest that can be obtained from three pieces of land.
As he was having fun, Magistrate Lin suddenly thought of a question.
"Master Shen, you said before that we can remove this greenhouse once the weather warms up. But this wooden frame looks quite fragile. If there is a sudden storm, I'm afraid the vegetables won't survive, right?"
When County Magistrate Li and others heard this, they also thought it made sense.
Even when the weather gets warmer, these vegetable buildings and gardens still need some kind of shelter.
Otherwise, if there is a heavy rain or a strong wind, these vegetables will be in trouble.
Chen Huazheng: "Master Lin, don't worry. This wooden frame is made of hardwood and bamboo, and tied tightly with cowhide ropes. It is very solid, and the sandstorms from the northwest can't blow it away."
Master Zhan also smiled and promised: "Master Lin, don't worry. When the weather gets warmer, these wooden racks will be enough to protect the vegetables."
Those bamboos were selected by him and the officials from the Ministry of Industry, and each one was of the best quality.
It can protect the vegetables, fruits and melons inside in any way.
The people in the Ministry of Industry also straightened their backs one by one. They were all very confident in what they had made.
Every part of this three-story "sky garden" has gone through countless discussions and modifications before it has its current appearance.
Even a bamboo tube here embodies the hard work of all of them.
Even if the wind blew away Magistrate Lin, the vegetables would still be there intact.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
