Chapter 48 Chapter 48 The Guests from the Honglu Temple and the Three Shrimp Noodles...
Early the next morning, before the dew had dried on the roadside reeds and the morning mist had dissipated, the fishermen by the Jing River brought a basket of lively little river shrimps. Add scallions, ginger and garlic to the shrimps and stir-fry them with oil or pepper and salt. They are crunchy when eaten with wine and are a great side dish.
There was a wooden basin on the fisherman's wheelbarrow, which contained several extremely fat mandarin fish caught this morning. Duan Zhiwei picked up one with his bare hands. The mandarin fish's tail was struggling vigorously. The fish looked fresh and had good quality, so she took out her purse and bought the pot of mandarin fish.
Probably because the weather is not so cold anymore, the restaurant's business has become much better in the morning. A Pan and Pu Tao are busy guarding the steamer that is emitting hot air, and also protecting a pot of mandarin fish that is being coveted by a Jinhua cat.
Duan Zhiwei picked out all the river shrimps with bloated bellies, chose a large iron pot and started to boil soy sauce. In addition to shrimp roe, the soy sauce also requires onion, ginger, wine and rock sugar. The shrimp roe and soy sauce can be used to mix noodles, cook wontons, or even dip in water for boiled vegetables, all of which have a delicious salty, fragrant and sweet taste.
The shrimp roe and soy sauce are stewed over low heat, and the caramelized aroma of the soy sauce and the umami flavor of the shrimp roe are slowly released from the pot and spread out.
Pedestrians walking on the road were immediately attracted by the fresh fragrance.
I think it was because the Lantern Festival was approaching that many Hu caravans appeared in Chang'an. These people were leading teams of tall and majestic camels, walking proudly in the streets and markets. However, the Hu people had their own gathering places and generally would not eat in the local restaurants in Chang'an. In addition, Duan Zhiwei did not know how to cook exotic food such as cedar pancakes, falafel or halva candy, so he gave up attracting these diners.
Besides, when she was strolling in the East Market, she spent twenty copper coins to buy a small piece of Halva candy, which was sprinkled with sunflower seeds, white sesame seeds and various nuts. It was a bit like dragon beard candy, and it was very fragrant when chewed. However, this sugar had been soaked in honey and was so sweet that it made my teeth sick. I couldn’t eat it after just a few bites.
So Duan Zhiwei thought: "Maybe the tastes of the Hu people are different from those of the people in Chang'an."
There was already a long queue outside the restaurant. Pu Tao walked over and pulled her collar and said, "Madam, there are a few blond and blue-eyed Hu merchants looking at our shop!"
Pu Tao was still young and was very curious about the blue-eyed Hu people leading camels.
Then a man in dark green official uniform came over and said to Duan Zhiwei, "Hello, madam. I am an interpreter at the Honglu Temple. I am currently entertaining envoys from the Tuohan Kingdom. They said they are very interested in the restaurant. I wonder if you can spare a table for them?"
Duan Zhiwei was still bending over to slowly boil the soy sauce. Hearing this, he straightened up, asked him to wait for a moment, and then walked into the restaurant, which was already full of people.
Su Qun was sitting alone at the table eating a bowl of duck soup wontons with a basket of jade steamed buns. Seeing that she was in trouble, he stood up and tried to share the table with other diners. Duan Zhiwei thanked him profusely and gave him a free serving of pork jade noodles.
After finally clearing a dining table, Duan Zhiwei wiped it quickly and invited the translator from the Honglu Temple and several foreign envoys to sit down. The foreign envoys wore otter-skin tricorn hats, double-lapeled foreign robes, and black boots. They looked around the restaurant with great interest.
Before the New Year, Duan Zhiwei specially found a stonemason to lay a layer of bluestone bricks on the yellow soil, and hung several layered wooden boards on the wall, on which were placed a Mohele doll with a red dress and a green jacket and a happy face, a Taiping La drum painted with peony flowers, and a pot of daffodils in full bloom, adding some festive atmosphere to the restaurant.
Duan Zhiwei didn't know what the Hu people liked to eat, but thinking that the Nado Khanate was in the sea, they should often eat seafood and river fish. She fixed her eyes on the half remaining basket of fresh river shrimps.
Fry the shrimp meat, shrimp brain and shrimp roe separately, pick out the shrimp brain with thick shrimp paste and put it into the hot oil and slowly stir-fry to release the oil. Soon the fresh aroma will come to your nose. Spread all of these on the noodles and mix well. A bowl of oily and fragrant three-shrimp noodles is ready.
The shrimp roe in this three-shrimp noodle is plump, the shrimp meat is very elastic, and the shrimp brain gives this bowl of noodles a mellow flavor. The restaurant also delivered fresh Chinese toon heads today. Duan Zhiwei simply chopped them up and mixed them into eggs, then fried a few Chinese toon eggs with a strong spring flavor, and then served a basket of seasonal jade steamed buns.
The foreign envoys seemed very interested in Chang'an's dishes. They lowered their heads and studied them carefully. They talked a lot in some unknown language, then clasped their hands together and said to Duan Zhiwei in the stiff Chang'an dialect: "Thank you."
The interpreter from the Honglu Temple also carried a piece of white linen paper with him and held a brush, as he was about to ask the envoys about the scenery and experiences along the way.
The leading foreign envoy drank two more sips of Xinfeng wine today, and the alcohol rushed to his forehead, causing his face to flush. He shouted loudly:
"Ah! We walked for several months, passing through an oasis and crossing a desert. Next to Qiuci, there is a small country. The royal palace there is built with gold and silver bricks. There are spacious gardens and clear rivers there. It is really like a fairyland!"
He continued, "The queen there knows magic, and if any servants displease her, she will cast a spell to turn them into colorful birds and put them on the golden tree in the garden for her amusement!"
"Ah?" Not only was the translator from the Honglu Temple stunned, but Duan Zhiwei and others also stopped what they were doing and listened carefully. Even the diners at the nearby tables put down their chopsticks.
"But how do we turn them into birds?" The person who asked this question was Pu Tao. She always felt a little uncomfortable facing the Hu people with blond hair, blue eyes and deep facial features. This time she was really curious and couldn't help asking.
"Good question, young lady!" The drunken emissary gave her a thumbs up and said:
"The queen carried a red bag with her. She took out some red powder from it and sprinkled it on the ground. A surging river immediately appeared on the ground. She then took a handful of wheat and buried it in the soil. She used the river water to water the barley. Immediately, the barley began to sprout, bloom and bear ears. The wheat ears were ground into flour and made into various kinds of food. When people ate them, they would turn into birds."
Whether it's true or not, this is much more interesting than storytelling. In addition, although the Chang'an dialect spoken by this foreign envoy was difficult to understand, it was quite contagious and everyone was attracted by his story.
Several diners put down the jade siu mai that they were about to put into their mouths with suspicion, and then peeled off the flour skin and only ate the fillings inside.
Duan Zhiwei: "...There's no need to do that. I bought this flour from the shop next door...it doesn't have such magical functions."
Seemingly encouraged by the spectators around him, the foreign envoy continued:
"We passed through Japan and came across a small island on the sea. There was only one man living on the island. He received us warmly. His servants were a group of monkeys. The monkeys were dressed in silk clothes and served us rich food on golden and silver plates. They also brought golden pots and basins to pour water for us to wash our hands."
He took another sip of wine, paused and continued: "That young man seems to be the lord of the island. On every new moon day, the monkeys on the island will travel several days to pay respects to the lord. What an enthusiastic lord! When we left, he even sent a hundred monkeys to escort us all the way. ”
Duan Zhiwei felt that this foreign envoy was either drunk or trying to amuse himself by talking nonsense and making up stories.
Apparently the people around him thought so too. After hearing such an absurd story, they all went about their own business and didn't take him seriously, just for fun.
After the foreign envoy finished his meal at the restaurant, he deliberately gave Duan Zhiwei an extra twenty copper coins when paying. Duan Zhiwei happily accepted it as a tip. Unexpectedly, the foreign envoy stroked his curly beard and said:
"My King Tuohan will hold a banquet in the Qujiang Royal Garden the day after tomorrow to select the most beautiful lady in Chang'an to return to the country to be the queen. Lady Duan is beautiful and can cook delicious food. Please come on time."
Duan Zhiwei's smile froze on her face as she collected the money. The waiter took off his otter-skin hat because he thought the temperature of the brazier in the restaurant was too high. Duan Zhiwei stared at his shiny bald head for a long time, and then said, "It's unfortunate. I'm already engaged."
"That's such a pity." The foreign envoy shook his head regretfully, put on his hat inlaid with various gems and left. The interpreter also saluted Duan Zhiwei with his arms crossed, and then followed him away.
Duan Zhiwei was not very happy.
After the Tubo people destroyed Tuyuhun and attacked Songzhou, they sent their prime minister as an envoy and presented a thousand taels of gold as a betrothal gift, just to marry our Princess Wencheng. You just talk a lot and stand by the Qujiang River, and you want to marry the most beautiful woman in Chang'an?
Besides, the most beautiful lady in Chang'an City is in the saint's harem. Why don't you go to the saint to ask for his hand in marriage?
In the evening, Duan Zhiwei was still busy working for the evening meal. Pu Tao had no intention of working, so he followed her and kept asking, "My lady, now that you have become the queen, can I still stay by your side?"
"Is there any delicious food in Tuohan Kingdom?"
Duan Zhiwei was so annoyed by her that he was about to speak when a deep voice came from behind: "What queen?"
Duan Zhiwei turned her head and saw that it was Yuan Shenji who had finished his shift. She couldn't help laughing and told Yuan Shenji what had happened during the day. Yuan Shenji also found this foreign envoy quite interesting.
He sat at the dining table. Duan Zhiwei was afraid that he would not have enough to eat, so he specially cooked an extra portion of river shrimp and mandarin fish stewed in a rich broth, which made the Jinhua cat nestling by the counter drool.
Duan Zhiwei joked, "Captain, are you really not afraid that I will not be able to eat this delicious food anymore after I become the queen of Tuohan Kingdom?"
Yuan Shenji had been training in the training grounds for a day today. He had challenged five Wuhou on his own. His stomach was empty, so he lowered his head to eat a bowl of delicious three-shrimp noodles. Then he said, "The Minister of the Honglu Temple reported today that the King of Tuohan wanted to marry a woman from the royal family to establish friendship between the two countries forever."
Chang'an was the center of the world. Who would look down on a country like that, a small island in the sea? But the king came to the court in person, and he did not ask to marry a princess, but only a daughter of the royal family, so the saint agreed.
Oh, so the requirement is to marry someone with the surname Li. Those with the surname Duan are not eligible to participate in the audition.
Yuan Shenji looked at her and asked, "What's the benefit of being the king of Natuo Khanate?"
Are you as handsome as yourself? Are you powerful?
Duan Zhiwei sensed his emotions and brought him a bottle of vinegar with amusement.
The two looked at each other and smiled.
After dinner time, Duan Zhiwei brought Yuan Shenji a box of frozen jade steamed buns and a bottle of shrimp roe soy sauce. I heard from Su Xun that he had been staying in the government office recently and not going back home. Thinking about the fact that there was nothing to eat in the government office, the cold noodles made from locust leaves in summer could even make people sick.
Duan Zhiwei sent him some easy-to-store food for several days in a row for him to take away.
After watching him leave, seeing that curfew was approaching, Duan Zhiwei and everyone else began to pack up and prepare for proofing.
But I heard a timid voice from outside: "Excuse me, is the restaurant still open today?"
Duan Zhiwei looked up and saw a lady in a gray jacket standing at the door, looking at her with a blushing face.
It's the "Cinderella".
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