Inside the wide-open steamer lay a group of "people," men and women, young and old, all with peaceful expressions, slightly open eyes, and smiles on their lips, as if they had reached a state of bliss.
"!"
Xu Milu subconsciously covered Chenxiang's eyes, but then she felt something was wrong—one of the clay figures looked just like Jiaonu standing in front of them.
"Don't be afraid, young benefactor. Those are steamed buns made of dough."
Everyone at the table looked horrified when they suddenly heard a gentle voice coming from the side. Xu Milu looked closely and saw that it was a nun who was sitting at the same table.
She was dressed in a plain-colored monk's robe and appeared to be in her thirties or forties. Her eyes were gentle, and she smiled before even speaking. She held a small white dog in her arms, and her gentle demeanor was like a breeze that calmed the mind.
"The Tripitaka Master."
"Master Guangmu".
The nun seemed to recognize the Tripitaka Master; the two exchanged a Buddhist chant as a greeting.
The nun smiled slightly, her gaze towards Xu Milu softening with affection, and explained with a smile:
"In the underworld, there is a long-standing custom of making fruit out of dough. After Yi Ya, who cooked and ate the baby, returned to the underworld, he was tortured for ten thousand years in the Stone Mill Hell. Later, to warn people not to indulge in their appetites and increase their sins, the dead made dough into human-shaped fruits and shared them. This gradually evolved into dough figurines, which symbolize that when guests share the dough figurines, they will eat away the sins of the host. Don't be afraid, they are not ordinary people."
"That's right! Oh, this is my grandfather's clay figurine!"
With a smile, Jiao Nu lifted the lid of the steamer, revealing a dough figurine that looked exactly like Wei Zheng. However, whether it was the texture and color of the skin or the height of the eyebrows and eyes, this dough figurine looked exactly like a real person. The pinkish-red skin was very realistic, the half-open eyes were bright and spirited, and even the folds of Wei Zheng's fluttering clothes were sculpted.
Seeing that no one believed her, Jiao Nu quite boldly tore off a "leg," revealing the white dough inside:
"This dish is the most exquisite. The 'human eye' is made with the finest longan flesh, the 'human ear' is carved from yam and bamboo shoots, and the 'flesh' on the body is colored with water boiled with peach peels. As for the limbs and joints, tender bamboo shoots are used to make the frame, making it look no different from a living person!"
Although she offered an explanation, none of the people at the table had any desire to eat, given the arm she was holding.
If you had made it a little rougher, maybe people would have been able to eat it. They're not monsters who eat raw human flesh and drink blood. It would be a problem if they could eat it without feeling guilty.
Xu Milu was very interested in the technique of making such lifelike figures out of dough, but she gave up after studying it for a while.
—Cooking requires a perfect balance of color, aroma, and taste. If she were to actually learn this skill, she might never need to use it in her life.
The chef who invented this dish should probably change careers as soon as possible; he could have a bright future as a figurine designer.
When she finished studying it and looked up, Jiao Nu was gone. Yin Wenjiao shook her head at the dough figurine.
"Oh my goodness, this is truly terrifying! When I first saw it, I thought it was Prime Minister Wei in person. This fruit is so frightening, how can anyone eat it? Liu'er, we'd better put it away quickly. Amitabha, Amitabha."
With a flick of her sleeve, Xu Milu's clay figurine of "Wei Zheng" missing a leg disappeared, and a clever little imp presented her with fruit that looked relatively normal.
The fruits served this time were more normal. Some were shaped like peaches, some like loquats, and some like green pears, but once you broke them open, you could see the jujube paste filling inside.
Xu Milu took a small bite and was immediately amazed by its deliciousness.
The ingredients are all very simple. Apart from the fact that the fruits look somewhat novel, the method of making them is exactly the same as making red bean buns, but they still make people think they taste delicious.
The first bite releases a rich wheat aroma that fills your mouth as you chew. While it's not a fluffy steamed bun, the firm texture allows you to fully appreciate the pure wheat flavor. The filling is warm red bean paste, and the smooth, sandy bean paste seems to have no added sugar. The natural sweetness rises slowly on your tongue, almost like flowing honey that sweetens your heart.
The peach-shaped steamed buns are even more interesting. From the outside, they look no different from real peaches. The skin is pink and tender, and it has a slightly astringent peach aroma. Even the slightly prickly peach fuzz is perfectly reproduced.
"It's a peach."
Yin Wenjiao broke open a peach-shaped steamed bun and handed it to Chenxiang with a smile.
Xu Milu tasted it and figured the peach jam inside shouldn't be too difficult to make. After cooking the peaches, chop them up, add some sugar, and then use a little honey to remove the astringency. When steaming, just wrap the peach jam inside the steamed buns.
The warm peach jam is sweet and juicy, and when you break it open, it's in a runny state. You can even see some chunks of fruit inside. Paired with a peach-shaped steamed bun, every bite fills your mouth with the aroma of peaches.
There were also some loquat buns, pear buns, crabapple buns, and pomegranate buns, which Xu Milu tried as well. The taste was equally amazing. If the dough figurine hadn't been so terrifying, she would have liked to try it herself.
...
...
The remaining vegetarian dishes were fairly standard and nothing special: stir-fried pumpkin vines, cold plantain salad, steamed elm seeds, locust flower buns, vinegared celery and tofu, stir-fried bamboo shoots, fried shiitake mushrooms, stir-fried tofu and wood ear mushrooms with loofah, and mushroom and wild vegetable soup...
Of course, compared to the candles and ingots, noodles and duck at other banquets, their table looked particularly "vibrant and delicious".
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
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