To be honest, it’s definitely not that I feel my superiors don’t like me, but I feel that if I’m given more, I’ll have less.
They knew very well how good the meal was, but since the head of the Imperial Food Department had asked for it, how could they not give it to the head of the Imperial Household Department?
When Su Wan was dividing the spoils, she naturally included some for her own female officials.
Fortunately, she made a lot of food, so we can eat enough.
But Su Wan’s food becomes less and less every time we eat it, and we don’t want to trouble her when we officially go to work tomorrow.
Su Wan looked at everyone's resentful expressions and found it funny. She said, "Whenever I have time, I will definitely invite you guys over to eat something delicious. How about roasting pig's tendons next time?"
What’s there to say about the soft and sticky lamb tendon!
Definitely eat it!
Every time they ate the food, they would think of more food. One of the officials said, "And tomorrow's naan pit meat."
"Of course it's necessary." Su Wan said, "That's easy to do. I'll have someone send it to your Guanglu Temple later."
"Okay!"
That being said, everyone has already started to attack the sheep's hooves.
We are all family, so we can just wash our hands and eat. I still used a spoon to eat the mutton rice, after all, it is more convenient to use a spoon when it is hot.
Nowadays, sheep's trotters are held in the hands to make them easier to eat.
The sheep's trotters are small and divided into two halves. The gelatin on top absorbs the braised soup. The soup looks rich and juicy, and mixed with the oil from the sheep's trotters, it has a different aroma.
It is absolutely chewy if you take a bite at this time, because it is stewed to the right softness. With a light bite, you can eat the skin and meat on it. The meat is tough but not stiff, and tender but not greasy.
If you suck the soup on top, it will be more satisfying with its rich and fatty taste.
There is not much skin and meat on a mouthful of lamb's trotter, but each bite is braised to perfection, with the perfect combination of meat quality and taste. This is probably the joy of braised meat with yellow sauce.
The braised lamb trotters are so good, and the lamb pilaf below is even more satisfying.
The mutton is cut into large chunks and cooked until soft but not falling apart. Each bite is full of meaty aroma. Because it is steamed with rice, the rice absorbs the fat inside, making the mutton become very fragrant.
But I had just eaten braised lamb's trotters, and the aroma of the oil would be even better now.
Seeing that everyone was eating the mutton, Su Wan reminded them: "Eat rice with raisins, carrots, and onions. This rice is definitely as good as the mutton."
real?
Could Su Wan be lying?
Everyone didn't even have any doubts and immediately took a bite as Su Wan said.
A spoonful of rice with raisins, carrots and onions can be eaten directly into your mouth.
These four ingredients actually have different sweetness.
The rice has a sweet aroma, the raisins have a fruity sweetness, the carrots have a slightly light sweetness, and the onions have a clear aftertaste of sweetness.
Finally, add the direct sweetness of white sugar when stir-frying the lamb.
These sweet flavors combined make the dish taste both sweet and fragrant, and the final seasoning of pepper and salt perfectly neutralizes these various sweet flavors.
Let them combine into a bowl of pilaf.
After taking a bite, you can easily imagine how the warm and free-spirited Western compatriots on the prairie satisfy their taste buds with such a meal.
This is a flavor different from that of the Central Plains, but it is a flavor that everyone can accept.
Because delicious food definitely has something in common.
After eating this meal, everyone finally understood why Su Wan asked them to eat like this.
It turns out that there are different kinds of sweetness. Sweetness can be so fresh, and the taste of sweetness can be so complex.
After finishing the last bite of rice, he took a sip of the tea that had been brewed long ago.
Cool!
This was a really enjoyable meal!
The sheep's trotters taste so good, I really want to eat a few more bites.
But before I knew it, I had finished it.
Also feeling annoyed were the Minister and Junior Minister of Guanglu Temple, they hadn't expected the food to taste so good, and they came here early just to get a free meal.
As their official positions were not low, they were too embarrassed to ask for more from the Shangshenjian, so they were both reserved and thanked Su Wan and the Shangshenjian.
Not to mention the superior, she was aware of Su Wan's cooking skills, but she didn't expect that the mutton could be cooked so well.
The people from Guanglu Temple went back reluctantly, with only one thought in their mind, that is, they must not forget the naan pit meat tomorrow!
They can't wait!
Who knew that not long after they left the Shangshenjian, they were driven back by the superiors, who also gave them money and asked them to take one with them for the next day's naan pit meat!
Su Wan found it funny, but naturally accepted all of it. She was indeed prepared to do more anyway.
We'll eat together then.
Also send some to the Guandi Temple.
Su Wan was thinking about Xie Pei in her heart. When the director of the Imperial Food Department left in the evening, he appeared in the yard of her residence.
On the last day of the holiday, he dared to show up here.
There is nothing else to say except that it is brave.
As soon as Xie Pei arrived, he asked, "Everyone said you made delicious food today, but there was no portion for me?"
There was a hint of grievance in these plain words. I don’t know if Su Wan heard it wrong. If she did, then what was with that look?
"I used to leave it for me."
"You were close to it back then, but now, how far is the Guandi Temple now?" Su Wan was not making excuses; the Guandi Temple was indeed too far away.
She is on the east side of the imperial palace, and the Guandi Temple is on the west side of the imperial palace. How could she have the time to send her there every day?
Xie Pei nodded: "It's okay, I'll move in soon."
Su Wan looked at him in shock. Xie Pei smiled and said, "South of Shangshenjian is Guanglu Temple. South of Guanglu Temple, on the other side of the palace road, there is Guanxin Hall. I will go there later."
Su Wan recalled carefully and found that there was indeed a small Taoist temple, but wasn’t Chonghua Palace opposite that small Taoist temple?
Chonghua Palace is also a residence, so aren't we going there?
Is he not hiding it now?
Yes, I wrote her a letter last time to thank her for saving the sausages.
Su Wan nodded randomly, as if what he said was correct: "What a coincidence, I will definitely leave you a copy of what I make next time."
Xie Pei also laughed, but his laughter was somewhat unreasonable.
Both of them pretended not to know.
However, Xie Pei said: "I will be out for a while after tomorrow. If you have anything to say, you can send a message to Guanxin Hall and put the note under the incense burner. When you go out, just half-close the door."
Su Wan did not refuse. This person was more powerful than herself, and she could ask for help in case something really happened.
Although it is unlikely, it is good to have a guarantee.
She has gotten used to Xie Pei's elusive nature now.
After he left, I remembered the thick red seal. Should I talk about it next time?
Since she had nothing to do at the moment, she might as well start reading the books her superiors gave her. Most of them were enlightenment books from Tianxiang Country. It wasn't that she looked down on Su Wan, but since she was going to study systematically, she had to act like she was studying systematically.
Su Wan thought that her superior was so skilled, and she must have been trained like this since she was a child.
This book makes me dizzy, but since there weren't many entertainment activities in ancient times, Su Wan can still read it slowly.
The sixth day of the first lunar month.
The sound of drums for the grand court meeting was heard early in the morning. With the sound of drums, it was already the first grand court meeting in the fourteenth year of Tianze in Tianxiang Kingdom.
There was no tension at this court meeting. Most of the discussion was about New Year greetings from all over the country, as well as New Year wishes from neighboring small countries.
But we also need to talk about what everyone is going to do next, and the new year has officially begun.
For the court, the most important thing at the moment must be this year's imperial examination. It is already January, and the new scholars will come out in March.
Therefore, the Ministry of Rites needs to speed up its work on this matter.
The imperial examination is an important matter, and when the eldest prince and the second prince meet, they will definitely get involved.
The Ministry of Rites looked at the Third Prince who was as steady as a rock and said nothing. However, the Censorate did not allow them to participate and asked them if they wanted to form a clique and take the opportunity to recruit students from all over the world.
The Censorate has always spoken harshly in the court. They are more restrained when talking to the emperor, but the princes don't give them face.
Moreover, the saint felt uncomfortable hearing these words.
I'm still here, and you want to preside over the imperial examination?
You have to know that each batch of people who pass the imperial examinations will be the supplement of future court officials. If he makes friends with them now, does it mean that he does not take him, the emperor, seriously?
Seeing that the emperor was becoming suspicious again, neither the eldest prince nor the second prince spoke anymore.
As for the Third Prince?
No one will give it to him.
So the Ministry of Rites was in charge of it alone, and six grand secretaries were in charge of supervising it.
After all, the affairs of the imperial examination had little to do with the Shangshenjian. At most, they would organize the four banquets for the imperial examination together with the Guanglu Temple in the future.
Naturally, there was also a small meeting at the Shangshenjian side. After all the matters for this year were explained, it was time for Su Wan to pick up things that she had wanted to do last year but had not done yet.
That is to teach the Western Kitchen's experience in using dining plates to the Southern and Northern Kitchens.
In fact, it should have been done a long time ago, but I was busy in the second half of last year, so I put it aside.
Now that the new year has begun, I will continue to pick up these things.
Su Wan knew the most about the use of dining plates in the western kitchen, so this task was naturally assigned to her.
After taking on this assignment, Su Wan finally discovered why her superiors said that things would be more difficult recently.
One is the daily errands with various departments, the second is the errands of handling meals, and the third is learning.
Are all maids in the palace so busy?
She also said that Xie Pei was so busy that he was nowhere to be seen, and she was almost the same.
In addition to these things, there is also the promised naan pit meat to be made.
When it comes to naan, many people know what it is, but it also has another name that is also well-known, which is Hubing.
This is also one of the Hu Bing. Compared with the Zhongyuan Shaobing, the method of making is similar, but it is also divided into ordinary naan, meat-filled naan, and sesame-filled naan.
The so-called naan pit meat is meat roasted in the inner wall of the naan pit.
Some say that this roasting method is to use the residual heat inside to slowly bake the Hu Bing, thus creating this delicacy, which can effectively utilize charcoal fire.
Regardless of the reason, the naan pit meat is neither greasy nor dry, and the taste is just right, and it has gradually become one of the well-known delicacies.
Since Su Wan has done it, she must make more mutton.
In fact, it was not only fed to the officials of Guanglu Temple, but also to their own people.
The traveling order issued to her by Sister Cuizhu, the Imperial Kitchen Doctor, will soon come down, and she has to make a formal visit to the headquarters of the Ministry of Rites, one purpose being to deliver some news, and the other being to borrow some books.
In that case, let's bring some food over. As the saying goes, one should be grateful to the person who cooked for him. After eating the food she cooked, it will be more convenient to borrow books, right?
The cubed lamb has been marinated and mixed with eggs, ginger, pepper, cumin, etc.
Mix these seasonings evenly on the meat.
The mutton must be fat and lean, so that it will not be too dry when roasted.
Su Wan prepares several types of mutton, some roasted directly and some fried in a pan.
This is the first time I’ve used the temperature of an earthen naan pit to roast meat. The heat in such a pit is more evenly distributed, and the temperature is always kept at a relatively stable level, so the meat comes out excellent.
Compared to other grilling methods, this is more like a stew.
Su Wan could even take the time to see how the meat was being grilled while she was busy with other things.
At lunchtime, the aroma of meat fills the air, and no one can resist the smell.
When Su Wan took out the mutton pieces one by one, the sight of the shiny naan pit meat immediately attracted the attention of the female officials around her.
Look at this meat, the skin is crispy and the inside is full of fat.
They all work at the Shangshi Department, and they all can see that the meat is delicious.
At noon, everyone had two more pieces of this meat in their bowls, because the meat was cut into large pieces, two pieces were enough for one person.
I’m so happy that I can eat such delicious naan meat on my first day at work!
Naturally, several officials from the Guanglu Temple were as happy as the Shangshenjian.
Because many people contributed money this time, Su Wan also bought some extra meat so that there was enough for everyone to eat.
But think about it, after the Chinese New Year, the price of mutton will go down, so it seems we can eat more?
Look at this big piece of mutton. It was marinated with pepper and cumin. Now after being roasted, sprinkle a handful of finely ground cumin and salt on it, which will quickly blend into the fat on the surface of the mutton.
The appearance is golden brown and attractive. When you take a bite, you will first feel the crispness of the skin, and then your mouth is filled with the aroma of mutton. Such tender and delicious food requires you to close your eyes and enjoy it slowly.
Is there anything more satisfying than a hunk of lamb braised and grilled to perfection?
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