Datang First Chef

Chapter 39

Among the folk tales, the most popular one is always the story about subduing demons and eliminating demons with Master Xuanzang as the main character——"Mo Xiaoyuan's Diary of the Tang Dynasty"

There are stars in any era. Modern star idols are often people in the entertainment industry. Dating back to the Republic of China or earlier times, stars were served by masters of Liyuan and famous prostitutes in Goulan. Due to the long history of the Tang Dynasty, female prostitutes were only rare among aristocratic gentlemen. The stars who are sought after and accessible to the common people are entertainers of a hundred operas and monks and Taoists whose deeds have been spread all over the country.

The latter is significantly higher than the former.

The fantasy Tang Dynasty is different from the ordinary Tang Dynasty. Demons walk everywhere, and gods often appear. After a while, new monster-fighting heroes will appear in the local area. The deeds are transmitted orally, and its name can quickly spread in the local area. However, because the protagonist is not representative enough, or the character design is not plump enough, it will soon be forgotten.

Among the few evergreens now, Master Xuanzang is the best and the most well-known one.

Don't talk about others, Mo Wenyuan grew up listening to Master Xuanzang's deeds, such as "Master Xuanzang's Fermentation of the Mother Worm", "Master Xuanzang's Road to Taibai Jinxing", "Master Xuanzang Saves the Old Woman", all kinds of stories related to Tang Sanzang Related stories filled his childhood.

After traveling westward, the stories related to Tang Sanzang not only did not decrease, but also became more. The merchants and travelers who returned to Chang'an from Tianzhu were very happy to publicize which demons he had surrendered on the way, or the relationship between him and his disciples. What a funny thing happened.

That’s right, anyone who has heard the latest popular sayings will know that Master Sanzang has several disciples, none of whom are human beings. The third apprentice was once a god in the sky, and the fourth apprentice was the third prince of the dragon.

It is said that there are still literati in the south of the Yangtze River who artistically process the stories of several people and write new legends.

Seeing the handsome monkey, the guy immediately cheered up. Isn't this the Monkey King in the common saying, the great disciple of Master Sanzang?You even came to our place to buy food?

This is a great honor!

He shouted twice, Mo Xiaogou ran out, Zhao Erniang ran out, Li Sanniang ran out, Zhong Heiyang followed Mo Wenyuan and also ran out!

Taotie still has a very good sense of Sun Wukong. If Xuanzang and his disciples hadn't found him on the westward journey and sent him back to Chang'an, then he would have no chance to meet Mo Xiaoyuan, let alone eat delicious delicacies, strictly speaking. In the book, Monkey King is the matchmaker who made him meet Mo Wenyuan.

What a monkey!

Mo Wenyuan respects and loves Monkey King. People in later generations grew up watching Journey to the West, and there are few people who don’t like Monkey King. If Mo Xiaogou and the others were only surprised when they saw the Monkey King, then he saw an idol, and his heart thumped. Plop ricochets.

Sun Wukong stretched out his hand to scratch the fluff on his face, and said to Mo Wenyuan: "What is suitable for eating on New Year's Eve?"

Tianzhu has a long road, and it is difficult to travel west. To improve the limited quality of life, start with eating!

……

More and more people noticed Sun Wukong. They gathered from all directions and blocked the door of Li Sanniang's restaurant. Sanniang made a decisive decision and asked Sun Xingzhe to enter the house for a while.

Sun Wukong traveled to and from Chang'an many times with somersaulting clouds, and he was very popular with himself. Li Sanniang followed everyone into the house after speaking. Eat in the shop.

Zhongheiyang: The almond tofu is very good, I want some.

Monkey King: "Master doesn't eat meat, and I can't eat at the same table with him." After eating, you have to serve with a Zen stick.

Zhong Heiyang: Don’t worry about the one I recommend, not only does it not have any meat or spices, but it also doesn’t have alcohol or alcoholic beverages.

Sun Wukong: "It's okay to have a little wine. I had a meal at Bodhisattva's place that day. The wine smelled strong but had no taste. If there is this dish, I must add it."

Mo Wenyuan pricked up his ears to listen to the conversation between the two, and his eyes widened when he heard this, with excitement in his eyes: "Are you talking about the plain Buddha jumping over the wall that I enshrined to the Bodhisattva?"

Zhong Heiyang felt that something was wrong, he heard Mo Wenyuan's heartbeat, "Bang bang bang bang bang" extremely fast, why the heartbeat is so fast, listening to his words, there is also a sense of flattery in his words.Zhong Heiyang interpreted his admiration as flattery.

He was very unconvinced, but it was the first time seeing Sun Wukong, why was the treatment so different?He suddenly thought of the story of the love between monsters and monsters in legendary novels, and he became vigilant. Could it be that Mo Xiaoyuan's destined immortal is not him but Monkey King?

The hypocritical mind is wide open.

"Is that dish called Su Buddha Jumping the Wall? It's really delicious, even the banquets in the heavens can't compare." Monkey King relished the food, and his mood was even better, with joy in his eyes. Su Buddha Jumping over the Wall can also rank first."

The highest praise from the idol made Mo Wenyuan's cheeks blush, and his eyes sparkled: "Whether you deserve it or not, the Great Sage is as happy as you are."

saint?Zhongheiyang had already started grinding his teeth crazily, and he looked at Monkey King with hostile eyes.

Sun Wukong: ? ? ?

what's the situation?

Sitting on the low couch and chatting for a while, everyone fully understood what Sun Wukong meant. After eating Sufojumping the Wall, he couldn’t forget it. He wanted to eat Mo Wenyuan’s dishes again. It's a pity that Master Sanzang lived a simple life, and he was not allowed to do somersaults back and forth between the two places for no serious matter, and he would only let go when the Spring Festival approached.

Mo Wenyuan fully agreed, saying that the food for the Spring Festival will be wrapped on him, as long as the date is determined to pick it up, Monkey King said: "Then come back ten days before New Year's Eve, my old grandson has the art of heaven and earth, and it is also good to store the food for ten days." No problem."

"Is there anything the Great Sage would like to eat?"

"No, you can make the decision."

"it is good."

"How much is the price?"

"Will I charge money if I can host a banquet for Master Xuanzang and the Great Sage?"

"Impossible, if you don't give me money, even Master will not let me go. I got a lot of gold and silver from the human world when I was in Huaguo Mountain, so I just send it to you."

Mo Wenyuan was afraid that he would send gold and silver all at once, so he racked his brains to think of a relatively reasonable and low price, but when he was still thinking about it, the black sheep would bleat and quote a high price.

= Mouth =!

The reaction is too fast!

Monkey King nodded and said: "Understood, I will definitely send it in ten days, so I will trouble Mo Xiaolang." Then he turned his head, and his shape quickly disappeared into the clouds, really coming and going in a hurry.

……

"The price you quoted is too high." Mo Wenyuan added the education meeting helplessly, the envy and jealousy on the face of Zhongheiyang was so obvious that he couldn't see it, "So, I have to make the dishes better Richer."

The middle black sheep can't lose money by stealing chickens, seeing his expression as if he was hit by a bolt from the blue sky, he made a mistake, he made a mistake, he was just dazzled by anger, and wanted to stop Mo Wenyuan's behavior of lowering prices, but unexpectedly it led to such a result, it is really a shame What a mistake.

His eyelids were drooping, and he looked at Mo Wenyuan aggrievedly: "Baa baa baa baa baa baa baa!"

How can you be so kind to Sun Monkey? Am I not your favorite lamb?

Mo Wenyuan laughed out loud, and comforted him first: "Relax, I only have a little respect for the Great Sage, and you are the one I am most happy with." He then said, "There is something I can't understand, I wonder if you can Answer one or two for me."

Zhongheiyang: What's the matter?

"Since the Great Sage can cover hundreds of thousands of miles with one somersault, why did he spend several years traveling to the west?"

Zhongheiyang: Although he has great supernatural powers, he is helpless in front of the Dao of Heaven, so he has to be manipulated by him. The Dao of Heaven wants him to travel long distances, so the master and apprentice have to do so. Sun Houzi can turn his head back to Chang'an, and he can turn back to Master Xuanzang , but going forward seems to hit a barrier and can no longer go.

Mo Wenyuan extracted the necessary information from his words, reconstructed the organization and came to a conclusion: Journey to the West is like a modern save game, you can restart the level you pass at will, but you have to grope for those who don’t pass it, you can only turn back somersaults, and you can’t move forward .

"Hey, even the gods can't act rashly, they can do whatever they want."

Zhong Hei Yang snorted: It is very rash, in front of the way of heaven, even the gods often mumble and refuse to speak, and they stagger and do not move forward. The matter of the monkey grandson is only one of them.

Hearing this, Mo Wenyuan could only sigh: In the past, he only knew that ordinary people have their troubles, that princes and generals have their troubles, and now he has to add two points, that demons and ghosts have their troubles, and that gods, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas have their troubles. There are also the troubles of gods, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. As long as life is still there, they will be bound by invisible rules and regulations. In the fantasy Tang Dynasty, if there is anything that is given equally, it is the word "not free".

Thinking about it this way, a small citizen like him with dreams has the highest sense of happiness.

Zhong Hei Yang seemed to detect the embarrassment in Mo Wenyuan's eyes, and bleated again: "Have you thought about what to do for Sun Monkey's New Year's Eve banquet?"

Talking about the field he is good at, Mo Wenyuan's eyes burst into a confident brilliance. He talked eloquently: "I have already made a fortune. I must have vegetarian assorted, roasted bran and vegetarian wall jumping, and plain cold noodles in various colors. You only need to roughly make the offerings I gave to the Bodhisattva and add the must-eat dishes such as Tangzhonglao Wan on New Year's Eve."

Tang Zhonglao Wan is equivalent to modern dumplings, which is the same as the custom in modern northern China. In the Tang Dynasty, even poor and down-and-out households would buy dumplings made of flour on New Year’s Eve. If the family had less money, they would buy dumplings stuffed with wheat bread, and if the family had more money, they would buy dumplings. Meat dumplings in white bread.White noodles are more expensive than meat, and many families can only eat white noodles during the Spring Festival.

Zhongheiyang likes to eat soup Zhonglao pills very much, and he often brings refined white noodles back for Mo Wenyuan to pack. Because the flour brought back is so good, Mo Wenyuan even asked him where he brought it back. I bought it from a farmer's house in adult form.

Although he has grown up in sheep form, he still looks like a child in human form. Zhong Heiyang thought his appearance was not powerful enough, so he never transformed himself in front of Mo Wenyuan, making Mo Wenyuan think that his form was extremely ugly, He didn't dare to show it to himself, so he seldom mentioned it in front of him.

If Zhongheiyang knew what Mo Wenyuan was thinking, he would definitely turn into a form of grief and indignation, proving that even though he was young, he was handsome as hell.

……

Apart from studying the New Year's menu, Mo Wenyuan has other things to do.For the vast majority of residents, the Spring Festival is a happy festival. However, no matter how rich Chang'an City is, there are still poor corners. The politics of the Zhenguan Year are still clear, but natural disasters do not come because of the virtues of saints. Yes, the warmer weather than other periods led to disasters. Since the first year of Zhenguan, there have been floods, frost disasters and other disasters almost every year, and some refugees flocked to Chang'an.

The young and middle-aged are okay, they can barely find a place to live by doing part-time jobs in the city, and those who are capable can improve their food during the New Year, but the old, weak, sick and disabled are different, they mostly rely on begging for their lives, and their residence is uncertain, and it is now winter. , it was getting colder day by day, the government finally cleaned up the dilapidated yard for them to live in, but eating was still a problem.

On the bright side of Buddhism, all living beings are saved, and monks should be compassionate. When they see someone suffering in the cold winter, they naturally want to help them. The royal temples headed by Daxingshan Temple will give "medicine and food" to those who cannot eat. Poor families who have food.

Mo Wenyuan has been in the temple for many years, so of course he knows the meaning behind giving "medicine and food". To put it bluntly, it is a means to win over believers, but in his opinion, regardless of the purpose, such a move is a great thing for the poor.

He and Li Sanniang proposed to donate some food to the poor, and the latter readily agreed. Li Sanniang believed in Buddhism and was not usually seen as devout, but he agreed with the Buddhist teachings of doing good deeds. As long as it does not touch her interests, she will She is very willing to do something to help others and give food to the poor. In her opinion, it is a good thing.

With two arrangements, Mo Wenyuan became even busier. Before dawn, he was carried by Zhongheiyang to Daxingshan Temple to help cook porridge.

……

The monks giving porridge is not called giving porridge, but giving people medicine and food.Medicine and food are also used as medicine stones, which means to cure diseases.According to the Buddhist teachings of Tianzhu, monks should not eat after noon, but monks in the Tang Dynasty not only have to work in the fields, but also do small business. If they only eat breakfast a day, they will definitely faint due to hypoglycemia. They added "medicine and food" for dinner cure hunger.

Seeing Mo Wenyuan in front of the hall, he immediately came up and asked, "What kind of porridge is Mr. Mo Xiaolang going to make this year?" Before Mo Wenyuan participated in the activity of distributing medicine and food, Daxingshan Temple had always used rice and mixed grains Multi-grain porridge, all kinds of grains are mixed together and cooked, the porridge is better than water and thick enough, the taste is really not commendable.

After Mo Wenyuan came, the situation changed drastically. Not to mention that he added qi-invigorating ingredients to the porridge at his own expense, and even added some oil residue and minced meat. I don’t know how many times it is delicious in a pot of stew.The medicine and esophagus provided by the monks are full, and the porridge made by Mo Wenyuan is a step further on the basis of fullness, adding an element of enjoyment.

In order to enjoy it once a year, the refugees will always line up in front of the mountain gate of Daxingshan Temple early with bowls under the guidance of their seniors, in order to experience the slightest sense of happiness after a bleak year.

"I want to make sweet porridge this year." After buying cheap granulated sugar, Mo Wenyuan is very willing to use sugar. He can make desserts, so sweet porridge is naturally easy to come by.

Can't help asking curiously: "Sweet porridge? Could it be that sugar is added to white porridge?" He has never drank this kind of porridge, and the finished product drawn by his limited imagination is extremely poor.

Mo Wenyuan shook his head and said: "No, no, the grains in the porridge are not only rice, I have notified Master Huiyuan to prepare most of the grains, and I will make up the rest myself." Xingshan Temple prepared Relatively cheap grains, such as yellow rice, white rice, glutinous rice, red beans, etc., are similar in price to rice.In addition, the red dates and almonds were bought by monk Huiyuan through the back door, and the braised pork diced was prepared by Mo Wenyuan at home.

Unable to squeeze his huge body into the kitchen, he looked at the wooden baskets one by one. Seeing so many kinds of ingredients, he became more curious about sweet porridge: "If there is a chance in the future, let's make it in the temple." He didn't ask Mo Wenyuan to serve him for one night, so he wouldn't break the precepts often, but he himself has the taste of "wine and meat have passed through the intestines, and the Buddha's heart stays in it". To mention the porridge of the refugees.

"Understood, I will do it after the first month is over."

……

The sweet porridge that Mo Wenyuan chose to make has a well-known name in later generations, and that is Laba porridge.Laba porridge in the Tang Dynasty had no shadow, and it became popular in the Song Dynasty. According to the records of "Tokyo Menghualu", on the eighth day of every December, the major monasteries in Kaifeng, Tokyo will send seven treasures and five flavors porridge to monks and believers to drink this porridge. Everyone can be blessed by the Buddha.

He said in his heart that he borrowed flowers from the Buddha, and first made an improved version of Laba porridge in the temple.

The improved version is because the nuts that often appear in Laba porridge still lack a few flavors at this time. For example, peanuts are still in the American continent, far away from Chang'an.Mo Xiaoyuan, who is hardworking and creative, said that it doesn't matter, he has the confidence to make delicious Mo-style Laba porridge.

……

Several large tripods are placed on the stove in turn. There are many monks in the temple and there are many stoves.The cauldron is filled with various ingredients one by one. The porridge is boiled on high heat and then simmered on low heat. The red beans are separated from the boiled skin and flesh, and the silky bean coating is exploded, revealing the soft, glutinous and tender inner parts; It is burnt yellow, and as the cooking time gets longer and longer, the burnt yellow gradually disappears in the black rice...

There is a tempting sweet fragrance in the room, and the taste of grains and brown sugar is perfectly blended together. The porridge has not been drunk yet, but the monk who helped cook the porridge felt a strong warmth. In the cold wind, you can It couldn't be better to have a sip of the sweet and soft Laba porridge.

Mo Wenyuan glanced at the tripod and announced: "It's done!"

The mountain gate was already full of people.Chang'an City is very large, even if there are few beggars and refugees in each workshop, they gather together to form a large crowd.Their clothes are simple and their hair is messy. Few of them can wear sheepskin jackets. Most of them wear jackets made of two layers of cloth sandwiched with discarded fabrics. The jackets are dirty and black. No one knows about these clothes. How long have you worn it.

They shivered in the cold wind, and their simple clothes could not resist the cold. The biting wind blew over their rough faces, taking away the remaining heat in their bodies. People crowded together, and small animals hugged together to keep warm in winter, so as to preserve some warmth.

"Have you heard of the name of medicine and food in Daxingshan Temple?"

"Yes, it is said that the medicine and food here are extremely delicious. Just take a sip, and the chill in your body will be expelled."

"So god?"

"Can you not be divine? The porridge in Xingshan Temple is cooked by Mr. Mo Xiaolang himself. He is a disciple of the Buddha. It is really a virtue to ask a disciple of the Buddha to cook the porridge for us. I think there must be Buddha's light in the food he makes. It can drive away the bad luck of last year."

"You're talking about Mr. Mo Xiaolang who wisely captured the Shuomo."

"Yes, that's him. He's still a tofu boy. I heard that the food in Li Sanniang's restaurant was developed by him. Although I don't have much money and can't enter a restaurant, I have tasted the steamed buns there. Tsk tsk tsk tsk tsk tsk tsk tsk tsk tsk tsk tsk The taste makes my mouth water when I think of it now."

The gate of the temple opened slowly, and the warm voice of the crowd was louder. Everyone was scrambling, trying to go a little further and be the first to drink the porridge.

The monks of Xingshan Temple knew well about the grand occasion of the congee giving, and had sent out strong and strong monks to maintain order. Most of them used their bodies as shields to form an impenetrable human wall, shouting "queue" "Come one by one", trying to restore order, there are still a small number of people lingering around, their eyes are sharp like the eyes of a falcon, if they find someone who is pushed to the ground, they can be found immediately, and they will kill the crowd with sticks, Pick up the fallen man.

Fortunately, this year's order was barely maintained, and no one was injured. Under the restraint of Kong Wu's powerful monks, the team quickly set out.

A total of eight big tripods were launched in the temple, and people were divided into eight teams. The monks standing behind each tripod had experienced in the cafeteria. No more, no less, no less.

Wang Hu is a refugee, his name is mighty and domineering, but he is very young, less than eight years old, and looks like a five or six-year-old child. He holds up a broken bowl, looks at the monk eagerly, and waits for his Laba porridge.

The monk was always more tender-hearted towards the elderly and children. The porridge was just right, but the diced meat scooped up a small spoonful for him. Wang Hu held the bowl and put it under his nose, staring at the diced meat, not knowing what it was.

In his memory, he seldom eats meat. After living in exile, he suddenly saw pieces of minced meat, but he didn't know each other.

The porridge was thick and full of warmth. After blowing on it, he couldn't wait to take a sip of the porridge. The temperature of the first bite made his tongue twitch, but the touch of the mouth made him unable to bear to spit it back into the bowl.

The thick porridge reverberates in the mouth. The red bean paste has a hint of sweetness. After adding sugar, the sweetness is further released; What I tasted was a fragrance that surpassed that of sesame seeds. I don’t know whether it should be fresh or salty. Layers of grain flavors, Wang Hu can see the large wheat fields when he closes his eyes, the golden waves, the golden autumn when the grains are abundant, and the laughing grandparents...

Stretch out the tongue, carefully roll a piece of diced meat, and then grind it with the front teeth. The aroma of lard is far better than all grains. If the grain is light, the diced meat prepared with sauce is strong and overbearing. The delicacy of the first pig can be reflected in it.

There are both fat and lean meat in the diced meat. The lean meat has been buried in the sauce for a long time, and every small piece is covered with the salty and fragrant sauce. When you click your tongue, the unique fragrance of beans is mixed with lard; chew , the pork fiber is stir-fried, the meat is harder, but the more you move your teeth, the more obvious the long fragrance hidden in it, like the wine deep in the alley, lingering between the lips, teeth and nose.

The fatty meat is the part with the most oil. The snow-white teeth cut it in half. It seems that you can feel the small golden oil spots splashing on the teeth. Fry until the browned fat is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The yellow shell, the fat melts in the mouth, and the pork without the fishy smell is supremely delicious. The refugees cherished it and ground the few diced meat, and their eyes smiled like crescent moons.

Is this the smell of meat?

No, it's more fragrant than meat.

The coldness of winter is dispelled by a bowl of sweet porridge, and the warm current passes through the times and penetrates deep into the stomach.The coolness that rises from the soles of the feet ends in the dantian, and the delicious porridge makes people feel happy from the bottom of their hearts.

As he drank and drank, Wang Hu shed tears. The happiness and suffering that he hadn't felt for a long time were intertwined. There was sourness in the sweetness. expectations for the future.

Next year, next year will definitely be better.

……

Li Sanniang’s restaurants donate a lot of food. The fist-sized mutton buns and wheat bread are stuffed with mutton. The oil will flow out of the wheat noodles after one bite. Adults can eat both of them. full.

She personally took her family to the shanty town, and when they saw the food, the refugees almost regarded her as a fairy from the Nine Heavens, and clasped their hands together to worship her.

Of course Li Sanniang was unwilling, and she was helped up before people went down. Seeing that there were old and young in the shantytowns, the old, the weak, the sick and the disabled nested together, even she didn't feel sorry, thinking about how to expand the restaurant after the new year. People, if they have jobs that don't matter, give them some.Teaching a man to fish is worse than giving him fish.

After finishing the activity of alms giving and eating, Mo Wenyuan still didn't stop. He was like a spinning top, being beaten by an invisible whip all the time, and the time agreed to give Sun Dasheng their vegetarian food was earlier than the normal first day banquet Ten days, so Mo Wenyuan cooked the dishes for them first.

Most of the dishes were made by Mo Wenyuan, except for one thing, it was the first time he made it in the Tang Dynasty.

Mo Wenyuan walked in the yard with Zhongheiyang, winking his eyes mysteriously: "I'll give you something new to eat today, I promise it's so delicious that your tongue will fall off."

Zhong Heiyang listened to him, his ears perked up, usually Mo Xiaoyuan's cooking was so delicious that he wanted to grab the ground with his head, but now the cook himself used exaggerated embellishment methods, how delicious is the new food?

The yard of their house is very large. In addition to the kitchen, Li Sanniang also spent a lot of money to repair a storage room with a cellar. In order to practice the buried storage method, Mo Wenyuan communicated with Ziren for a long time before they built the epoch-making basement.In this room, in addition to the overwintering vegetables to be placed in the ground, there are other foods.

"Squeak-"

The door was opened, and even the room on the ground was full of things. There was a wall facing the door. At the corner on the left side of the wall stood several large black pottery vats. The caliber of the vats was large and the interior was deep. Four or five years old No child is taller than him.Large pebbles are quietly pressed inside the tank, rough thick paper is covered over the tank mouth, and the paper is tied tightly with hemp rope

Zhong Hei Yang sniffed, he seemed to smell a faint sour smell?

Mo Wenyuan walked towards the vat, untied the hemp rope, and the sour smell spread in the air.