Volume 3: Dragon and Snake Movement Chapter 406: Food is the People's First Need
Zhang Shou remembered that he had tasted dishes like copper pot fish in Yunnan in his previous life. The most important word was spicy, so before the chili pepper became popular, he was somewhat skeptical about the century-old restaurant recommended by Ah Liu. However, he was not familiar with Tongzhou at all, and Ge Yong was happy to accept any place he recommended, so he just chose this one.
At least, if Ah Liu, who also has a picky taste, says that the food is quite delicious, then it shouldn't be too bad.
It was also because of this that Mr. Ge had tasted the dishes he cooked twice when he was in Cangzhou, and not only did he adapt well to chili peppers, but he also showed a great love for them. So after the Jiang family's attendant left in a huff, he went to the kitchen himself and planned to watch the shopkeeper cook the copper pot fish. If it didn't work...
He doesn't mind rolling up his sleeves and cooking in person to show his respect for his teacher, and maybe it will become a good story.
Although he was somewhat surprised that Zhang Shou came to the kitchen in person, no matter how proud he was of his cooking skills, he would never dare to refuse Zhang Shou's observation at this moment. However, when he thought that his signature dish might become one of the dishes for the banquet at someone else's house, he couldn't help feeling a little distressed, especially when Zhang Shou asked him to cook the first pot for others first.
Zhang Shou didn't expect that the shopkeeper was afraid that he would steal his skills. He found that the copper pot was almost the same as the one he remembered. The auxiliary ingredients for cooking fish were also green onions and celery. As for other seasonings, they were quite common, except for the lack of chili peppers. He looked at the shopkeeper's cooking method again and immediately understood that this was just a copper pot fish with spicy and salty taste, but without the most important spicy taste.
When the shopkeeper saw that Zhang Shou seemed a little dissatisfied after looking at the main and auxiliary ingredients, he boldly said: "Sir, there are many restaurants in Tongzhou that make this copper pot fish. It is said that it was made by the cooks under the guidance of our great grandfather when he passed by. The pots are the same, and the fish are mostly the same, but only our family can become a century-old restaurant because of my ancestral craftsmanship. If you don't believe it..."
Before anyone could finish their words, Zhang Shou chuckled and said, "Okay, I didn't question your meaning. It's just that the teacher and I have a strong taste, so I specially brought a seasoning. After you stir-fry the onion and ginger, add this seasoning to the mix, and then add the fish and water."
Seeing that the shopkeeper was stunned for a moment, hesitated for a moment and then nodded, Ah Liu took out a porcelain jar and handed it to him without saying a word. Seeing that the shopkeeper took it carefully, he glanced at Zhang Shou and then said stiffly: "I'll watch here."
Zhang Shou knew that this guy was stealing because of the rice noodle seller Xu Ba. Seeing the shopkeeper opening the porcelain jar and looking at the red dried chili inside with curiosity, he smiled and said, "This is called chili. Well, you can think of it as something similar to Sichuan pepper. It is a spice brought from overseas and has a unique flavor."
The shopkeeper had never thought that his small shop would one day use the precious spices from Shanghai. His eyes lit up and he was so excited that he could not be more excited. So, when Zhang Shou turned around and left, he quickly concentrated on making the next pot of copper pot fish. However, when he was frying the onions, garlic and celery in the copper pot and was about to open the porcelain jar to put the mysterious pepper, he could not help but glance at Ah Liu.
"Excuse me, little brother, do you want to put all of them in?"
Ah Liu was finally startled this time, and hurriedly jumped forward and shouted in a deep voice: "Let go less!"
If his wrist had not been held tightly, the shopkeeper doubted whether he would have poured the whole can of chili in with a trembling hand! However, although he was already cautious enough, when he saw Ah Liu staring at him eagerly as he added this unheard-of seasoning, he couldn't help but tremble, and his hand couldn't help shaking.
With just a shake... the excess chili peppers were already put into the pot with his gesture! Immediately afterwards, the extremely strong smell rushed straight into his nose, scaring him so much that he stepped back and sneezed several times. He didn't even know when the porcelain pot in his hand was taken away by Ah Liu!
At that moment, the shopkeeper who had been cooking for a lifetime felt his mind go blank, as if he had returned to the time when he first learned to cook with his father as a child. Because he was too nervous, he put sugar into the pot instead of salt. That time, he was beaten half to death by his father, just because sugar was much more expensive than salt, and he also ruined a pot of delicious food. Afterwards, his father forced him to eat up the pot of sweet fish.
Until now, he still remembers the strange sweet taste... The only thing to be thankful for is that the next beating made him remember to step back and turn sideways when sneezing, and never sneeze towards the pot and seasoning. Because in the eyes of his stubborn father, even if the guests can't see it, it is the greatest blasphemy to food!
It was not until Ah Liu coughed loudly that the shopkeeper, who was immersed in nostalgia and sneezing, came to his senses. When he saw that Ah Liu was actually stirring the seasonings in a serious manner on his behalf, he hurriedly went to find paper to blow his nose, then washed his hands and came back to take the wooden spatula. He was very glad that this fierce-looking young man could actually use both hands.
Otherwise, in just a short while, the pot would be burnt!
His nose was still a little unhappy, and he begged for mercy in a muffled voice: "Brother, I know this seasoning is very precious, I didn't mean it..."
"No need to say anything!" Ah Liu solemnly held the porcelain pot he had just snatched in his hand, glared at the shopkeeper unhappily, and then said impatiently, "Don't waste time, hurry up and make your dish!"
Seeing that the man was fierce, but didn't seem to have any intention of further investigation, the shopkeeper couldn't help but tremble with fear. After he finished frying all the ingredients, he added the fish cubes and stir-fried them. When he saw that the fire was almost ready, he added the broth, covered the lid and simmered it. Thinking that he should simmer it over low heat next, he wouldn't make the same mistake again, and he couldn't help but wipe his sweat.
But he found that Ah Liu was still standing by, and he immediately became curious. Just now, this guy was watching by the side, which could be explained as being afraid that he would abuse or even steal this precious seasoning, but now that it has been put into the pot, why is he still standing by?
However, before he could even ask the question, Ah Liu took the initiative to answer it for him: "When it's ready, give me a bowl to try."
The shopkeeper almost popped his eyes out. Could it be that he wanted to test the poison? Last time when the prefect stayed at his place, although someone came to the kitchen from time to time to check, no one tried the poison first. However, thinking about the difference between a mere prefect and a great master, although he felt a little aggrieved, he still smiled and agreed. But the reason Ah Liu gave next made him even more dumbfounded.
Seeing that the shopkeeper seemed a little reluctant, Ah Liu emphasized, "I recommended you to the young master. If you fail to cook well and waste the seasoning, then I recommended the wrong person. Do you understand?"
This time, the shopkeeper finally looked at Ah Liu carefully, and then he finally remembered that this was indeed the young man who had passed by his shop a few months ago and ate a whole pot of fish in one breath! It was just that he came alone at that time, but now he was with Master Ge and his group, so he didn't recognize him at all! Who made this young man look...unremarkable?
He was originally trembling with fear, but suddenly his face opened with a smile, and then he patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, little brother! You brought such a distinguished old man like Grand Master Ge to our century-old shop, I will definitely use all my skills to live up to your recommendation! Don't worry, it will be delicious, and if it's not, I won't charge you for it!"
Ah Liu glanced at the shopkeeper with disdain: "Not tasty? Then we need to find someone else to make it."
The shopkeeper was stunned. He brought a cook with him when he went out? What a grand old master! But then he realized that he had completely misunderstood. Because Ah Liu looked at the kitchen and said to himself, "The young master has a picky taste. If it's really not tasty, he might come down to cook it himself."
Although he had just mentioned Grand Tutor Ge, the shopkeeper was in Tongzhou and was not isolated from the news. Of course he knew that Zhang Shou was the future son-in-law of the Duke of Zhao's Mansion in the capital, a person favored by the emperor, a popular doctor of the Imperial College, and the teacher of a large number of playboys.
At this moment, when he thought that his small shop might become a foil for Dr. Zhang to cook for his teacher, he felt an unprecedented sense of crisis. So, next, Ah Liu witnessed the special skills of a truly top chef with his own eyes.
The kitchen knife was as fast as lightning, and all kinds of side dishes were almost transformed into flowers under the shopkeeper's knife. Even if they were just arranged on the plate before being put into the pot, they were still pleasing to the eye. Although he hadn't tasted them yet, the boy smiled with satisfaction as he looked at them.
With such excellent knife skills and plating skills, and the fact that he has tasted the food himself, it should be able to satisfy the picky eaters of both the old and the young.
When Zhang Shou supported Ge Yong and asked someone to call the two students to come down for dinner, the shopkeeper had already brought his son, nephew and grandson to serve four dishes and a soup, including the copper pot fish. According to his original intention, he was ready to make more, but Ah Liu stopped him directly, saying that the copper pot fish weighing four pounds was enough for at least one dish to replace three dishes.
Peanut, the monk Guantao, and the guards who accompanied them occupied the four tables next to them. The food was almost the same as Zhang Shougeyong's, the only difference was that the copper pot fish was replaced by copper pot chicken - because there were only three fresh fish in total, and the guests who stayed in the hotel earlier had reserved two early, so the rest were naturally not enough. In front of the little monk was a vegetarian meal.
At this moment, the guests were also called down by the shopkeeper to eat. Originally, they had planned to wait until Zhang Shou and his party finished eating before coming down, but the shopkeeper shouted that it was the order of Grand Tutor Ge and they didn't have to be so rigid, so the guests really didn't have to be rigid, and as they came down one by one, they also took advantage of their initial superiority to peek at what was being eaten over there.
When they found out that there were only four dishes and one soup on the table of the great Imperial Master, some people couldn't help but exclaimed: "Grand Master Ge is really frugal. I thought that when eating for such a high-ranking official, he would have to fill up the table like a collection of beads!"
The guest who was talking shut up in a hurry when he realized that his voice was too loud. Then he followed the other two companions dejectedly to his own table under the guidance of the waiter. As a result, he found that he was sitting next to the old Master Ge. As long as he stood on tiptoe and looked, he could clearly see what dishes were on the other person's table!
As soon as he sat down, he heard Ge Yong's laughter: "A first-rank official would want to have ten or eight dishes for a meal. That means he is either from a wealthy family with no worries about food or he is extravagant and corrupt. My family is just a small family and we are content with it. We have sons and grandchildren. I can't eat up all the food by myself and leave nothing for them. Of course I have to save some money."
Seeing the guest who had just commented on the number of dishes standing up in a hurry, as if he was trying to apologize, Zhang Shou raised his glass and said with a smile: "Teacher is just joking with you. In fact, teacher just pities my poor family, so he deliberately saves money for me. A math master like you naturally understands the principle of living within one's means and never wasting."
After hearing what Zhang Shou said, there was a burst of compliments from all around. The guest who originally wanted to apologize also sat down awkwardly at Zhang Shou's gesture.
And only at this time did Ge Yong glance at Zhang Shou with a half-smile - even for a short while he was trying to flatter him, his last disciple really didn't forget to praise him all the time!
If his former students dared to be so disgusting, he would have hit them with a chopstick long ago! But who made Zhang Shou have such strange things in his mind that he could study day and night?
When Zhang Shou brought a pair of clean chopsticks and gave him a piece of fish, he took the first bite, and his nonchalant expression immediately changed. Then, he immediately looked at the two shy future disciples opposite him and said, "Don't be polite when eating, eat it while it's hot, don't wait until it gets cold, or it won't taste right!" If you don't eat it now, you won't get any!
After saying this, Ge Yong caught a glimpse of Ah Liu standing in a corner of the store, his eyes roaming around like a hawk, so he called out, "Ah Liu, don't stand there, this is not the wilderness, come over and have a meal with us!"
When Ah Liu saw Zhang Shou looking at him with a smile, he coughed and said, "I ate in the kitchen first!"
"This kid is always like this when he's out there. Unless he hunts game or catches fish himself, and then sees something I've prepared, he'll sit down and eat with me. Otherwise, he'll definitely finish eating first and then stand by."
Zhang Shou explained to Ge Yong and then pointed at the copper pot and said, "Teacher, do you believe it? If the fish originally weighed five catties, there must be at most four catties in the pot now. If there were four catties, there must be at most three catties in the pot now. If you don't believe it, we can ask the shopkeeper."
The people on the side were already a little stunned by what they heard, but what made them even more stunned was that Zhang Shou waved to the shopkeeper to ask him something. The shopkeeper hesitated for a moment, then stammered, "The young man ate two bowls of fish, about one kilogram. However, he also ate half a pot of mutton and a bowl of rice by himself."
Hearing that rice can be measured in a bowl, Ge Yong was finally surprised. He glanced at Ah Liu who still looked calm, and said with a cough, "Since he has eaten, forget it, let's eat! You three young people, don't be embarrassed, I tell you, I am not young, but I have a good appetite!"
