[Red Mansion] A little chef came to the Grand View Garden

"When I was young, my family was well-off. Although I wasn't rich and well-fed, I still had enough food and clothing. I had chicken and meat every day."

"Later, my family was implicated in some incidents. My father and uncle were imprisoned and died in prison. The whole family was broken up. At that time, I really tasted the taste of poverty. That kind of poor and white taste, there is no time to come. The taste of the next meal, the kind of food that is so rough that you can't swallow it at all..."

Xie Xiaochuan didn't avoid the dazzling Qiuyang, but squinted slightly, facing the sun.

"Fortunately, during those poor days, I was still accompanied by my mother and sister, who took care of my daily life in every possible way. Looking back now, although those days were bitter, the taste was calm and sweet... Until later, My mother passed away due to overwork, and my sister is also dying of illness."

"At that time, I had already worshiped under the master of Taibailou, and my craftsmanship was advancing rapidly. Before my sister died, I vowed to give her a good ride, so I only asked her what kind of delicious food she wanted to eat the most..."

Xie Xiaochuan's words are plain, just like talking about other people's affairs, and gossiping about the past events he has experienced.But Liu Mei is a soft-hearted girl, from such ordinary words, she can feel the infinite sadness and regret.

"I was still a teenager at that time, and I thought I was quite talented in food and cooking. No matter what kind of food and delicacies my sister wanted, I could make them one by one... But my sister only said one thing , dumplings stuffed with cabbage and meat."

"So I borrowed money from my master and brother, and bought a lot of ingredients, the best meat, the best cabbage, yellow sprouts, all kinds, thick-backed, thin-stemmed, young cabbage, broad vegetable leaves... …I just wanted to make dumplings for my sister Haosheng. Unexpectedly, when the dumplings were made, my sister only took a bite, then shook her head and refused to try again, saying that it was not as sweet as she remembered."

"After my sister passed away, this matter has kept me in my heart for the rest of my life. I still don't understand, isn't it just dumplings stuffed with cabbage and meat, no matter the material or technique, what flowers can be made..."

Speaking of this, Xie Xiaochuan sighed, finally closed his eyes, closed them for a moment, and stopped talking.

At this point, Liu Mei finally understood.

In fact, Xie Xiaochuan’s sister, the delicacy that she wants to eat the most is not real dumplings stuffed with cabbage and meat, but dumplings made of gray strips of vegetables mixed with meat stuffing. Although it still tastes like cabbage, But it is sweeter than dumplings made from fresh cabbage.

No wonder, people in the world always say that the most beautiful taste is always the one hidden deep in memory.

Probably Xie’s sister never knew that the dumplings were actually made of gray strips, so she only told Xie Xiaochuan that they were dumplings stuffed with cabbage and meat.This puzzle has troubled Xiaochuan for many years. Until today, Xie Xiaochuan tasted the steamed dumplings made by Liu Mei himself.

——Accidentally solved the mystery in my heart.

That's why Xie Xiaochuan would willingly admit defeat publicly, because this is the delicacy that his beloved sister once missed the most.

"Anyway, today, thank you girl for your advice."

Xie Xiaochuan suddenly took a step towards Liu Mei, and then bowed to the end.

Liu Mei felt that he couldn't accept such a big gift from him, so she quickly stepped aside.

Unexpectedly, Xie Xiaochuan got up and added, "But today I have paid back all your favors. Next time we meet, you and I will still be rivals."

"Your cooking skills are good, and you are among the best among women. But your vision is limited, and you are rigid, and you like to set rules for yourself. What about your future achievements... If you don't like to hear it, just pretend I didn't say it Pass."

After finishing speaking, Xie Xiaochuan lifted his foot and went into the small kitchen to tidy up.

Liu Mei originally wanted to be polite, saying that she was actually unintentional.

But when she understood Xiao Chuan's last words, she almost didn't jump into a rage—I didn't expect this person to have such a bad temper, fearing that he owed others favors, and finally dared to comment on her cooking skills indiscriminately .

Hmph, different ways do not conspire with each other!Liu Mei angrily turned around and went into the small kitchen to clean up her own mess, ignoring Xie Xiaochuan any more.

Not long after, Mother Liu hurried back to the small kitchen.

"Mei'er, the old lady made a roll call and said that since you won this time, you will still be able to cook the snacks later." After speaking, Mother Liu looked at Xie Xiaochuan who was busy in the small kitchen again.

At this time, the situation has passed, Xie Xiaochuan is no longer Liu Mei's opponent, and even "gives up" the victory that has already been obtained to Liu Mei.This made Mother Liu's gaze unavoidably warm again.

But Xie Xiaochuan was still as deadly as ever, he packed up his belongings, asked the way out of the garden, and left alone.

"Mother!" Liu Mei was very nervous, "Today, the old lady and the others are going to the garden, they get tired easily, and they will pass on the snacks in a short time. Did the higher-ups say, what should we do?"

Mother Liu thought about it too, nodded quickly, and said, "Yes, the second wife personally ordered three snacks: lotus root powder and cinnamon sugar cake, goose oil rolls with loose fillings, and those small noodles fried with butter. Once fried..."

After Liu Mei calculated, it was okay, there was still time.

"The second wife also said that the crabs left over from yesterday should not be wasted, and I will also make a snack."

Liu Mei thought about it for a while, Mrs. Emotional Wang was digging a hole for her!

It is indeed recorded in the original book that when Mother Jia invited Grandma Liu to visit the garden, the maids handed over two small holding boxes, each with two snacks, which were exactly the four items Mrs. Wang ordered: lotus root powder and cinnamon sugar cake, and goose oil roll with loose filling. , butter fried small noodles of various colors, and the same thing, it is a small dumpling filled with crabs that is about an inch long.

As a result, Mother Jia was too tired of it and didn't like anything.

But these were hand-picked by Mrs. Wang, and she had to do them.

"The crab meat was taken out yesterday. It was fried with ginger and sealed with sesame oil. It just works. Meier, let's make small dumplings as usual."

"The little dumplings with crab stuffing, are they too greasy?" Liu Mei asked her mother.

Mother Liu shook her head: "How can you get tired of something so fresh?"

Liu Mei did not agree: "Mother, the goose oil roll is made of goose oil; the small noodle fruit is fried with butter; the only cinnamon cake is okay, but it is sweet. The old ladies and ladies above, At noon, I ate so many...eggplants with ten chickens, big hoofs and soft tendons, how can I not get tired of it?"

"..." Mother Liu thought about it for a while, and immediately smiled, "We usually just eat casually, and we won't get tired of things like crabs at all. Tell me, does this count as a full man not knowing a hungry man hungry?"

Liu Mei is absolutely down, but think about it, the truth is the same, the poor don't feel the rich are tired.

"Mother, sister Ping'er, did you send a message to tell you to try to make today's snacks according to the old lady's taste?"

Mother Liu shivered, nodded, and said, "Yes! Meier, tell me, what kind of snacks are we going to use this crab meat for?"

I don't know when, Liu Mei has become the backbone of the small kitchen, and Liu's mother can safely let Liu Mei decide on the dishes and snacks.

Liu Mei looked around at the materials in the small kitchen, took pictures immediately, and said: "How about this, mother, the goose oil rolls with loose flesh and small noodle fruits are the same, and they can't be changed. Just do what you want, lotus root powder and cinnamon. Use half of the sugar in the sugar cake, and use more dried osmanthus. As for the crab...we will not make dumplings, but make crab-flavored glutinous rice siu mai."

"Mother, Mrs. Zhang mentioned earlier that I will be making sweet porridge tonight, so I have soaked glutinous rice. I will go to the big kitchen to ask for some ready-made soaked rice. You will look at the other ingredients for me first."

Liu Mei walked quickly, and as soon as she went out, she turned on the road to the big kitchen, and successfully fetched the glutinous rice from Zhang Cai's house that had been soaked for more than two hours.Glutinous rice is glutinous rice. The last staple dish she made at the crab feast yesterday was glutinous rice.After this kind of rice is soaked, it can absorb the taste very well. Just add a pinch of crab powder to make the whole "crab shell yellow" delicious.

The same is noodle, glutinous rice siu mai has the advantage over small dumplings. The glutinous rice will balance the greasy feeling brought by crab meat, and there is no oily soup in the mouth, because the glutinous rice will absorb all the soup.

Mother Liu was still hesitating, "Then...do I need so much crab meat to make siu mai?"

Liu Mei smiled and said: "But you have sealed all the crab meat and crab powder with high-quality sesame oil, and it will be no problem to store them for ten and a half months. My wife just said that I don't want to waste money, but why are we wasting these?" Woolen cloth?"

Crab meat, crab paste, crab roe and crab powder that has been fried with ginger and sealed in oil can be stored in a cool place for ten and a half months without any problems.These good things, as long as you take a little out, make crab powder tofu, crab powder grilled cabbage heart, or even do nothing, just serve with freshly steamed white rice, it can be fresh from the tip of the tongue to the stomach, why bother today I have made dumplings, so greasy and unpopular?

Once the dim sum recipe was decided, Liu Mei started to do it.This time, she had no pressure at all, and she had her own mother on the side to help. Compared with the lunch banquet, she was much more relaxed.

The goose oil roll with loose flesh is the same as the small noodles. Liu Mei said that the original recipe was not changed, but the amount of oil was reduced somewhat. The small noodles were steamed in the drawer and then fried with butter. There is less oil, and it can better retain the original color of the noodles. The fried noodles are sweet, soft, and brightly colored. They are not like those made by ordinary methods, which are yellow and oily.

As for the lotus root powder and cinnamon sugar cake, Liu Mei has made Daiyu several times before, and now she is very familiar with it. The rich aroma of osmanthus overwhelms the sweetness. If it is paired with a cup of green tea, it will be the best autumn afternoon. refreshments.

And those small siu mai with crab-flavored glutinous rice in the size of an inch are even more exquisite and cute.

Inside the siu mai skin made of hot noodles is crystal clear glutinous rice, soaking up the soup, occasionally mixed with small pieces of crab meat.The top part of the siu mai skin is pleated into a pomegranate flower shape, and it is not sealed, revealing the glutinous rice inside, with a little red crab roe dotted on it.After steaming in the pot, the aroma of rice mixed with crab meat overflowed. Liu Mei opened the steamer, and saw the siu mai inside, just like small jade pomegranates.

"It's done!"

It happened that at this time Zhang Cai's family came to urge, Liu Mei hurriedly packed all the snacks in holding boxes with Liu's mother.After thinking about it, she was not at ease, so she took another holding box, quickly cut a fruit plate, packed it together, and entrusted Zhang Cai's family to send it to the garden along with the four snacks.

She hoped that these could slightly overcome the greasyness of the noon banquet, so that everyone in Jia's mansion could feel a little refreshed.

After sending out the three holding boxes, Liu Mei had the time to rest for a while.She finally felt a little tired, so she found a small place to sit by herself, poured a mug of strong tea, and drank it down in one gulp——

So cool!

Liu Mei sighed comfortably, thinking, if this is going to fall into the eyes of the real Miaoyu who is practicing in the Grand View Garden, it will be considered a bull drink!

It's also a coincidence that not long after, it was Xueyan who came to look for Liumei, saying that Daiyu was in Changcui nunnery, and wanted to invite her to come over.

The author has something to say: Liu Mei: Zongzi, Zongzi, Zongzi Festival is almost over, where are you?

Nuomi Shaomai: Dear little sister, I changed my coir raincoat and put on a white robe, don’t you know me?

Liu Mei: ...

PS Today is considered a salty party benefit, and tomorrow I will try to write a sweet party benefit.