After Xu He went downstairs, he asked Qian Jizu to find paper and pen, and then wrote hundreds of words on the paper.
Qian Jizu came forward to take a look and saw it read: "Two pounds of live eels, five qian of leek, two qian of Shaoxing wine, some coarse salt, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, green onion knots, ginger slices, and some sugar. One ounce of white pepper and two ounces of cooked lard!”
Yes, what Xu He wrote was exactly a recipe.
This dish is called "Ruudou Long Fish", and it is a "famous dish" in Huaiyang cuisine in later generations.
"The Classic of Mountains and Seas" records: "There are many eels in the water from the lake!"
This sentence refers to the Jianghuai region, where the eel meat is tender, delicious and nutritious.
Just now Xu He discovered while eating that the Qian family's Huibin Restaurant also had eel dishes, but they were just ordinary dishes like braised eel segments.
While eating, he thought that when he had time, he would recreate the soft-pocket long fish in Huaiyang cuisine to satisfy his craving.
No, it happened to be a problem with the Qian family, so he gave Qian Yu some advice, and this dish was just an introduction to solving today's problem.
As for why Xu He cooked this dish?
When Xu He worked in Yangzhou, there was a young professor named Chen Yang in the Culinary School of Yangzhou University who had a close friendship with him. Chen Yang was a famous Huaiyang cuisine master. He would learn two tricks from Chen Yang when he had nothing to do. Although his craftsmanship was It's not as good as the master, but it's enough for this life.
I remember Chen Yang said to Xu He at that time: "The eel is created by Tian Shumin and his son, a famous chef in Huai'an. The eel meat is tender and delicious. As long as it is made authentically, you will never forget it after eating it!"
At this time, Qian Jizu was holding this "unforgettable" recipe in his hand and studying it carefully.
He looked at Xu He dubiously: "Xiaohe, how can you, a scholar, know about cooking?"
"Forehead!"
Before Xu He could speak, Qian Jizu took the initiative to make up his mind: "That's right, your Xu family has a great business, and two generations have been working as officials, so it's not unusual for something to spread!"
"But!" He frowned and looked at the menu and said, "But this white sugar is very expensive. A bowl costs one or two silver. Is it too luxurious to use it for cooking? Can it be replaced with brown sugar?"
Xu He was a little surprised when he heard this. The price of sugar is high?
Isn’t brown sugar just white sugar after filtering? Why is the price so simple if it's so simple?
He kept this matter in mind, shook his head and said: "No, brown sugar has the taste of sugarcane and will ruin the taste of the dishes. You must use white sugar!"
Qian Jizu was disappointed when he heard this, but after a while he gritted his teeth and said: "Try it, if it works, the price of the vegetables will be higher at worst!"
After that, he led Xu He and Qian Yu to the kitchen.
I saw that he had just entered the kitchen, pulled an apron and tied it around his three-foot waist, and then asked everyone in the kitchen to leave.
After the others left, he followed the recipe provided by Xu He, first boiling a pot of hot water, and then adding coarse salt, balsamic vinegar, green onion knots, and ginger slices to the pot.
Then take a piece of live eel as thick as a pen and pour it into the pot. In the next second, quickly cover the pot to prevent the eel from escaping.
Seeing this, Xu He couldn't help but sigh, he didn't expect to see this scene in this life.
When Qian Jizu followed the steps in the recipe and it was time to season, he took out an earthen pot, held it in his hand like a treasure and asked Xu He: "Is brown sugar really not good?"
Seeing Xu He shaking his head, he painfully opened the lid, picked some with chopsticks and put it into the pot. Xu He shook his head and said, "Not enough!"
Qian Jizu had no choice but to add sugar according to the amount of sugar in the recipe given by Xu He.
After stir-frying, Qian Jizu grabbed a handful of chopped leeks and sprinkled them into the pot, then poured in cooked lard for five cents, and the dish was basically ready.
When the dishes were served, Qian Jizu was a little disappointed.
What the hell is this?
The meat on the back of the eel is black, and the whole plate is so dark that it looks ugly. How can anyone eat it?
Sure enough, I still trust others too easily. How could Xu He, a nerd who only knows how to read, know how to cook?
So much sugar was wasted.
Thinking of this, he sprinkled some white pepper on the dishes with a painful look on his face.
At this moment, Qian Yu, who was lighting the fire, moved his nose and suddenly tilted his head to look at the dishes placed beside the stove with excitement on his face.
"It's so fragrant, this, this, this, this dish is so fragrant!"
At this time, it seemed that the scent of pepper mixed with eel penetrated Qian Jizu's nostrils.
He was stunned.
"What kind of divine smell is this? This..., just smelling it makes people's fingers twitch!"
At this time, Xu He also took a greedy breath, and the air was filled with a familiar fragrance: "It's done!"
"Dad! I...I want to eat..." Little fat Qian Yu's saliva almost flowed from the corners of his mouth.
Qian Jizu excitedly brought three pairs of chopsticks, and next...
I saw the three of them sweeping away the freshly baked long soft fish like a whirlwind.
"It's so delicious. Dad, please make another one! I didn't eat enough!"
"..." Qian Jizu rolled his eyes at his son, turned around and took Xu He's hand excitedly: "Brother He, if this recipe is sold to a big restaurant in Jinling, it will get a high price. You, you can Did you give this to your uncle?"
Having said this, he hurriedly took out a bag from his pocket and handed it to Xu He: "Uncle, you can't get such a good recipe for free. You can take these scattered coins back first. I'll call Qian Yu again in two days." I’ll hand you twenty taels! Don’t be dissatisfied with the lack of money, these are all uncle’s turnover!”
Xu He's original intention was to help Qian Yu, a young man, and he didn't want to make a profit at all, so he pushed the bag back.
Unexpectedly, Qian Jizu was so anxious that his eyes almost popped out: "Take it, take it!"
As he spoke, he tucked the bag into Xu He's arms.
Xu He had no choice but to accept it.
When Qian Jizu saw him accepting the money, he smiled happily and said, "That's great. With this dish, not to mention Hailing County, even Yangzhou Prefecture, my Huibin Building can stand! Compared to this , what does the little white sugar used for cooking count? Hahaha!"
Qian Yu saw his father looking at Zixiong with admiration on his face.
Xu He also felt that Qian Jizu was not lying.
In the Wei Dynasty, this dish was unheard of anywhere else and would definitely kill the taste buds of all Jianghuai people.
Just as Xu He and the others were excitedly discussing this dish, a man in brocade clothes in the private room on the third floor was brewing a storm.
"Xue Bin, tell the owner of this restaurant, not only does the food taste terrible, but the food is served so slowly, does he want to close this restaurant?"
The leading man who had just chased away the idlers bowed outside the door and said, "Yes, Young Master!"
At this time, the chef Qian Jizu and others were still immersed in joy.
Suddenly, the door was kicked open.
Just as Qian Jizu was about to curse, he saw Xue Bin, who looked like a giant tower, walking in. He quickly swallowed his words.
"Shopkeeper, our young master said that the food tastes terrible and the serving time is slow. If you keep dilly-dallying, the restaurant will be closed!"
Qian Jizu wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and apologized quickly: "Please wait a moment for your young master and Miss Gu. We will arrange it right away!"
