As soon as I walked into the restaurant and heard the arrogant mandarin of the waiter, I knew this was a Cantonese restaurant.
"One person!" Li Jinglong said, casually sitting down at a dining table.
Yingtian Mansion is the capital of the Ming Dynasty at the foot of the emperor, where the best talents and ingredients from all over the world gather. There are also several famous Cantonese restaurants in the Guangzhou Guild Hall in the capital, and Li Jinglong is also a frequent visitor.
When it comes to food, Li Jinglong is considered an expert. Cantonese cuisine actually includes many types, including Cantonese cuisine, Dongjiang Hakka cuisine, and Chaozhou cuisine.
After sitting down, he looked around. It was a medium-sized restaurant. Unlike restaurants with other cuisines, there was a kitchen at the door, with several cooks busy amidst the smoke.
Immediately outside the kitchen, there is a dazzling array of prepared braised side dishes, salted fish, etc. A few diners were eating their bellyfuls there.
After choosing for a long time, it seemed that I wanted to eat this one and that one too. The little boy who followed them was not impatient at all and kept introducing them with a smile.
It was dinner time and the room was almost full. There was a charcoal pot on almost every table, steaming hot.
"Sir, what can you eat when you're tired?" The boy ordered the food and came over immediately.
"What are you good at?" Li Jinglong asked.
“All of our restaurant’s signature dishes are ours!” the waiter laughed, “They’re all delicious!”
Li Jinglong squinted his eyes and saw the few scholars who had come in earlier. There were already charcoal stoves on their tables, so he said, "I want that too!"
"Would you like to have a side stove?" The boy smiled, "What kind of dishes do you want? There are fish fillets, mutton, chicken, and fresh shrimps."
"I want it all!" Li Jinglong waved his hand.
"Can't you finish eating?" the boy wondered.
Li Jinglong was in a good mood, "I've finished eating!"
The boy was stunned for a moment, then quickly ran to the kitchen, brought out a charcoal basin with red flames, and placed it on the hollow dining table in the middle.
Li Jinglong eats a lot of Cantonese food, but what he eats is exquisite. Besides, no one would dare to put such a big brazier with the flames sticking out in front of him, Li Jinglong.
The charcoal basin seemed to be old, and the bottom was cracked and tied with iron wires to fix it. The boy seemed to think that the fire was not strong enough, so he poked it with an iron hook a few times, and sparks suddenly flew out, almost burning the mink hair on Li Jinglong's body.
After another trot, the boy held an equally old casserole, placed it on a charcoal basin, and then carried a brass kettle with a long spout, and began to pour soup gurglingly.
“The soup in the shop is made from fish bones and shrimp heads. It’s so fresh and sweet!”
"This thing is kind of interesting!" Li Jinglong smiled and said in his heart, "It's the same as the mutton pot in the palace. But the palace is a copper pot, and this is a clay pot."
He eats a lot of Cantonese-style casseroles, but they are all prepared and served. This is the first time that they are put on the charcoal pot like this.
The fire is strong, and the people who are roasting are warm, and they are already warm before eating.
Moments later, fish fillets as thin as wings, round fish balls, sliced meat, etc. came one after another, as well as tofu and vegetables, shrimp and fat chicken, yuba, winter melon and radish slices, and cut chicken gizzards and kidney slices.
"Sheep and fish are so fresh!" Li Jinglong looked at the dishes on the table and thought to himself, "This way of eating is not only bold and joyful, but also coincides with the ancient charm. More importantly, it is rich and frugal, but also lively and joyful."
Seeing that he didn't move his chopsticks for a long time, the boy not far away couldn't help but said, "Sir, drink the soup first, otherwise the soup will not be so sweet after cooking!"
"Sweet?" Li Jinglong frowned, "Sweet is not good. Others can say it. If those old killers make sweets at banquets, they will be scolded. Because they are sweet, they don't drink wine!"
I thought so in my heart, but I still poured some soup myself and took a small sip.
As the soup enters my stomach, my frown immediately relaxes.
This is not sweet, but fresh! Although there is no mellow taste in the mouth at first, the aftertaste is endless, and it seems that the taste flows into the limbs and bones along with the soup in the mouth.
“Better than a big restaurant!”
Li Jinglong was overjoyed and poured the fish fillets in with chopsticks.
"No!" The little boy came over quickly, "You can eat the fish fillet after just blanching it for a few times, but it will become old if you blanch it for a long time!"
As he spoke, he began to introduce non-stop, "The fish fillets and fish balls are cooked quickly, and the chicken can be cooked for a long time, so I know how to cook it. If you want to eat something, just eat it, and eat as much as you want..."
He kept talking, and then swished to the counter.
Use a small bowl to start mixing the ingredients, mince ginger, onion, black soybean, fry minced garlic, and add a little bit of southern milk.
He turned around and asked, "Sir, are you too tired to eat coriander?"
"Eat!" Li Jinglong laughed.
Then all kinds of ingredients come into the mouth, the fish fillets are smooth and tender, the chicken is smooth but not sticky, and the shrimps are crisp but not falling apart.
The problem that was lingering in his mind was solved because of this restaurant he accidentally entered.
He, Li Jinglong, also had some talent in his heart. He remembered the miscellaneous notes he had read and said that Dabianluo is a traditional Han cuisine, and eating it around the stove is called Dabianluo.
There is also such a description in Su Dongpo's collection of works, "Luo Fuying cooked it with all kinds of food and drink, and named it Gudong Soup. All the guests said it was good."
The poet Lu Taoist then came up with a couplet saying: "Put the glutinous rice into the soup pot, dig into the cellar and wander around in the rice bowl."
The Ming Dynasty adopted the Yuan Dynasty and restored the Han family's etiquette. For the old man's seventieth birthday, he used this kind of side stove as a banquet dish, which was suitable for the occasion. Moreover, the ingredients were easy to prepare and it was not troublesome to cook.
But after all, it is Cantonese food, which lacks a bit of the taste of the Central Plains. Then just add some Central Plains elements and let the cooks study it.
Li Jinglong had a hearty meal and felt comfortable all over.
"Come here!" He waved outside.
The officer who was guarding outside came in immediately and said in a low voice, "Master, please give me your orders!"
"Have you ever seen such charcoal stoves and casseroles?" Li Jinglong whispered, "Go to the Shuimenguan Grocery Market and buy as much as you want!"
"Yes!" Chang Sui agreed and immediately went out to give instructions to other Xiaos.
Then, Li Jinglong picked his teeth with a bamboo stick and waved to the boy again.
"Sir, have you eaten?" The young man nodded and smiled. Although he was young, he was seen by many people. From the moment Li Jinglong entered the store, he knew that this person was not an ordinary person.
"How do you make this soup? Can you write it down for me? And how do you make the dipping sauce?" Li Jinglong said with a smile.
"No!" The young man's face turned pale with fright, and he waved his hands repeatedly and said, "My third uncle's secret recipe is passed down to men and not to women, but not to outsiders!"
Li Jinglong was a little angry in his heart, but his identity was not as familiar as that of the young man. He waved his hands in disappointment, stood up and walked out.
"Sir..." He hasn't paid yet, so the boy can't let him go.
"Go away!" The senior attendant outside the door rushed in to block the young man, then flicked his wrist, and with a clang, three silver dollars fell on the table, and asked arrogantly, "Is that enough?"
The little boy was dumbfounded. This table of dishes didn't cost even five cents of silver. The other party paid for it with three yuan. At this time, the Ming Dynasty was in peace and prosperity, prices were extremely low and silver was extremely valuable.
Chang Sui smiled and said, "You serve our master well, and the extra money will be your reward!"
"Ah!" The little boy became even more stupid.
Chang Sui followed Li Jinglong with a smile, and the boy quickly grabbed the silver dollar in his hand.
At this moment, he seemed to see hope.
Save money. If you have more money, you will be like your third uncle, open a trendy restaurant, then marry a wife and have a lot of sons.
But the next second, hope was dashed.
Before the money in his hand was warm, the landlady snatched it away and gave him a blank look.
~~
Li Jinglong came out with square steps, had enough to eat and drink, and took a leisurely stroll.
He turned around and said to the chief attendant behind him, "Go and tell the owner of the Guangdong Guild Hall and the shopkeeper of the Ruyi Restaurant of Cantonese cuisine to ask their master chef to come to the house to wait for you in the evening. I have something to explain."
"Yes!" Changsui agreed quickly, then turned around and called a boy to give instructions.
"Find a place to rest after eating and drinking!" Li Jinglong felt comfortable and thought for a moment, "Let's go to Qingxin Xiaozhu to listen to music!"
Pass through the West Street entrance, go straight to Shidunmen Street, and turn toward the three lanes within the Tiangong Nei.
Taking a stroll here in a carriage is a good time to eat.
The carriage stopped at the door, and just as he was about to step in, he saw a few men in casual clothes standing lazily at the door of Qingxin Xiaozhu.
In an instant, Li Jinglong became alert.
Just because of the lazy-looking men in front of him, Li Jinglong knew at a glance that they were good soldiers in the army.
Then the old madam's mournful voice came from inside, "Where can I buy roasted whole lambs for you guys!"
Then, the old madam came out of it, twisting her three-quarter fat waist, and walked across from Li Jinglong.
The old madam seemed to have seen a savior, "Master, you are here, the girls inside are in trouble today!"
"What's going on?" Li Jinglong squinted and said angrily, "Who is inside?"
The old madam came up and whispered, "Do you remember? I came here once before and made this young prince of Prince Yan's family miserable."
"Hiss!" Li Jinglong took a breath of air, turned back and got on the carriage.
"Master, where are you going?" the old bustard shouted.
