Chapter 435: Making up for regrets, Luoyang Crucian Carp
At this moment, the sky has already brightened up, and the morning sun has risen very high. The weather is very good today, unlike the past few days when it rained heavily for several consecutive days, making the day look like night.
Under the tall platform in the west hall is a purple bamboo that was planted a few years ago. It was transplanted from Yangzhou and is now about two people tall.
The purple bamboo, which is as tall as two people, makes a "rustling" sound when blown by the breeze, which makes people feel very pleasant, as if it has an artistic conception of the Seven Sages.
But the only drawback is that the temperature has risen much higher than when the sun first rose, making people feel very hot and uncomfortable.
Cao Shuang still remembers that the purple bamboo stems were green when they were young. After the first year, purple spots gradually appeared on the bamboo stems. After a few years, the bamboo stems all turned purple and black. Each branch has two to three leaves. The leaves are lanceolate and the leaf sheaths are first covered with hairs.
It then falls off, the auricles are not visible, the back base of the ligule is hairy, and the leaves are thin.
Purple bamboo is a relatively cold-tolerant bamboo. It can withstand low temperatures in winter. It likes plenty of sunshine and can also tolerate a shady environment. It is afraid of water accumulation, so it is very suitable for planting in northern courtyards.
Therefore, He Yancai proposed to bring some purple bamboo from Yangzhou and plant it in Cao Shuang's new residence. This was not entirely because purple bamboo was easy to maintain.
What's more important is that during the past nine years, Ji Kang, Ruan Ji and other seven people drank and wrote poems in the bamboo forest of Shanyang County, and their reputation spread far and wide. He Yan suggested that Cao Shuang follow suit, and many of them were planted in his Prince Consort's Mansion.
It's a pity that He Yan is still a little lower than Ji Kang and others, and he is just in appearance.
Cao Shuang waved his hand and said: "This has all passed. Emperor Wu and Ma Mengqi have passed away for decades.
Today's world, even without them, will eventually achieve unification and make up for the regrets of generations of the Wei Dynasty in our hands!"
Cao Shuang thought for a while and then said: "You will go and arrange the manpower and materials to find the mine. If you encounter any difficulties, I will give you my full support."
Huan Fan clasped his fists and said, "Promise, I will make arrangements right now. I will not let the Prime Minister down."
Huan Fan exited the west hall, and Cao Shuang also left the room. He watched Huan Fan leave on the tall platform in the west hall. It was not until Huan Fan's figure disappeared at the entrance of the courtyard that he raised his head to block the dazzling sunlight with his hands and looked at the sun.
Thinking that it was already noon, he did not enter the West Hall again. He walked down the steps and left the courtyard where the West Hall is located, heading towards the backyard dining room.
When we arrived at the dining room, we saw three ladies, Jian Jia, Bai Lingjun, and Sun Luban, all busy here. Xiao Ruan and Jian Jia, Dahu's two personal maids, were washing vegetables, adding firewood to the stove, and washing dishes.
Steamed cakes and millet were steaming in a copper cauldron on one of the stoves, and steam was constantly overflowing. This was Jian Jia's staple food. When Jian Jia saw Cao Shuang entering the dining room, she looked at Cao Shuang and said softly: "Husband, the meal will be ready soon."
Okay, please sit there and wait." As he spoke, he wiped the sweat on his forehead with his jade hands from time to time.
Compared with various rough and hard cakes in the Han Dynasty, the Three Kingdoms era had delicious "steamed cakes".
According to the "Food Sutra", chefs at this time could turn two liters of noodles into four liters using the dough-making technique, and then make steamed cakes. Among them, the steamed cakes that could steam the upper part into a cross shape were the most expensive ones.
kind.
Especially the nobles of Cao Wei often showed off by eating "cross-shaped steamed cakes". This staple food on the table today, which is similar to "bread dough buns", could be used to show off their wealth in those days.
Cao Shuang said with some distress: "Madams, why do you need to do it yourself? Just let the cook cook whatever you want to eat."
Bai Lingyun, who was squatting on the ground, wringing gauze and water to make tofu, turned to look at Cao Shuang in the dining room and said: "It doesn't matter, these are what I should do. I want to cook a meal for my husband together."
Is there anything wrong? Husband, just sit back and relax." Then he poured the squeezed bean juice into the cauldron and boiled it, and then poured some gypsum into the cauldron.
Sun Luban was cooking beef in another cauldron and cutting fish on the chopping board.
The fish is fresh Luohe crucian carp that Sun Luban had people buy from the market in the morning. It may taste different from the river fish and sea fish that Sun Luban used to eat, but it can still be considered delicious.
While cutting the fish, Sun Luban said softly: "I heard someone said that the Luohe crucian carp tastes good, so I asked someone to buy some for my husband and two sisters to try my craftsmanship. It's a pity that there is no Sichuan ginger.
This fish dumpling is best served with Sichuan ginger."
Bai Lingjun turned around and continued: "You only need the body of the fish to make fish breasts, and leave the fish head to me to make a fish head tofu soup."
Sun Luban smiled and said: "Sister, just take the fish head if you want it. It would be a waste to leave it alone."
Luoyang crucian carp, commonly known as purple fish, has a small head and fins.
The main production area is Xiangpu Bay in Luoyang River. Xiangpu Bay is calm and has abundant bait, which is a good environment for crucian carp to survive.
The mudflats in Jiangwan are mostly red loess, and the crucian carp always touches the soil with its mouth. Over time, the mouth of the crucian carp also turns yellow, which is different from other black-billed crucian carp. When the autumn wind blows, the crucian carp becomes big and fat.
It can be steamed, fried, stewed in soup, fried in flour, or made into fish breasts. The meat is delicate and fragrant, making it a delicacy of seafood.
A poet once praised: "The fat crucian carp with golden scales and thin mouth is not suitable in Luojiang River."?
The so-called "荍" refers to meat and fish cut into thin slices or thin strips. It is sweet, tender and has a rich taste.
As early as the pre-Qin period, 荍 was a rare delicacy.
According to the "Book of Songs·Xiaoya·Jiu", King Xuan of Zhou once rewarded the soldiers who returned in triumph with "邰閴鄍鍍鍍". "邰閳閴" is boiled soft-shelled turtle, and "鄄鍍鍍" is made from carp.
Sashimi.
Cao Zhi's "Famous Capitals" also says: "The carp, juàn, and fetal shrimp are cooked, and the cannon and turtle are grilled and the bear's legs are cooked." During the Three Kingdoms period, sashimi was still very popular among diners, and its representative was undoubtedly the famous scholar Chen Deng.
From the perspective of modern medicine, there are parasites in sashimi. Excessive consumption of sashimi is harmful but not beneficial. Therefore, Chen Deng often feels bored in his chest and "doesn't eat with a red face." The symptoms are more serious than Su Shi's pink eye.
Although Chen Deng's symptoms were temporarily relieved under the skillful hands of the famous doctor Hua Tuo, he eventually died of a recurrence of his old illness three years later.
Chen Deng's negative case has not deterred many gourmets, as long as the amount is right.
According to Qian Bao's "Sou Shen Ji": When Cao Cao held a banquet, he once lamented that all kinds of delicacies were available, but the only thing missing was the sea bass from Songjiang. "Today's high gathering, there are few delicacies. The only thing missing is the Wu Songjiang sea bass."
荍".
After hearing this, the alchemist Zuo Ci asked people to pour clean water into the copper basin and fished out two large and lively big bass.
Cao Cao said again: "Now that I have obtained the perch, I would rather not have the ginger ears in Shu." So Zuo Ci used his magical power again and ordered the envoy to go back and forth to Shu in a short time and bring back the ginger from Shu.
It can be seen that eating fish and meat with Sichuan ginger was indeed the best way to eat it at that time.
Later, people upgraded it. The "Jin Yu (Ji) Jade Sauce" mentioned in Jia Sixie's "Qi Min Yao Shu" of the Northern Wei Dynasty is an improved version of the Perch Sauce.
"Jinjin" is no longer just shredded ginger, but "Eight Harmonies" made from eight ingredients: garlic, ginger, tangerine, white plum, cooked cornstarch, japonica rice, salt, and soy sauce.
Cao Shuang also answered: "The Luohe crucian carp is very good. As for the Shu Jiang, my husband will have to go get it personally in a few years. I heard that the Wusongjiang perch is the best for making fish dumplings. It's a pity that there is no such thing today."
It's time." Seeing the graceful figures of the three ladies busy on the stove was a kind of enjoyment for Cao Shuang.