The taste of pufferfish is no less delicious than that of abalone fin and belly, and can even be said to be better. After all, not many people know how to cook pufferfish. In other words, there are still many flavors in pufferfish that have not yet been developed. Even in later generations, this is still the case.
The most valuable thing is that puffer fish are full of treasures. Even the highly poisonous internal organs, eyes, etc. are very delicious, and each has its own characteristics. Unfortunately, today's technology is limited, and Li Qi does not dare to risk adding fish eyes. Fish roe and other fresh flavors.
It would be a pity to cook the whole fish, but it would be against the rules to cook it separately, so Li Qi came up with the idea of using paintings to combine all the delicacies of puffer fish into one dish.
Song Huizong wandered around, then suddenly pointed to the background and asked: "Li Qi, what are these white and yellow ones?"
Li Qi smiled and said: "The top one is stewed egg white, and the bottom one is stewed egg. I did this to fix the fish meat so as not to mess it up, but the fish soup of pufferfish is added to both, which is also very delicious."
Everyone took a closer look, and sure enough, those fish heads and golden dragons were all stuck in the egg custard.
Cai Jing pointed to the golden dragon and asked, "Is this golden dragon made of puffer fish?"
"The Taishi was only half right. In fact, this golden dragon is made up of three parts of the puffer fish. One is the braised puffer fish meat. I took the fish's back muscle, cut it into strips, and added oil with the fish liver. Pan-fried, because the liver of puffer fish is the freshest part of a river fish, after the fresh flavor of the fish liver is completely forced out, add sugar, a small amount of liquor, honey, seafood sauce, abalone juice, and special sauce Sauce, simmer about half a stick of incense over high heat, then turn to low heat and simmer about a stick of incense to collect the juice."
Then he pointed towards the curved part of the golden dragon and said: "The second one is the mouth of the puffer fish. This golden dragon is made of six puffer fish in total, so I chose the mouth of the puffer fish to connect them together. The taste of puffer fish mouth is no less delicious than puffer fish meat. When paired with thick soup and pigeon eggs, it is really delicious. The third one is the tail of puffer fish, which is what you see on the faucet now. These fish The tail is marinated in abalone juice, you must try it later."
After everyone listened, they all secretly said that they were surprised. They didn't expect that the cooking method of this golden dragon was so complicated. At the same time, they also understood why he had to use so many "" stoves to cook puffer fish. If he cooked the puffer fish in the same way, this would not be possible. Go tomorrow.
Song Moquan suddenly saw that the "bamboo" in the lower left corner had a hard texture, and couldn't help but ask: "What is this bamboo made of?"
When Li Qi saw it was Song Moquan, he unconsciously curled his lips, and then said: "Fish bones."
Wang Fu asked in surprise: "Can fish bones be eaten?"
"You can't help but eat it. The bones of the puffer fish are also amazing."
Li Qi chuckled. Then he explained: "I first marinated the puffer fish's backbone a little, then put a layer of egg paste on it, fried it, and then wrapped it with the rice straw that was burned together with the puffer fish meat. .This not only increases the beauty, but also reduces the greasiness and highlights the crispiness of the spine."
Song Moquan smiled and nodded, saying: "Fish bones? Bamboo? Not to mention. There are some similarities. This is a wonderful idea."
Cai Jing suddenly pointed to the river: "What is this river flowing from the sky made of?"
Since it is called Qi Tunshan and River, how can there be mountains without rivers? Li Qi replied: "This is made of five pieces of puffer fish skin and crab roe stewed together. It is taken from Li Taibai's 'The water of the Yellow River comes from the sky'. But the inside
There is a lot of crab roe, so those over forty-five years old should eat less."
This kid was still thinking about teasing me at this time, which was really annoying. Cai Jing coughed lightly, and then thought about it, he said to eat less, but he didn't say not to eat. There was no specific amount to eat less.
Obviously, this old foodie is attracted to this fish skin.
Song Huizong glanced at Cai Jing, smiled slightly, pointed to the fiery "rising sun" and the ruddy moon, and said, "What are the sun and moon made of?"
Li Qi smiled and said: "The sun is made of the puffer fish liver I mentioned earlier, and the moon is made of fish ribs. These fish ribs are very nutritious. I also use hens, Lao
Duck, pig's trotters, ham, and puffer fish skeleton are cooked together. Let's not talk about the taste, but the nutrition is the best among them."
"I understand."
Song Huizong nodded, and suddenly saw a group of wild geese flying in a herringbone shape under the golden dragon, and said: "Huh? What is this?"
. . "" Li Qi added: "This is made by marinating the dorsal and pectoral fins of puffer fish and the oil from fried oysters."
Duan Zhengwen sighed: "This is really unbelievable. This painting was completed with only a few pufferfish, and the taste of each scene is different." After that,
He suddenly realized that the most beautiful words in the world could not describe this dish.
At this time, the heat was much reduced. Zhao Kai was young and had better eyesight. He pointed at the "white mist" between the "mountains" and said, "Li Qi, what is this?"
He was sweating! You want to ask me this too? Li Qi said: "Your Highness, this is sashimi."
“Sashimi?”
Zhao Kai exclaimed in surprise and said, "I didn't expect the pufferfish flesh to be so crystal clear and as white as jade."
Li Qi smiled and said: "Your Highness, it is said to be sashimi, but it has actually gone through some processing. In fact, I marinated the fish fillets and egg whites first, and then boiled them a little in the soup stock to make them look like this. You have to cooperate with me.
Eat it with the special sauce.”
Seeing that none of them had the sauce, Zhao Kai asked curiously: "What about the sauce?"
Li Qi pointed to the eight big characters and said: "There."
Song Huizong was shocked and said: "You said this word is written with sauce?"
"That's not what I wrote."
Li Qi shook his head and said: "I first asked Bachelor Zhang to write it for me, and then asked someone to carve it on wood. When stewing the egg whites, first put the wood into it. After the egg whites are stewed, take out the wood and then add the sauce.
"
Everyone felt a little dizzy, it was just a few words, it was too complicated, but every part of the whole dish was exquisite, and the ingredients were just right.
After Long Jiang and the other imperial chefs listened, they remained silent for a long time and looked a little ugly.
Li Qi stretched out his hand and signaled: "Your Majesty, my lords, would you like to try this dish first?"
"Yes, yes, I almost forgot this is a dish." Song Huizong said with a bitter smile.
What are you talking about? Li Qi said again: "According to the rules of puffer fish, when eating puffer fish, you should "The Little Chef of the Northern Song Dynasty Chapter 375: The Golden Knife King of Kitchens" The person who cooked it eats first, so can the emperor tolerate this?
I’ll taste it first.”
Only then did everyone remember that this picturesque dish was made from poisonous puffer fish, and they couldn't help but feel a little timid again.
Song Huizong smiled and nodded and said: "Okay, you can taste it first."
"As commanded."
Since this dish was so huge, Master Li Qi and his apprentice served it together, trying every "scenery".
After tasting it, and after a while, Li Qicai said: "Your Majesty, ladies and gentlemen, please use it."
Song Huizong couldn't wait for a long time. He took the chopsticks and thought for a while. Finally, he chose the golden dragon. He picked up a piece of puffer fish meat and put it into his mouth. He tasted it carefully. This was the first time he tasted this taste.
He exclaimed: "It's so delicious, it's so fresh to the core. It's no exaggeration to say it's the freshest in the world."
Cai Jing and Gao Qiu had tasted pufferfish before, and were not afraid at all. Cai Jing went straight for the crab roe fish skin. After eating a small piece, he immediately felt that the fish skin was crispy and tough, and it was full of spicy flavor when chewed.
The aroma of the crab roe was as if it was tailor-made for him. After eating one piece after another, he took Li Qi's words to heart.
Gao Qiu chose the Yue'er made of fish ribs. As soon as he put it in his mouth, his first reaction was that it was lubricated and not greasy. Before chewing it carefully, it gently slid into the esophagus, giving people the feeling of
It's as soft as the moonlight shining on your body.
Heshi Liebohe was quite courageous. He picked up the pufferfish meat and stuffed it into his mouth. He was not interested in anything that was too small. It was a big deal to eat this. He stood still and used chopsticks better than anyone else.
quick.
Zhao Kai didn't bother to stand with this rough man, so he turned to the bottom, picked up a fish bone, put it in his mouth, and said in surprise: "Well, this fish bone is crispy and delicious, it has a really unique flavor.
Delicious, really delicious.”
Zuo Boqing didn't argue with them, he only picked the egg custard to eat. Li Qi smiled slightly and said to himself, this is the person who knows how to eat. The egg custard has absorbed the essence of the entire river puffer fish, so compared to the river puffer fish, there will never be any
Difference.
After Zuo Boqing tasted it, he glanced at Li Qi and said with a smile: "This is indeed an imaginary taste."
Song Huizong asked curiously: "Boqing, what did you say? What do you think of the taste of "Little Chef of the Northern Song Dynasty"?"
Zuo Boqing lowered his head slightly and told Song Huizong what Li Qi had said.
Everyone listened and nodded frequently, feeling that what he said was reasonable.
After hearing this, Song Huizong laughed and said: "Li Qi, although I have never tasted your father's cooking, I believe that you must have surpassed your father today."
Li Qi's heart was shocked and he couldn't help asking himself, is it true? If his father were here, how would he evaluate my dish? It's a pity that I can no longer compete with my father. Thinking of this, his eyes suddenly dimmed.
When I came down, suddenly a dark shadow swayed in front of my eyes, and I was slightly startled. I saw that the ministers who were afraid to eat just now had all gathered around, and the table was immediately filled with water.
"Well, Zhengdao, come and try this fish head, it's really delicious."
"Prince Wang, come and try this sashimi, it's really delicious with this sauce."
.
Wow! Is there any need to be so exaggerated? Li Qi broke out in a cold sweat and suddenly saw Long Jiang going to Heshi Liebohe and whispering a few words, and then Heshi Liebohe served him a small piece of cod liver.
and fish meat. Over there, Gao Ping and Guo Qian also walked to Duan Zhengwen and Richard respectively, hoping to taste the pufferfish. After tasting it, the expressions of the three of them were very complicated.
After just a while, the painting was swept away by Song Huizong and other ministers, not even the residue was left. Now it is a bare piece of iron. But everyone still looks like they are still unfinished. You know
, except for Cai Jing and Gao Qiu, it was the first time for everyone to eat this puffer fish, and the deliciousness of the puffer fish itself was enough to drive them crazy.
After eating, these ministers changed from wild beasts back to modest gentlemen. They sat in their seats, sipping tea slowly and recalling the delicious food. Many people were talking about which part of the pufferfish was delicious. The one who responded best was not the pufferfish.
The puffer fish meat is the mouth and ribs of the puffer fish.
After tasting all four dishes, Li Qi and the three imperial chefs stood in the middle of the hall, waiting for Song Huizong to announce the final result.
Song Huizong took a sip of tea, coughed slightly, and said loudly: "I have tasted all four dishes. Which one do you think is the best?"
Wang Fu shook his head and said, "These four dishes are all delicacies in the world. It's hard to evaluate them."
Cai Jingdao: "Xiang Wang is right. These four dishes are all very delicious, especially Master Long's Golden Pearl and Li Qi's Swallowing Mountains and Rivers." At this point, he changed the subject and said, "But Li Qi's
One dish combines several cooking methods such as frying, boiling, stewing, stewing, simmering, and stir-frying, and the taste of the dish includes fresh, sweet, salty, sour, etc. It can be said to be a combination of flavors from all over the world, so I think
Li Qi’s pufferfish is the best.”
Duan Zhengwen laughed and said: "I thought Li Qi turned sweet, salty and sour into one flavor, that is umami. What flavor in the world can beat the word umami? The most delicious in the world is naturally the best."
Gao Qiu nodded and said: "Not only that, Li Qi's dish of 'the sun and the moon compete for glory, and the mountains and rivers are swallowed up' can be said to be the best in the banquet of the four countries. I think no dish can beat it."
Heshi Liebohe said sincerely: "I also think Li Qi's puffer fish is the most delicious, but it's a pity that no one in Dajin can cook this puffer fish."
Song Huizong was very impressed by these words. He laughed and said, "I think the same as you all. This dish really tastes like what you imagined. Oh no, it should be said that it has exceeded imagination."
Everyone else also thinks that Li Qi should win, and their opinions are very unified. This is the first time this has happened in the previous Four Nations Banquet. After all, everyone has different tastes, but Li Qi’s dish is all-inclusive and you can always find your favorite.
food.
Song Huizong was overjoyed and said: "Since you all like Li Qi's puffer fish so much, I declare that Li Qi will win in the third round." After a pause, he added: "Three rounds of competition, Li Qi won the second.
, then the winner of this Four Nations Banquet is Li Qi."
This result was well deserved, and no one had any objections. Even the other three royal chefs did not show the slightest hint of dissatisfaction on their faces. They themselves were big gourmets. When they tasted the puffer fish cooked by Li Qi, they were already convinced.
The results were expected, and disappointment is inevitable. After all, they have been preparing for so long, and everyone wants to win first place, but this does not mean that they have given up. In the next session, if there is a next session, they hope to compete again.
Li Qi competes in a showdown.
As for the three masters and disciples of Li Qi, except for Li Qi who was relatively calm, Wu Xiaoliu and Chen Dazhu were trembling with excitement. One bit his lower lip and the other bit his upper lip to prevent himself from laughing out loud. They silently recited Li Qi's four words in their hearts.
The mantra is: low-key, low-key.
When Song Huizong saw that Li Qi's expression was calm and he was very elegant, he liked him even more. He waved his hand and said: "Give me the sword."
Liang Shicheng personally held the nine-star golden sword in his hands and came to Li Qi and whispered: "Congratulations, congratulations."
"Thank you."
Li Qi took the sword. The golden light was very dazzling, but he didn't mind. He saluted the two disciples and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for the generous reward."
"Hey, you deserve this. I haven't rewarded you yet."
Song Huizong raised his hand, and suddenly thought of something, and said with a smile: "Since you have won this nine-star golden knife, I will make you the Golden Knife Chef King."
cāo! Here you go again, your mother's reward is enough. Why are you so elegant? I don't mind if it's vulgar. If it doesn't work, you can make me a golden sword consort. Of course, the premise is that the princess is willing to be a mistress.
, as long as she looks no worse than Zhao Jingyan. (To be continued.)