SC Johnson was stunned, surprised?

Steward Hu kept his mouth shut and continued to turn the garden, which is worthy of being a state guesthouse, even if he walked around casually, it would take two hours.

It was already eleven o'clock when he returned to Building No. 6, and Steward Hu directly brought Johnson to the banquet hall, and waited for him to sit down before confessing: "Yesterday, I gave feedback to the back kitchen about your suggestion, and the results attracted great attention. ”

"The news spread to Hao Lao, and I heard that a gourmets were coming, so I specially explained today and prepared a few dishes for you to try. ”

Johnson was a little taken aback and blurted out, "Prepare a dish specifically for me?"

Steward Hu smiled and said, "You don't have to be polite, it is our duty to satisfy your guests." In fact, it is not a special case, as long as Hao Lao has time, he likes to communicate with guests who know how to eat, please don't mind. ”

Johnson secretly breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this, but he didn't expect a few casual words to reach the ears of the Diaoyutai Executive Chef?

But it's okay, the master just wants to see the highest level of the imperial dining room, and today is a rare opportunity, it is a mule or a horse, pull it out and slip.

Steward Hu went to the back kitchen to arrange, Johnson was looking forward to it, and soon the first dish was served, and the blue and white porcelain lid was opened......

"Clear soup lion's head!" Steward Hu said confidently: "The prime minister's favorite dish back then was not light, fat but not greasy. ”

The pale yellow lion's head, soaked in milky white broth, and garnished with two slices of greens next to it, is refreshing and simple.

Johnson nodded secretly, this dish was originally a classic of Huaiyang cuisine, with a plump form, like the head of a lion. Formerly known as sunflower chopping meat, when Emperor Yang of Sui was lucky, the chef made four dishes with the theme of Yangzhou Wansong Mountain, Qian Dun, Ivory Forest and Sunflower Gang with the theme of squirrel osmanthus fish, money shrimp cake, ivory chicken strips and sunflower chopping meat, which have been famous for centuries.

Pick up the chopsticks, gently pick up a piece, put it in your mouth, and instantly turn into a rich gravy, like nectar after the rain, sweeping the dry earth, and the whole taste buds are like hungry elves, all jumping with joy.

Johnson couldn't help but close his eyes, all kinds of ingredients flashed in his mind, and muttered, "Pine nuts...... Vanilla...... Bamboo shoot tip ...... Cai Yang...... Red Ginger ......"

When the waves receded, all kinds of flavors came one after another, dotted with stars, like sparks of stars, detonating the taste buds again.

The fragrance is wave after wave, like the surging river, the layers are clear, and people will not want to return.

Slowly opened his eyes and exclaimed, "What a skill!"

I picked up another piece of lion's head with chopsticks, held it flat in front of my eyes, and after careful observation, I said with satisfaction: "From meatballs to lion's head, the biggest difference is in chopping and cutting." ”

"The result of the so-called chopping is similar to minced meat, and the subsequent process of cutting and pounding or throwing is obviously more complicated and delicate than the former. ”

"Wang Xiaoyu, the chef of the Qing Dynasty gourmand Yuan Mei, once chopped the fat and thin pork into minced meat and made it into a lion's head for the owner to comment. Yuan Mei left only seven words after eating: the meat balls should be cut, not chopped. ”

Johnson put it in his mouth again and commented: "The cutting process is inseparable from beating, the purpose is to loosen the fibers on the surface of the diced meat, so that it sticks to the diced meat and holds the ball." ”

"Chefs usually use fat pork belly cut into small pieces by hand, add other trimmings, blanch them in a beaten group, and serve them with a clear soup with cabbage sum. ”

"If you don't guess wrong, this lion's head should follow the ancient method of Yuan Mei's food list in the garden, eight treasure meat balls!"

"Good eyesight!"

Suddenly, a voice came from behind him, and Johnson turned his head to see an old man walking slowly, with a ruddy face and a lofty spirit.

Steward Hu hurriedly stepped forward and said respectfully, "Old Hao, you are here." ”

"Well, I heard that there are gourmets, how can you miss it?" Hao Baoli came to Zhuang Chen, looked up and down, and said politely: "Little friendly eyesight!"

Johnson stood up, faced the seniors very modestly and said: "You are always praised, and the juniors dare not be." ”

"Hehe, you're welcome, please sit!" Hao Baoli waved his hand, Steward Hu pulled out the chair and let the old man sit down, looked at the lion's head, and said softly: "Half of pork essence and fat, cut into fine sauce, use pine nuts, herbs, bamboo shoots, Cai Yang, melon, ginger and the like, cut into fine sauce, add fiber powder and knead into a ball, put it in eight plates, add sweet wine, autumn oil and steam. ”

"Cut with the back of the knife for half an hour, and all the tendons are broken, so that there can be a feeling of broken threads. ”

Johnson nodded and continued: "I have also tried ancient methods, such as the Northern Wei Dynasty's Food Classics, including the method of making pills and burning. ”

"Ten catties of mutton, ten catties of pork, cut into wisps, three liters of ginger, five leaves of orange peel, two liters of Tibetan melon, five liters of green onions, pounded together, like a projectile. ”

"Although the taste is fatty but not greasy, the taste is still slightly inferior. ”

Hao Baoli showed a smile and said: "I think that at the first banquet of the founding of the Republic of China, there were 600 distinguished guests present, and after the banquet, the waiter was surprised to find that there was not a single braised lion's head left!"

When Qianlong went down to the south of the Yangtze River, he brought this delicacy into the capital, and his poems: the kitchen has been cut frequently, and the sunflower is new. A full stomach should also think about the sun, and eat meat and everyone. ”

The two looked at each other and smiled, for Hao Baoli, in the state guesthouse, he had seen too many things that were either rich or expensive. Among them, there are many connoisseurs who know how to eat, and the young man in front of him is obviously proficient in cooking, which makes the old man feel a little kind.

Especially as the head of the imperial dining room, with more than 200 elite soldiers under his command, Hao Baoli could not let go of any opportunity to improve the state banquet, so he ordered to carefully collect the opinions of the guests and strive for excellence.

The waiter brought the second dish, and Steward Hu took it and put it in front of Johnson, Hao Baoli said with a smile: "In 2003, I started to take charge of the state banquet dishes, and in the process, I have a deeper understanding of the state banquet. ”

"Dishes such as Buddha jumping over the wall at the state banquet, shark fin four treasures, foie gras soup with puff pastry, canned stewed beef, and grilled fish were all selling very well at that time. But this soup is still the first in the sales list, known as Diaoyutai soup. ”

Johnson looked at the crystal clear purple casserole in front of him, his nose moved slightly, the fragrance was fragrant, and blurted out: "This is ...... Mullet egg soup?"

If you look closely, you can see that it is milky white in color and egg-like, and it is processed into a high-grade ingredient that looks like a petal and is as thin as a piece of paper by the chef's hands.

It was originally a traditional famous dish in Shandong cuisine, and mullet eggs are unique sea treasures in Rizhao, with a long history, well-known at home and abroad, and are said to be the best food for the emperors of the past dynasties.

Gently put it in your mouth, a thick freshness instantly surrounds the tip of the tongue, and the soup is silky, as if a beautiful woman as soft as a boneless, dancing on the tip of the tongue.

Open arms, the whole body is surrounded by gentleness, between the ears and temples, the fragrance is like orchid, full and solid, snow-white and clean, like the most perfect work of art.

Sour......

Savor it carefully, a certain flavor is born, inserted strongly, and it is like breaking through the layers of wetness between the bamboos, and reaching the depths.

The slight throbbing makes the appetite great, followed by a light spicy, making the tip of the tongue tingle, like a broken melon, and then it is tightly wrapped in sweet and warm warmth, lingering, wonderful.

The flower path has never been swept by guests, and the Pengmen is now open for you.

Johnson couldn't help but say: "It is recorded in the food list of the garden: mullet eggs are the most difficult to serve, and they must be rolled through with water, removed from the sand, and then simmered with chicken soup and mushrooms. ”

After tasting it again, he suddenly frowned, and puzzled: "Mullet eggs have a characteristic, seeing that the vinegar is astringent, and all kinds of rice vinegar, aged vinegar, and balsamic vinegar are not very good when processing, but this soup is ......."

"There is a ...... of cucumbers"

Hao Baoli's eyes lit up after hearing this, but he didn't expect to underestimate the taste of the young man in front of him, and said frankly: "After this soup was selected for Diaoyutai, several generations of masters have improved it many times. First of all, the utensils were changed to purple sand steam pots, which looked exquisite and elegant. ”

"Secondly, it is no longer thickened, and the prepared soup is as clear as water. As for the question you mentioned, it is indeed the biggest problem. ”

"In the end, the juice of Russian natural pickled cucumber is selected, and the vinegar is not sour, the pepper is not spicy, and the soup is at the highest level. ”

Johnson suddenly realized, tasted it again, and sure enough, he caught that trace of agility and exclaimed: "It's really a stroke of genius!"