"Mr. Liu Mang, what is this made of?" asked Dai'er, holding a plate and pointing to a green zongzi inside. Pen ~ fun ~ pavilion www.biquge.info

"Oh, this is a traditional Chinese food, and it's called zongzi. It was invented in honor of a great poet. ”

Today, Daier ran to the food festival early in the morning, and even brought a Chinese translator to facilitate communication.

"Poet, then he must have written a lot of moving poems to make people miss him so much. ”

"Well, but the main thing is that the poet has great sentiments. In order to warn the world and arouse the patriotic enthusiasm of the people, he resolutely sacrificed his life. ”

Next, Liu Mang told the deeds of Qu Yuan's throwing into the river and the origin of the zongzi and Dai'er in detail.

"What a pity, why didn't he rebel against those nobles?" Daile's eyes flashed, and she looked surprised.

"Uh...... Well, this one. Liu Mang originally had a long discussion, but after thinking about it, he realized that the traditional values of the West are completely different from those of the East.

The creeds of killing oneself and sacrificing one's life for righteousness are tantamount to playing the piano to a cow for foreigners.

"Let's eat zongzi, it won't taste good when it gets cold. Liu Mang pointed to the zongzi on the plate to hide his embarrassment.

"Okay. Dai'er nodded, picked up the dumplings on the plate with a fork and sent them to her mouth.

"Wait...... This isn't how it is eaten. Liu Mang shook his head with a smile, and took off the zongzi on the fork in Dai'er's surprised eyes: "The outside of the zongzi is wrapped in zongzi leaves, which is a plant unique to us in China. When making zongzi, only the fragrance of zongzi leaves is taken, and it cannot be directly eaten. ”

After speaking, Liu Mang took a pair of scissors, cut the hemp rope wrapped around the zongzi, and then peeled the zongzi out of the zongzi leaves and put it on the plate in Dai'er's hand.

"There are many varieties of zongzi, and there are two kinds of sweet and salty according to different fillings. Now this one is sweet, and the fillings inside are glutinous rice, sugar, candied dates, dried longan, etc. ”

"What a special aroma!" Dai Er sniffed slightly: "Is this the taste of zongye?"

"Yes. Liu Mang nodded: "After the steamed rice dumpling leaves are steamed, the aroma will penetrate into the filling, which is the same reason as adding spices to your Western dishes." ”

"Then I'll eat it. Dai'er smiled sweetly, picked up the zongzi and brought it to her mouth and took a bite: "Well, it's delicious! It's a little sweet and sticky, especially the taste of this leaf, which seems to have all entered the rice grains, and every bite is full of fragrant fragrance. ”

"Do you want to try other flavors?" After Dai'er finished eating the zongzi on the plate, Liu Mang asked.

"Okay!"

"In addition to the 'Golden Silk Date Dumplings' you just ate, we also have dried scallop rice dumplings with sea cucumbers, fresh and fragrant meat dumplings, barbecued pork dumplings, colorful honey bean dumplings, rose bean dumplings, chestnut fresh meat dumplings, curry beef dumplings...... Miss Dale, which one do you want to eat?

"So many, is each taste different?"

"yes!"

Dai'er bit her lip and was embarrassed: "What should I do? I want to eat everything, but there are so many delicacies here, I can't taste all kinds of zongzi." ”

"Haha, it's not you, it's me...... I can't finish tasting it. Liu Mang laughed.

"Isn't that a chef? or a Chinese culinary god, can't you taste all the food of your own country?"

"Of course, in our China, in addition to the eight main cuisines, there are more than a dozen other cuisines such as monastic cuisine, Dongjiang cuisine, Hakka cuisine, Yunnan cuisine, Chongqing cuisine, Tianjin cuisine, Hebei cuisine, etc., and countless varieties have been derived from these cuisines. It is no exaggeration to say that even if they are only a few hundred miles apart, the taste of the two places has different places and its characteristics, how can they taste them all?"

"It's ...... It's just amazing!" Dai'er looked longing: "China is the real country of food!"

……

"Hey, why are you absent-minded! The noodles are going to be cooked!" Lin Xiao stretched out a hand and shook it in front of Li Ruonan's eyes.

"How can there be ......" Li Ruonan was stunned for a moment, withdrew his gaze from Liu Mang's body not far away, and scooped the noodles in the pot into the noodle bowl.

Today, Dai'er came to the food festival, Liu Mang made a cameo appearance as a tour guide and docent, and Lin Xiao and Li Ruonan temporarily guarded the noodle stall.

"Hehe, hey, are you worried about Lao Liu, do you want me to change him back?"

"Cut! No!" Li Ruonan's face was embarrassed: "You think Liu Mang is like you, you can't look at it." ”

"What happened to me?" Lin Xiao was a little angry: "I'm just a little bit of true temperament, a little bit of fraternity, just like the so-called ten thousand flowers, not a single leaf touches." It's like Lao Liu, just like a monk who recites scriptures and meditates. ”

"There is no one who can say Huaxin so high-sounding. If I were Qianyao, I would have to be beaten hard!" Li Ruonan gritted his teeth and waved the bamboo chopsticks in his hand.

"You women, you are just too greedy, men are like children, they will always go home when they are tired of playing, right?" Lin Xiao disagreed.

While the two were talking, Liu Mang walked over.

"What's the matter, don't you accompany that noble lady?" Lin Xiao quipped.

"I've already told the translator that if there's anything I don't understand, I'll just ask the chef at the stall. Liu Mang took a big sip of the water on the table: "Ruonan, you take a break, let me come." ”

"By the way, after the banquet yesterday, the fat man who opened the restaurant asked you for the 'Dongpo steak' method, did you teach him?" Lin Xiao asked.

"Teach, why don't you teach?" Liu Mang nodded: "It's just a recipe for one dish, if this dish can be sold in his restaurant, then it can also invisibly enhance the reputation of our Chinese cuisine." ”

"That's right!" Lin Xiao sighed: "The form is really getting better and better. If you can't successfully apply for the World Heritage this time, you will really have no shame to face Jiangdong's fathers. ”

"Also, didn't Francis promise to introduce us to a few United Nations officials? Li Ruonan said.

"Well, although the United States is like China as a personal society, everything is easy to do as long as it is related. But first make a good impression on these officials with our food, and then we can add a lot of points. Lin Xiao analyzed.

"Okay, the harvest of this banquet is far beyond our imagination, we will definitely succeed step by step!"

"And where are we going down?"

"Chicago, the second largest city in the United States after New York. ”

Three days later......

"Lao Liu, I didn't expect the crowd in Chicago to be so enthusiastic, it's a bit like the scene when France welcomed the Allies into Paris. ”

Liu Mang's convoy had just arrived at the pre-rented venue in Chicago, and many people who had received the news rushed over.

And when I was in Los Angeles, some people heard that these Chinese chefs were leaving, and even drove to Chicago with them.

"Everyone, please leave, today we have to prepare the venue, and tomorrow we will officially open for business. Zhou Xiaolong held a megaphone and shouted as he stood on the truck.

The truck was surrounded by a crowd of people who had heard the news, and most of them were Chinese.

"Do you need help? We are from the Kaiping Association of Chicago, and today we heard that the country's fellow villagers were coming, and we rushed over early in the morning. A middle-aged man in a red T-shirt, a sunhat, and a small national flag in his hand asked.

"Kaiping Fellow Townsmen's Association?" Liu Mang said in surprise.

"Oh, the Kaiping Association is one of the more influential Chinese organizations in the United States, and most of them are made up of immigrants from China. Lin Xiao replied.

"Fellow, how many of you are there?"

"About 50 of them came today. I've been in the U.S. for many years, and everyone thinks about authentic Chinese food! So as soon as we heard the news that you were coming to Chicago, we couldn't wait to come. ”

"Okay, it just so happens that we don't have enough manpower, so I'll treat you to dinner when I'm done. Lin Xiao jumped down from the truck and said.

"Haole!" the middle-aged man answered, and quickly gathered their manpower to help Liu Mang unload the kitchen utensils and ingredients they were dragging on the truck.

The venue rented by Liu Mang this time is indoors, which is a large-scale exhibition covering an area of tens of thousands of square meters, and the venue of this center is sponsored by Dai Er and belongs to the property of the Max family.

Because it has just been built and has not yet entered the use stage, Dai'er asked Liu Mang and them to hold a food festival first.

For this matter, Lin Xiao has been making fun of Liu Mang on the road for a long time, saying that he sacrificed his hue in exchange.

With the help of dozens of people from the Kaiping Townspeople Association, at four o'clock in the afternoon, Liu Mang and the others completed the layout of the place in advance.

"Big brother, my name is Liu Mang, who are you?"

"Oh, my name is Jiang Fangping, and I'm from Kaiping, Guangdong. The middle-aged man stretched out his hand and said.

"Thank you so much for coming to help today. Liu Mang held Jiang Fangping's hand and said gratefully.

"Yes, yes, yes! We're all compatriots, and we should help each other. ”

"Old Jiang, everyone has worked hard, you take a rest first, and we'll cook immediately. Lin Xiao walked over and said.

"Then you're welcome!" Jiang Fangping laughed.

After cleaning the stove, Liu Mang asked, "Brother Lin, what do you want to eat?"

"I'm casual, but Lao Jiang and they are all Cantonese, so let's make some light Cantonese food." Lin Xiao replied.

"Okay, let's make some home-cooked food in Cantonese cuisine. Liu Mang thought for a while, walked to the fresh-keeping cabinet placed on the side of the exhibition hall, and took out the ingredients to be used.

"Well, there's fish heads, fresh chicken, eggplant, and ...... ribs" Because there is also a power supply on the truck, the ingredients in the crisper are still very fresh.

"A product of eggplant pot, steamed pork ribs with soy sauce, and salt-baked chicken in a casserole...... Liu Mang checked the ingredients, and the names of the dishes burst out in his mind.

"Come on, come on, come on, everyone come and take a hand, and we're ready to eat soon. Lin Xiao ran over, took the ingredients in Liu Mang's hand and greeted.

So, washing vegetables, cutting vegetables, everyone is a master, and soon the preliminary work of the ingredients is ready.

"Lao Liu, come and fry, everyone wants to try the craftsmanship of the chef. Lin Xiao said with a smile.

"Okay. Liu Mang nodded and took out a few clay pots from the cabinet.

The first dish is salt-baked chicken in a casserole, which takes a long time, so prepare it in advance.

The processed chicks are divided into two halves, marinated with sand ginger powder and five-spice powder to absorb the flavor, and then set aside to marinate.

The pickling process had to wait for about 30 minutes, so Liu Mang began to prepare the condiments for other dishes.

Take only the middle part of the ribs, then chop them into small pieces, add soy sauce, minced garlic, minced ginger, chopped green and red peppers, add light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, salt, oyster sauce, sesame oil, starch and mix well, and marinate as well.

"Lin Xiao, help me bring the cut eggplant. Put the ribs aside, Liu Mang said.

"It's coming. Lin Xiao answered and came over quickly.

This 'salted fish and eggplant pot' is a home-cooked dish in Cantonese cuisine.

Interestingly, before Liu Mang participated in the Chef God Competition, Luo Badao's subordinate Li Qianran showed this dish in front of him.

At that time, Liu Mang had not yet gone to Shaogong Mountain to learn art, and his technique of thickening was still a little flawed, and he was slapped in the face by Li Qianran.

After so long, Liu Mang hasn't made this dish, if it weren't for this time to say that he made Cantonese food, he wouldn't be able to remember it for a while.

Heat the pan with cold oil, boil the oil until it is hot, and Liu Mang poured down the eggplant that Lin Xiao had cut.

Lin Xiao's knife skills are not covered, the skin of the eggplant piece has been changed by him with the wheat ear knife method, cutting off a piece and leaving a piece, which is very good-looking.

'Zila!' the eggplant was put into the pan, and there was a burst of popping sounds.

As soon as Liu Mang remembered Li Qianran's provocative appearance in front of him, he naturally cheered up and felt that he must make a better eggplant pot than him.

Quickly scoop up the fried eggplant pieces, then add water to boil again, and blanch the eggplant again.

In order to make a delicious eggplant pot, this process of frying first and then blanching is essential. This is the only way to make the eggplant soft and tender, without being too greasy.

Then stir-fry the meat foam until fragrant, add Cantonese bean paste, ginger, garlic slices and other condiments, then add a spoonful of broth to boil, put the eggplant off the heat and simmer.

"Brother Lin, is the casserole cooked?" Liu Mang shouted.

Because there are more people today, there are 80 or 90 chefs in the Kaiping Townspeople Association and their own side, so the amount of dishes prepared should be a little more.

"It's coming!" Lin Xiao wore asbestos gloves and lined up the eight burned claypots on the stove.

Liu Mang removed the iron pot from the stove, and then scooped the finished eggplant into the hot eggplant in turn.

"Zizi!" the casserole made a loud noise, and all the flavors thickened at this moment, and then quickly bloomed.

"Wow! it's really fragrant!" Jiang Fangping sniffed and exclaimed.

"That's right! That's the smell!" another man in the association exclaimed, "This is the taste of home!"

"Guys, eat slowly, the rest will be here in a moment!"