Jiang Shuyao brushed a layer of puff pastry on the long tongue-shaped dough on the chopping board, smeared the seasoned minced meat evenly, cut a few lines on the dough with the tip of a knife, rolled it up, and pressed it into a cake shape.
Xie Xun walked over with his hands behind his back: "What kind of cake is this?"
"Guokui." Jiang Shuyao's men kept going, and he was very neat, "I'll make you a Juntun Guokui to eat."
Juntun Guokui is a traditional Sichuan snack. The origin can be traced back to the Three Kingdoms period. At that time, the army often used dry food to satisfy their hunger when they went out for training or marching. The pot helmet was easy to carry and tasted much better than ordinary dry buns, so it gradually became popular.
Juntun Guokui can be eaten alone as the main dish, or served with hot and sour noodles, maocai or fat intestine rice noodles as a side dish.
Jiang Shuyao made several in a row and planned to eat slowly tomorrow.
Set up a frying pan and heat oil, put on the pot helmet, the hot oil will bubble up around the noodle cake, fry slowly over low heat, and remove when the skin of the pot helmet turns light golden brown.
At this time, the inside of the pot helmet was not fully cooked, only the outer skin became golden and crispy, with a long crispy fragrance.
"Tomorrow morning, I will let the maid put the pot and helmet into the kiln to bake, remember to take it with you when you leave."
This is the essence of the pot helmet. After being slowly baked in the furnace, the outer skin still retains the crispy frying, but the inner part is very soft.
The layers of soft noodles are sandwiched with finely minced minced meat, and the meat is not seen in the fragrance. The soft and tender skin and the fragrant minced meat are integrated, fresh but not greasy.
Xie Xun was full. Although he was a little greedy, he was not hungry, so he nodded and said, "Okay, it's hard for you."
He didn't leave after speaking, and waited silently for Jiang Shuyao to fry the last cake before leaving contentedly.
Early the next morning, before dawn, Xie Xun got up, took the rabbit skin bag prepared last night, walked through the moon door, and came to the small kitchen.
The freshly baked Guokui ghee was fragrant, and the heat wave of the earth kiln came with the tempting aroma of meat, Xie Xun thought aloud and asked, "How many have you roasted
The maid replied: "If you go back to the master, Madam asked to bake six."
Xie Xunyi put his palms together: "That's good, I'll take one to eat on the road and bring two more."
The maid smiled when she heard the words: "Madam also planned this way. She asked the master to eat one, wear two, and then bring one for the eldest master and the second master each."
After listening to the first half, Xie Xun raised the corner of his mouth, and before he could smile, he heard the second half.
"What are you bringing them for?" Xie Xun was unhappy. Although he was his own brother, his own brother had to be counted... Bing.
The maid was startled by his cold face, and hurriedly lowered her head and said respectfully, "Madam said that if the eldest master and the second master refuse, it will be fine to take it back. Anyway, the more roasted the pot helmet, the more fragrant it will be."
Xie Xun sneered with a sneer, and said with a stern face: "They won't refuse, it's better to rub two more without being cheeky."
The maid didn't dare to answer, and Xie Xun didn't want to embarrass her. After the maid wrapped the five pot helmets in oil paper, Xie Xun packed her own and reluctantly took the three pot helmets and walked out.
The maid stopped him: "Master, Madam has prepared a water bag for you to take."
Xie Xun said strangely, "I have a water bladder."
Another maid came from the small kitchen and handed the water bag to Xie Xun and said, "Master, the water bag contains the soy milk that Madam asked the servants to grind."
Xie Xun felt the temperature outside the water bladder, and his heart felt warm. It was a good day to marry a daughter-in-law.
He packed the water bag and went to the front yard to meet his two brothers with three oil-paper bags.
Xie Lang Xie Li saw the oil paper bag in Xie Xun's hand and knew that he had found it cheap, so he quickly took it and asked Xie Xun to convey their thanks to the third sister-in-law.
As for the reluctance on Xie Xun's cold face, they just assumed they didn't see it.
They had also planned to go to the market to buy hu cakes, and the leather bags they brought came in handy.
Through the oil paper bag, they could smell the ghee fragrance and the salty hemp smell of Chinese peppercorns. The two couldn't help but sigh from marrying a wife to having a daughter, and they didn't know how they were connected.
Xie Xun's horse was far away from the three of them, and he silently finished eating the pot helmet he was holding in his hand, and then weighed the bag with the pot helmet in his sleeve, finally feeling comfortable.
＊
At the beginning of the meeting, the morning light was beginning to bloom, and after the ceremony, the sun gradually came up.
The official uniform is large and thick, embroidered with birds, elegant and stylish. It looks good, but wearing it is not the same.
Lin Cheng was standing next to Xie Xun, slumped by the sun, and his legs began to numb. He twisted his body slightly, and when he saw a man on the oblique side took out the water bag, he took out the water bag surreptitiously.
How to drink water carefully without being discovered is a difficult thing, but Lin Cheng has experience.
He lowered his head lower, and quickly removed the plug by raising his sleeves to wipe the sweat.
He put down his sleeves, and out of the corner of his eye caught a glimpse of Xie Xun moving as well.
Xie Xun's attitude was much more calm than his, and even the movement of raising his sleeves was handsome and elegant. Just when Lin Cheng thought he was really going to wipe off his sweat, he saw him take out a water bag from his sleeves.
This water bladder cover is a bit strange. Xie Xun unscrewed it. After unscrewing it, a reed tube was exposed inside.
Seeing this, Lin Cheng was extremely surprised, right! Why didn't he think of this method, his face was sore from taking a sip of water just now.
Xie Xun held the reed tube gracefully and took a few sips of soy milk leisurely.
The cold soy milk is still sweet and mellow, and the bean fragrance is fresh. After a few sips, the irritability and heat gradually dissipated.
Lin Cheng leaned slightly towards Xie Xun: "Bo Yuan, what are you drinking?" I always thought he couldn't drink water!
Xie Xun replied in a low voice, "Soybean milk."
Lin Cheng said: "Leave a bite for me later."
Xie Xun didn't expect him to be greedy for soy milk, so he was worried about the pot helmet on his sleeve.
However, Jiang Shuyao's soy milk was so well cooked, it was sweet and thirst-quenching, and had a long aftertaste. Thinking that he could eat it with Guo Kui later, he felt a lot happier, and it was not so boring to stand.
As the sun rose, the prince of Fanbang came out of the civil and military officials and presented gifts to the emperor.
At this time, the majesty of the court meeting was dissipated a little, and it was replaced by liveliness.
The old fritters and small fritters in the officialdom have the next move—the meal time is here.
At this time, it was close to noon, and everyone was hungry, their robes were rubbed and rustled, and they each took out their food.
Some with pastries, some with biscuits, and some with sugar buns…
Xie Li was at the front, dressed in a crown, embroidered with emblems on his official uniform, wearing a gold sword and majestic.
The officials standing behind him were restrained a little by his serious aura, and looked at him secretly, for fear that he would see his own small movements.
Fortunately, Xie Li was just staring straight ahead, and their hearts were relieved. Just as they were about to move, they saw Xie Li move his arms slightly.
Everyone stopped and squinted at him.
Xie Li looked up at the imperial guard of honor on the high platform, frowning slightly, the shallow wrinkles between his eyebrows deepened, and his expression became more serious.
Everyone couldn't help but look ashamed. That's right, the congratulations from the foreign dynasties and the gifts from Fanbang are meant to show the majesty of our dynasty. How could they not even be hungry
As expected of Mr. Xie, he really restrained himself and returned to the ceremony, and he can be a role model for my generation.
This kind of sun is shining, and Lord Xie is still motionless... Uh, Lord Xie is moving.
The majestic Master Xie lowered his head, reached into his sleeve, and took out an oil-paper bag from the sleeve.
He calmly retracted his hand and covered it with his sleeves, his posture was still tall and straight, as if he had never done a small gesture.
Crowd: ...
Xie Li opened the oil paper, and the aroma of ghee instantly overflowed.
He calmly posed, raised his sleeves to wipe the sweat, and nibbled at the pot helmet with a "crack".
The residual temperature is still there, the outer skin of the pot helmet is crispy, the mouth is broken, and the crispy fragrance is full of chewing.
The inside of the cake is rich in layers, layer upon layer, thin and soft inside, the minced meat is finely chopped, the taste is not much different from the soft and tough dough, the meat is full of flavor but not chewable.
The aroma of the cake crumbs is integrated into the minced meat, and the oily aroma of the minced meat is also melted into the dough after baking.
After the first bite, I couldn't stop. One bite after another, the peppery aroma of Chinese prickly ash combined with the meaty aroma, and the mouth was full of fragrance. After eating, there was a faint numbness in the mouth, and the aftertaste was endless.
Across the distance, everyone could hear Xie Li's "coffee crack" nibbling on the cake, sniffed, and smelled the faint smell of crispy oil and meat in the air.
The official next to him looked down at the duck pancake in his hand. The crust of the pancake was sticky with thick oil, not only not fragrant but greasy, and after the duck meat inside was warm, there was only a fishy smell but not fresh meat.
Hey, the pancake in my hand is suddenly not fragrant.
Xie Xun also finished eating the first cake, and the taste was so greedy that his saliva was drooling.
He pressed his breath and called Xie Xun: "Give me a bite." Flatteringly, "I brought mung bean cake, sesame cake and peanut cake."
Xie Xun said, "Keep your voice down."
"You give me something to eat, Bo Yuan, I won't call you after eating."
Xie Xun said helplessly: "Why do you always rub my food?"
"Xie Boyuan, you are not such a stingy person, are you?"
Xie Xun hummed in his heart, noncommittal, hesitantly took out another pot helmet, and whispered: "How can I give it to you?"
"When the emperor starts to drive later, you can stuff it for me."
Xie Xun complied, and when the emperor set his car and Baiguan left, he stuffed the pot helmet into Lin Cheng.
Lin Cheng could not wait to hug him on the spot and cry bitterly and shout "really my good brother". For the sake of the seriousness of the occasion, he endured it.
After taking a bite of the crispy hemp-flavored Guokui, he couldn't hold back, and he lowered his head and said, "Bo Yuan, if you are in trouble in the future, I, Lin Wenrao, will help you even if I go out of my way."
"...you can wish me a little better."
Lin Cheng shut up and continued to chew on the pot helmet.
He was used to eating the mutton biscuits at the end of the alley. At this time, when he ate the ones made by Jiang Shuyao, he couldn't help but sigh that the cakes can still make this kind of taste.
The oil on the outer skin is dry and dry, only the oily fragrance remains, but not greasy, the meat filling inside is fresh and numb, the lean meat is tender, the fat meat has been roasted and has already melted away, and the oily fat fragrance is soaked into the soft and fluffy dough skin, mellow. Delicious and delicious.
After he finished eating, when the officials around him were about to be annoyed by his faint voice, he said, "Bo Yuan, do you still have cousins in your wife's house?" The voice sounded a little shy, "If, if Like your wife, I would like to—"
"Heh." Xie Xun chuckled and interrupted his daydreams, "Lin Wenrao, you will never want to eat anything from me in the future.",,