Monosodium glutamate is a very common household condiment in modern times. According to legend, in modern times, a Japanese professor discovered that the kelp soup made by his wife was extraordinarily delicious, and then extracted it from kelp.
Of course, there are also rumors that this thing has long been discovered overseas, but it is only regarded as a treasure at the bottom of the box by the cooking family, and it is only passed down from generation to generation in the family, and it is not humane to the outside world.
It is conceivable that it took a lot of effort for Master Bai to buy this.
"This seasoning is so delicious!" Shopkeeper Zhou exclaimed, and then seeing Gu Yin's face, he asked cautiously, "But this thing is also harmful?"
"Eating too much of this thing is indeed bad for people, but it's not accurate to talk about toxicity without the dose, so this thing is harmless to people when used properly."
Gu Yin shook her head amusingly as she spoke. She was also frightened by Wang Dafu's actions of Naga Poppy. As if facing the enemy, she thought that the Bai family would behave like that, but if it was just MSG, it would not be harmful. s things.
But this is really tricky. The reason why MSG can get close to the whole family in later generations is that its deliciousness is beyond doubt.
During the cooking competition, the Bai family will definitely use this to enhance the freshness.
Gu Yin thought about it and said, "It's okay, let's make a fresh seasoning too."
Shiitake mushrooms, also known as fragrant mushrooms in this era, rub them in clean water for a few times to remove the floating dust, remove them and cut them into strips. In addition, prepare three times the amount of shiitake mushrooms, wash and remove the dried shrimps.
Then fry the shiitake mushrooms over a low heat, and fry the water until the mushrooms can be gently crushed, and then you can cook.
In the same way, fry the dried shrimps on a low heat until the water vapor is very small, add the shredded seaweed, and then stir-fry until the dried shrimps can be crushed by hand.
Then mix the dried shrimps and shiitake mushrooms together, crush them completely, sieve them once and then crush them until they become powdery.
As soon as this homemade monosodium glutamate is made, the fragrant taste will blow on the face.
"Master made this, it's so fresh!" Chef Xu, who was in charge of grinding this step with a stone mortar, has already reached out and tasted the remaining powder in the stone mortar, "Why did Master hide it? If you had made this earlier ... Where are the other two?"
Gu Yin looked at him helplessly.
Did she deliberately never do it
This is because mushrooms are expensive in this era. Not to mention seaweed, it is a precious seafood and can also be used as medicine. When she was selling wontons in the early days, Gu Yin thought about putting seaweed in it, but after inquiring about the price, she never dared to think about it again.
A small jar of homemade MSG cost her two taels of silver.
If it weren't for the fact that Hanxianglou bought MSG from overseas this time, and they were fighting for a tax reduction quota, she would really be reluctant to get this. After all, if you eat a piece of food, you will earn a few cents of money. If you make it, you will not be able to use it. If you use it, you will lose money.
When she finishes making this seasoning, Shopkeeper Zhou will also start making her own specialty dish.
Every cook will have a few dishes as a housekeeping skill, and Shopkeeper Zhou is no exception. Chef Xu and his two young apprentices are the disciples and grandchildren of Shopkeeper Zhou, so they can naturally stay. Gu Yin took off the apron very interestingly and prepared to leave.
Shopkeeper Zhou said, "The owner doesn't have to leave. I may not have cooked this dish for a long time, so I just asked you to help Zhang Zhangyan."
This is naturally a polite remark, and Gu Yin also took his favor and stood aside obediently.
Shopkeeper Zhou made stuffed bean curd, which according to him was a palace dish.
The steps are very simple, just scald the bean sprouts, immerse them in cold water, drain and then hollow out, then stuff the shredded chicken and ham into the hollow bean sprouts, then pour them with hot oil and fry them in the pan. .
The production process of these few sentences is difficult in actual operation.
After just a few words, Gu Yin and Chef Xu were all dumbfounded. What is cooking, they are simply engaging in artistic creation.
The shopkeeper Zhou said with some embarrassment: "In fact, I may not have cooked this dish for many years. This time, in order to support the owner, naturally I can't hide it."
The business in the store is booming, but seeing that half of the net profit every month has to be paid for tax, no one is willing to put it away.
After speaking, the shopkeeper Zhou took out a set of treasures, including a long needle five or six inches long, thinner than the silver needle used by the doctor.
He held the boiled bean sprouts in one hand and a long needle in the other, and quickly hollowed out one.
If it was raw bean sprouts, Gu Yin felt that she could do it too, but the bean sprouts can be broken with a little pinch after blanching. She asked herself that it was absolutely impossible.
But the shopkeeper Zhou looked solemn and said to them, "This step must be fast, because the bean sprouts will become soft after a long time, and they will lose their crispness. And this dish focuses on the freshness of chicken shredded ham and the crispness of the bean sprouts. "
After that, he moved faster and faster, and in a quarter of an hour, he took out a small plate of bean sprouts. Then use the long needle to fill in the shredded chicken and ham.
The last thing is to fry the pan until it is out of the pan, the whole process does not exceed three quarters of an hour.
Gu Yin and Shopkeeper Zhou witnessed the whole process. The eyes they looked at this stuffed bean curd were no different from those of handicrafts. No one was willing to put down chopsticks first.
In the end, Shopkeeper Zhou tasted it himself. After tasting it, he sighed, "I'm still getting old, my eyesight is poor, my hands are unstable, and I'm slow."
Gu Yin just followed and tasted it. The first thing in the mouth was the bean sprouts, which were crunchy and fragrant, but there was no beany smell. After that, the shredded chicken and ham were fragrant. The whole dish has distinct layers, but it is fresh and crispy.
And because this method is extraordinarily rare and delicate, you can't help but feel a bit of awe when tasting it, and the very delicious food becomes twelve points.
"Don't worry, the owner, I will practice a few more times, and on the day of the competition, I won't fall for the sign of our food for the sky."
She never tires of eating and eating, and Gu Yin is ashamed of the craftsman's attitude of pursuing excellence.
After shopkeeper Zhou decided what to do, it was Gu Yin's turn to determine her competition menu.
If you don't say that you will hate the book when it's time to use it, when it's time to see the real chapter on the field, Gu Yin actually doesn't have a special dish in her mind.
Afterwards, Chef Xu comforted her and said, "Master, why do you think so much? You are not compared with the shopkeeper Zhou, he belongs to our family. You are compared with Hanxianglou. The two chefs are indeed famous. But it's not that great. Otherwise, when we first opened, how could Master grab several of his regular customers at once?"
Not to mention, Chef Xu also asked his two young apprentices to buy some snacks from Hanxianglou for her to eat.
Gu Yin also tasted many famous crafts in modern times. After eating Hanxianglou's dim sum, she had a comparison in her heart, knowing that the other party's cooking skills did not reach an invincible height, and her heart settled down.
On the day of the event, Gu Yin and Shopkeeper Zhou went to the arena early in the morning to report to Hanxianglou.
Gu Yin also finally met the famous white case chef of Hanxianglou - a white and plump middle-aged man who smiled when he didn't speak, and looked very friendly.
"Oh, it's been a long time since we met Shopkeeper Zhou." He smiled and said hello when he saw Shopkeeper Zhou. Although his accent was a bit strange, he could still understand it.
Shopkeeper Zhou also cupped his hands and said, "Master Yuan looks so good."
"It's normal," Master Yuan smiled and waved his hand, turning his head to see Gu Yin, who was very small compared to them, and smiled even more kindly, "This is the owner of your food? You are so young. , what a little one."
As he said that, he stuffed a handful of melon seeds into Gu Yin's hand, "Little lady, eat some melon seeds."
Gu Yin thanked them with a smile, and then Master Yuan gave them half of the kitchen.
Shopkeeper Zhou's fermented bean curd was ready to eat soon, so he just waited on the side.
What Gu Yin wants to do today is seafood casserole porridge.
Two bowls of rice, with sixteen bowls of water. She first boiled water in a casserole, washed the rice while the water boiled, and then put the rice in and stirred when the water boiled. Then wash the abalone in hot water, take out the internal organs, remove the teeth, and cut the meat slices with the same thickness with a vertical knife. Then start processing the live shrimp—holding a bamboo skewer in hand, neatly pick out the shrimp line, remove the shrimp whiskers, and cut the shrimp into two by crossing the kitchen knife.
Then, to kill the crab, Gu Yin held the knife down on the crab legs with one hand, opened the crab shell with the other hand, and then with two knives, removed the front of the crab shell and the crab horns, then took out the internal organs in the middle of the crab lid, and then removed the crab. Cut the meat vertically in the middle, divide it into two, and remove the crab meat.
After slaughtering the shrimps and crabs, rinse them, put them together with the abalone and the white sand scallops that have spit out the sand, and put in the winter vegetables that Gu Yin had marinated in advance—that is, cut the core of the cabbage into pieces, dry it until it is half dry, and then put it in Marinated with salt and garlic. This thing was pickled when Shiweitian pickled sauerkraut before, and it's perfect for making seafood porridge.
Then add oil, shredded ginger, and salt, stir and marinate in the porridge for a quarter of an hour.
Wait until the rice porridge is boiled, take out 70% of the rice, then crush the soaked scallops, and put the marinated abalone, shrimp and crab into the casserole. After boiling, sprinkle some pepper, stir well and immediately Turn off the flame.
During the interval between Gu Yin's porridge, someone had already come to inform that the county magistrate and a group of wealthy squires had arrived, so shopkeeper Zhou also started. Made a small plate of stuffed bean curd.
Both of them are quick and quick, but Master Yuan of Hanxiang Tower has been standing in front of the stove and eating melon seeds on the ground.
Seeing that they were well, Master Yuan also stood up and lifted the lid on the urn.
In an instant, the fragrant smell that made people swallow their saliva wafted into the whole kitchen.
Master Bai, who was standing outside, also came in, like adding some treasure, and carefully put several packets of special seasonings from his family in. Master Yuan urged him to put in less, but he didn't stop him.
Gu Yin couldn't help but muttered to the shopkeeper Zhou with a bitter face: "Is this Buddha jumping over the wall? No wonder the shopkeeper asked me not to be stingy with the cost when preparing the dishes."
If you really use the cheap food for the sky to fight against Buddha Jumping Over the Wall, then you will lose more than half of the fight before it starts.
But even though Gu Yin had prepared seafood porridge, she still had no idea what to do with more than a dozen kinds of meat and seafood.
But it was useless to think about it at this time. Gu Yin and Shopkeeper Zhou served seafood casserole porridge and stuffed bean curd, while Master Yuan lifted his own urn and jumped over the wall, and went out together.
A group of judges headed by the county magistrate were already waiting in the wing of Hanxiang Building.
There are a total of seven judges, including Gu Yin's acquaintances—
While chatting with the county magistrate, Mrs. Wen winked at Gu Yin, who had just entered the door.
Then came the tasting session. Master Yuan’s Buddha Jumped Over the Wall came out a little later, so everyone first tasted the seafood casserole porridge and stuffed bean curd.
The seafood porridge was still steaming. Before it came out of the pot, there was a little Gu Yin's homemade MSG. There were three small plates next to it, with chopped green onion, coriander and celery, so that diners could add them according to their own tastes.
Several people filled a small bowl in turn. The porridge was delicious and smooth in the mouth. Even if it was no longer accompanied by vegetables, it was sweet and smooth, very delicious.
The stuffed bean curd that the shopkeeper Zhou worked hard for several days is only a small plate, and it is obviously not enough for a few people, but because of the seafood porridge, the fermented bean curd is a side dish that goes with the porridge, and that is just right.
A mouthful of fragrant and crunchy stuffed bean curd, and a mouthful of delicious seafood porridge without fishy smell, no one dares to underestimate Shiweitian, which has been in business for less than a year.
Mrs. Wen was the first to say, "This porridge goes with this dish, I eat it very well."
Several others also nodded.
Then there's Master Yuan's Buddha Jumping Over the Wall, which is really fragrant when the lid is lifted.
In addition, there are abalone and sea cucumber, fresh chicken and fresh duck, and the soup is so thick that the color and aroma are excellent, and it makes people's index fingers move.
Even people like Mr. Wen and Mr. County present at the scene, such precious dishes are not easy to eat.
Everyone ate it separately, and Gu Yin smelled the ingested fragrance, and her heart raised her throat.
But she didn't get nervous for a long time, because after tasting it, Mrs. Wen frowned and said, "Why do I feel so greasy and fishy when I eat it?"
After he finished speaking, he looked at the others, and the others nodded and said, "It's a bit fishy."
The results came out soon, and the food was a victory, winning the tax-free quota for the coming year.
Grandpa Bai was also waiting to hear the result. He couldn't believe it when he heard the words: "How is it possible? This is Buddha jumping over the wall! How can you not win the seafood porridge and fried bean sprouts in this area? Is it because the old man has friendship with Shiweitian... "
Mrs. Wen said you can pull it down. He first pointed to the stuffed bean sprouts made by shopkeeper Zhou and said, "You call this fried bean sprouts?" Then he pointed to the Buddha Jumping Over the Wall made by Master Yuan, "If you don't believe me, try it yourself."
After the result came out, the old man was too lazy to talk to him, and left after telling everyone.
The county magistrate had other business affairs—he wanted to raise money for bridge repairs and paving with the rich squires. This tasting food was just the reason he invited people, so he invited everyone to go to the county office.
Master Bai still reluctantly tasted all the food on the table again, and after tasting it, he sat down slumped.
It doesn't matter if he is depressed, the place where he really regrets is gone. How did you know that shopkeeper Zhou still had such a unique skill? Otherwise, even when he was fighting for the family business, he wouldn't push people out!
Master Yuan was still there, and sent Gu Yin and Shopkeeper Zhou away.
"Little lady has the ability, congratulations!" Master Yuan congratulated her with a smile.
Gu Yin hurriedly said that she didn't dare, and only said, "I'm lucky."
"It's not a fluke," Master Yuan said in a low voice, a little aggrieved: "My Buddha jumps over the wall, it's terrible to do. I'm not good at doing this, the owner insisted me do it, and added a lot of that. What kind of VIP seasoning. I said that it was too fresh, and it was easy to excite the fishy smell of the ingredients. He didn't listen."
Gu Yin couldn't help bending her lips, and she didn't know whether to praise Master Yuan for his good attitude, or to say that Master Bai was defeated by MSG.
"Master Yuan, listen to me, that seasoning is too much to make the mouth dry, so just put a little freshness before eating."
Master Yuan smiled and nodded, "Thank you for your reminder. But don't worry, that seasoning is worth 10 taels of silver, and our owner is not willing to put more than that."
"One money and ten taels?" Gu Yin was shocked. Before that, she was still painstakingly for a jar of two taels of homemade flavor. She didn't expect that the MSG that Mr. Bai bought overseas was so expensive.
Thinking of Mr. Bai's dejected appearance after losing just now, Gu Yin didn't feel embarrassed to mention the matter of making MSG, which was like rubbing salt on people's wounds.
But what she couldn't bear to do, someone did it for her—
When she and Shopkeeper Zhou returned to Shiweitian, they saw Bai Zixi who was waiting for Shiweitian to hear the news.
Seeing Gu Yin and Shopkeeper Zhou smiling, Bai Zixi let out a long breath.
Chef Xu, who was working in the front hall instead of Gu Yin, laughed and said, "Which house does Mr. Bai belong to?"
Bai Zixi blushed, and muttered, "I don't think my uncle won because he relied on overseas seasonings. He won't win by force. But since the little lady has won, then I don't have to worry."
He specially sent Hanxianglou's VIP condiments in front of him. Even if he didn't send them, the shopkeeper Zhou would buy them, but in the end he had accepted his favor.
Gu Yin went out to participate in the competition that day, and there was no food she made herself in the store, so she asked Chef Xu to go to the back kitchen to get some of the things she made as a thank you gift, and she went to tell Wang's family the good news that they can reduce taxes in the coming year. .
Chef Xu turned around in the back kitchen, thinking that what Gu Yin had made recently was not the homemade MSG.
Moreover, Bai Zixi also brought the seasoning from his family, and it is also very suitable to call back the seasoning as a thank you gift.
He wrapped some in paper, and specifically said to Bai Zixi, "Young Master Bai, be careful. This thing is expensive. There are several taels in a jar, and it costs more than ten pennies."
Bai Zixi took the paper bag back to the Hanxiang Building, and Mr. Bai was banging his abacus with great anger, calculating how much less income his family would have after there was no tax cut in the coming year.
Master Yuan's chubby body shrunk beside the counter.
Although Master Yuan is not young, but because he has devoted himself to the study of food all his life, he is not as smooth as a middle-aged person, and his temperament is similar to that of a teenager.
Seeing Bai Zixi coming over, he raised his eyebrows and smiled at him, then immediately lowered his face, looking like he was also reflecting.
Bai Zixi suppressed his smile and helped Master Yuan and Master Bai to beg for mercy.
Mr. Bai said impatiently: "Don't talk to others, how many times have you run for food? Last time, I met a regular customer in our building. What's the matter, Hanxiang Building let our big room take care of it, Are you not the young master in the building?"
The atmosphere in the Bai family was still peaceful, but because the old man's health suddenly deteriorated, the two people in the two rooms were fighting for the housekeeping power, and the swords were drawn. After the dust settled, the big room managed the Hanxiang Building, and the second room was responsible for reckoning and splitting the money, and the relationship eased up again.
Bai Zixi has a pure and good character. Even when he was fighting for power, the uncle Bai did not deal with the child.
So Bai Zixi didn't dare to be stubborn after being disciplined by his uncle, and just explained in a low voice, "Then I didn't save 10 taels there before, was it a VIP over there? I've saved all my money, so of course I have to finish it. ."
Before, I was embarrassed to let Shiweitian know her identity, but since the county government's identity was revealed, Gu Yin didn't change her attitude towards her, and still respected him like an ordinary guest.
Bai Zixi is no longer embarrassed, he has long wanted to try Shiweitianna's new winter products. Recently, he has been obsessed with pickled fish, and neither sour nor happy.
If his biological father was here, he would definitely be knocked out when he heard this. Although Master Bai was angry, he just glared at him and asked him and Master Yuan to stand at the counter and reflect.
Standing still is not a problem, Bai Zixi asked for words: "Don't be angry, uncle, the black-hearted Wangyuelou has collapsed. Hasn't our family's business returned to the past? We used to fight between two big restaurants, but now we are one family. For the respect, the food is for the sky, although it is powerful, it is also the business of ordinary customers..."
This was a pleasant remark, and Mr. Bai was relieved, and then he heard him say: "Also, people eat for the sky and do things upright. His family also made a new seasoning. I heard that it is not for sale, so I gave it to my nephew. share."
As he said that, he took out the paper bag and opened it, and Mr. Bai also put the abacus, thinking in his heart that it was this seasoning that made his Buddha jump over the wall lose
Master Yuan is a connoisseur at the top, so naturally let him taste it first. After tasting it, Master Yuan didn't say anything.
And then there is Master Bai and Bai Zixi tasting.
After tasting it, Master Bai hummed: "It's not that bad, it's not as good as our VIP's seasoning!"
Bai Zixi echoed: "Indeed, it's no wonder that only a dozen pennies are needed."
Uncle White:…
There are only half of his delicious seasonings, not counting the tax reduction quota that won his family, the price is only one thousandth of what he bought!
No one can stand this excitement!
Bai Zixi and Master Yuan were frightened and hurriedly carried them to the hospital.
Fortunately, Mr. Bai is usually strong and strong, but this day, he is so angry that he can't breathe in one breath. He will rest for ten days and a half months.
He fell, and the two sons of the Bai family's big house were on top, but in the end, he couldn't stand it when he was young, and it was the turn of the year, when the business in the building was at its best. Please come back and temporarily manage the kitchen.
Because the second master Bai lost the management right of Hanxiang Building, he was bored at home these days, and even let Bai Zixi go to check the accounts.
Now that he is out of the mountains again, the more he sees his son, the more he likes it. If Bai Zixi is a few years younger, he would like to hug him and kiss him a few times.
Confused, Hanxianglou returned to the pattern when Mrs. Bai was still alive.
…
On the food side, the New Year is approaching, and there is no Mochizuki Tower in the town. In addition, Gu Yin and the shopkeeper Zhou have won the title of the official restaurant, and the business has taken a step forward. The delivery team headed by Ye has been re-established to help deliver the durable snacks.
We have been busy until New Year's Eve, when every family is reunited at home, and everyone is busy.
Gu Yin and shopkeeper Zhou spent an afternoon to settle the accounts, and the entire store made a total of 300 taels of net profit this year.
It is a pity that there is no tax cut this year. Now the taxation of the imperial court is terrifyingly high. You have to travel 300 li to the imperial court for 150 taels.
Gu Yin also gave each official employee a tael of silver to celebrate the New Year, including Gu Ye and Wu An who had been helping all the time. The remaining one hundred and thirty-seven taels, half of which must be reserved as working capital for the coming year.
The last sixty-eight taels are the money that can be moved.
Twenty taels were given to the shopkeeper Zhou, that was Gu Yinzao who had agreed to share his bonus.
Shopkeeper Zhou pushed back and said, "I have paid enough wages every month, and I have all the food and lodging in the store. I have saved a lot of money in a year. The one or two New Year's expenses given by the previous owner are enough to spend. ."
"One yard is one yard, this is what you deserve." Gu Yin insisted.
When shopkeeper Zhou was in Wangyuelou, he only had to do it himself when entertaining distinguished guests. When he arrived at Shiweitian, he cooked a large pot of vegetables every day. Although he said that he was not tired, the workload was definitely much larger than before. Not to mention that in order to fight for tax reduction for his family, he repeatedly practiced that fermented bean curd, and he did not know how much mental effort it took.
Thirteen months' salary a year is the highest salary Gu Yin can afford now.
Of the remaining forty-eight taels, half was naturally distributed to Wang, who was also a shareholder, and the other half was kept by Gu Yin.
At this time, Gu Yin had 24 taels of bonus in her hand, and the wages she had saved earlier—except that in April she did not count her wages, and every month after that, she also received 22 taels of wages every month, just like Shopkeeper Zhou. Eight months is one hundred and sixty taels. Most of the time, she has nowhere to make money. It cost more than fifty taels to repair the Wang family's old house. With Yin's name, she must have paid for it herself.
In other words, she still has one hundred and thirty taels of silver on her body.
A year or two ago, who would have thought that their mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, who had fled, could earn so much money
Don't you need to improve your quality of life after making money
On the afternoon of New Year's Eve, Gu Yin gave everyone a half-day leave, and she was going to move with Wang Shi, Song Shiliu, and two little guys.