When Xu Fengde, the husband of the house, walked out of the hanging spring with his hands behind his back, it was lively outside.In the open space outside the hanging spring, there is a four-foot-high square earthen stove, made of green bricks, with a large belly and a small mouth, shaped like an inverted water tank, and the outside is plastered with wool clay, and there is a vent at the bottom.This is yesterday after Ren Hong got Xu Fengde's permission, with the hanging spring in the apprentices to build, it was early autumn, the weather in Dunhuang was very hot, only a day and night, the earthen stove inside and outside was completely dry, and it could be used.At present, in this stove pit, the fire is burning vigorously, and firewood is constantly being thrown into it, and the pit wall has been burned until the pit wall is hot, and after the open flame disappears, Xia Dingmao put more than 20 dough embryos that have been rolled out into it.Xu Fengde leaned over to take a look, but saw that some black flax was sprinkled on the surface of the flat yellow dough, and according to Ren Hong's requirements, the naan edge had been pinched and the ventilation hole had been pierced.The dough is tightly attached to the wall of the circular pit, and when it is finished, the top of the pit is covered with a piece of cooked cowhide.Then Ren Hong and the others didn't care about anything, they just bragged and farted on the side."
That's it?"
Xu Fengde was a little stunned, in the past, Ren Hong's new ways of eating, all of them had to be stir-fried in front of the iron pot, all kinds of ingredients, eating is delicious, it is time-consuming and laborious, and the dishes made are worth a lot of money, only entertaining officials and distinguished guests can be put on the case, how is it so simple today?"
Just wait a moment."
Ren Hong is full of confidence, baked naan is the most authentic Western Regions Province food, he ran in the Western Regions Province in his previous life, he ate almost every day, and the practice has been seen countless times, today only the simplest, neither brushed oil, nor roasted twice.Xu Fengde still has doubts: "This flax is medicine, can it be put together with the cake?"
”Ren Hongdao: "A few months ago, didn't the husband also say that garlic is a medicine, spicy and unpalatable, and refused to eat it, how about now?"
”Garlic is garlic, and it is also an alien species brought back from the Western Regions by Brother Zhang Qian, and it is only used as a medicinal herb at present.The doctors of the Central Plains believe that this thing can pass through the five organs, reach all the tricks, go to the cold and dampness, and ward off evil, and the postman messenger who travels to and from the Silk Road, often carries a bag of garlic, once he has a heat stroke, he chews the garlic and water on a piece of that taste, not to mention how sour and refreshing, the first time to eat the person, it is estimated that the spicy face is full of tears.Is it effective Ren Hong has not tried it, he only knows that once someone talks to you with a mouth full of garlic, it is most likely a postal messenger who often goes out of the house.At least in Dunhuang County, Ren Hong is the first person to put garlic into the dish, the garlic cloves are crushed and added to the boiling oil and stir-fried, whether it is stir-fried vegetables or fried meat, the taste becomes more delicious.Eating pasta is even more indispensable than garlic."
There are no two foods in the world that go well with garlic and noodles."
Ren Hong forgot which celebrity said this, anyway, it wasn't Lu Xun.For garlic, Xu Fengde refused at first, until he couldn't resist Xia Dingmao's strong recommendation, tried it once, and it was out of control, and now Xu Fengde can skillfully peel a few heads of garlic before eating, and wait for the noodles to come out of the pot while peeling.Sure enough, people in the Great Northwest eat garlic, and there is only a difference between 0 times and countless times.And counting it carefully, sesame, garlic, broad beans, coriander, cucumbers, pomegranates, walnuts, and grapes were all introduced one after another after hollowing out the Western Regions.After Ren Hong made an analogy with garlic, Xu Fengde had nothing to say, shook his head, returned to the shadow of the door of the hanging spring, and asked people to spread a pu mat and sit and wait for Ren Hong's masterpiece."
I'm going to see what you can do."
However, in Ren Hong's opinion, the old guy is hungry, and he wants to taste it as soon as it comes out.Waiting is also waiting, Ren Hong went over with a bag of flax and made another suggestion to Xu Fengde."
Lots of flax?"
Xu Fengde narrowed his eyes: "Why?"
I don't open a pharmacy in the spring. ”"Some time ago, I asked the people in Tuntian, Xiaogu County."
Ren Hong patiently explained: "They say that if you have planted flax in the first year, you will inevitably have fewer diseases, fertile soil, and high yield in the next year. ”This shows that this thing has the effect of increasing land fertilizer and killing insects, and the husband doesn't plan to open more than 100 acres of new land by the water of the hanging spring stream?
Try planting flax first. ”Hanging Springs originally only had more than 100 acres of land, did not grow grain, only as a vegetable furrow, planted some green onions, leeks, sunflowers, etc., as far as possible to ensure that vegetables were self-sufficient, recently with the increase in the number of travelers to and from Hexi, it has been a little insufficient."
If it's as you say, you can give it a try."
Seeing that Xu Fengde was loosened, Ren Hong was very happy, flax is expensive, if he can plant dozens of acres every year, he doesn't have to worry about the sesame seeds needed for roasting naan in the hanging spring.Sesame seeds also have other great uses, such as oil extraction, the oil in this year mainly comes from animal fat refining, but even domestic animals are very thin and have no oil and water.As for vegetable oil, peanuts are still in Far America, and the rape flowers that bloom all over Qinghai Lake in later generations are also alien species.So the only oil crops that can be found right now are sesame seeds.If you can take the hanging spring as a starting point, plant sesame seeds widely, and let the white sesame flowers bloom all over the west of the river.In this way, in a few years, Ren Hong may be able to drink sesame oil, and even dip the mutton in sesame sauce Thinking about it, he was a little hungry, looked up at the sun, and the time for lunch was from 15 to 16:30.At this time, Xu Fengde's nose moved."
It smells so good!"
Ren Hong also smelled it, this is the burnt aroma of the wheat noodles that are ripe, and the strong aroma of sesame seeds after baking.He looked at the naan pit, slapped his palm and smiled: "The naan is ripe!"
”Even when it came to the baking, the temperature of the naan pit was still scorching, Xia Dingmao couldn't help sweating profusely, held the tongs, and brought out the naan one by one, and the chef Zoro puppy held the basket next to him.However, I saw that the roasted naan was roasted, all the water was gone, and the sugar was degraded, dyeing the naan with a burnt yellow, and the rich wheat fragrance came to the nose.Luo Xiaopu's saliva was about to flow down, he couldn't hold back for a while, he reached out to get it, but he barked when he touched it: "It's hot, it's hot!"
”Xia Dingmao turned his head and scolded him: "Puppy, the new food is baked, and the elders have to taste it, have you forgotten?"
You deserve it!
”"Aren't I going to give Xu Qifu a try?"
Luo Xiaogou brought the red willow basket containing more than a dozen naan to Xu Fengde, and said with a smile: "Xu Sifu, try it?"
”"How can you say it when it's so big."
Xu Fengde was very disgusted, and he actually learned from Confucius, and he didn't eat it if he didn't cut it properly.Ren Hong took out the knife he carried with him, cut the huge piece of naan into small parts, and presented it to Xu Fengde.Xu Fengde looked at the golden roasted naan on the plate, his throat moved, and he picked up a piece and put it in his mouth.In the mouth, there is a rich wheat aroma, crispy skin, and chewing until the flax is fully cooked, which is so fragrant and enjoyable.Because the noodles are salted and have a faint salty taste, after swallowing it, there is a feeling of fullness."
How?"
Everyone looked at Xu Fengde, but when they saw him, they had eaten several pieces in a row, and after drinking a sip of water, they said lightly: "Cocaly is delicious, but it's too dry, and it's not good for old teeth." ”This bad old man!
The others also started, and Luo Xiaopu, who had been waiting for a long time, directly held a naan and gnawed it, eating ugly, puffing out his cheeks and calling it delicious.Ren Hong's side is the correct way to eat naan, slowly break it with his hands to eat, and share it with Xia Dingmao.Chef Xia Dingmao also thinks that this product has an excellent taste: "It is better than soup cakes and steamed cakes, and it can be compared to the stewed cakes and fish rubbed by Junzijiao." ”After all, the soup cake in this year is not noodles, but the dead dough cake is broken and boiled, similar to the steamed buns of later generations, if there is no rich mutton soup, it is really difficult to swallow.Ren Hong said with a smile: "Today is just the simplest, in fact, there are more methods, such as smearing some oil on the naan embryo and sprinkling a handful of chopped green onions, and the baked naan is crispier and more fragrant."
It can even brush cow and goat milk, add pu pottery, and add meat filling. ”Pu Tao is grapes, in the Western Regions of later generations, there are not only grape naan, but everything can be naan!
Naan is actually not Ren Hong's invention, its direct ancestor is called "Hu Cake", which has long appeared and is the staple food of the oasis city-states in the Western Regions.Ren Hong once grinded hard and soaked hard, and asked the Hu merchant who was stranded in the hanging spring to teach himself how to make primitive Hu cakes, but he was still in the simplest stage of burying cakes next to the fire, and the flour was also very rough, and in terms of taste, it was completely exploded by the naan they had just made.After everyone was swept away and ate three naan, Xu Fengde beckoned Ren Hong over and said: "Ren Hong, tell me, this thing is delicious, but what does this have to do with entertaining Fu Jiezi and letting Hanging Springs get the best place in the county this year?"
”"Dare to sue Yu Sifu."
Ren Hong swallowed the last mouthful of naan and said with a smile: "If this thing does not add chicken and noodles, and does not add flax, it is actually very cheap, and the baking method is simple." ”"But even the simplest of methods, roasted naan is more delicious and easier to carry than the 糗qiǔ and 糒bèi, which were the food of the Han soldiers, right?"
After a busy day, when Ren Hong returned to his residence, it was already "night eclipse" from 21 o'clock to 22:30 o'clock, and the sun set late in the northwest, and it would be just dark.Although ordinary people only have two meals a day in these years, there are exceptions, the border guards on duty at night, and the postman pawns who rush overnight, have the right to add a meal, so it becomes customized.There are people on duty at night on the dock wall, and they are eating the leftover baked naan in the afternoon, which can be stored for a long time, and it will be fine for ten days and a half months.There are a total of 27 rooms inside and out, of which 15 are houses for travelers to stay and eat, and then remove the kitchen, office, and warehouse where the goods are stored, and the remaining few rooms should be divided equally among more than 30 people, which is obviously impossible.Therefore, the hanging spring is placed inside, only Xu Fengde, the husband of the house, has a single room, and the ordinary apprentices and pawns need to be crowded into the Chase bunk to sleep, and Ren Hong and these small officials live in pairs.Ren Hong and Xia Dingmao live in a room, the room is short and narrow, not even much furniture is placed, only a couch on the left and right, there is a desk in the middle, and a small copper lamp is placed on it.Xia Weng kneaded the noodles for a day today, and baked naan in the hot weather, without complaining of bitterness, but in fact he was tired, and fell asleep soundly after coming back.Ren Hong couldn't sleep, two layers of wheat straw were spread on the couch, and another layer of pu mat was added, which was still a little hard, and he tossed and turned, thinking about the daytime.Today, after hearing Ren Hong's comparison of roasted naan with the military rations often eaten by Han soldiers, he understood his plan."
Do you want to offer this thing to that Fu Jiezi?"
But before Ren Hong could explain his plan in detail, Xu Fengde yawned and said to him: "You don't have to talk to me in detail, you can keep these words and behave well in front of that Fu Gong." ”After that, he turned around and left, beckoned the people in Hanging Springs, divided the two dozen roasted naan, and threw a sentence to Ren Hong: "Since you have full authority to organize this matter, you don't care about anything!"
”This decentralization was also completely released, which made Ren Hong a little stunned, but Xia Dingmao said to him: "Xu Qifu just speaks ugly, but he has always been thinking about running the hanging spring well, and everyone in the opposite place has always been concerned, and the gentleman is no exception, after all, Xu Qifu also watched the gentleman grow up." ”"Although in the past, Xu Qifu intended to let the gentleman stay in Hanging Springs, but since the gentleman has made up his mind, he also hopes that you can fulfill your wish."
Xia Dingmao sighed again: "More than ten years ago, the old man came to Dunhuang with a gentleman and settled in the hanging spring, thanks to Xu Qifu to take him in.I thought that this bitter cold place was full of extremely vicious people, but I didn't expect that most of the people I met were good people. ”Ren Hong silently wrote down these words in his heart, and secretly swore to himself: "Even if I leave this place, I will never forget Hanging Spring, let alone the people here!"
”According to Ren Hong's speculation, Fu Jiezi still had seven or eight days to arrive, and his preparation was still in time for the night to get darker, Ren Hong's eyelids also began to fight, and he didn't know how long it took to fall asleep on the couch, probably because the chicken had crowed twice, and he was awakened by a rapid sound of horses' hooves!
A loud shout came from the door of the hanging spring: "Open the door quickly!"
There is a county government handbook delivered!
”