After tasting the perfect wine, Song Huizong suddenly felt a little regretful. How could there be no food without wine?

With such fine wine, how can we not have food? Please hurry up and bring out the delicious dishes from this restaurant.”

"this---."

Li Qi rubbed his hands, feeling very embarrassed!

This kid was so annoying. Song Huizong didn't understand, so he quickly waved his hand at Liang Shicheng. Then, several big guys started to join in and pay for the meal.

Li Qi nodded, and the bartenders immediately started serving food.

After these delicacies were presented, the outer circle of the round table was almost filled, but there was still an empty seat in the middle. Obviously there was another dish that was not served, and the size of this dish was not small, but even so, it was already presented.

The dishes served were already shocking. If the "dove occupying the magpie's nest" can only be described as "spectacular", then the dishes on the table can only be described as "beautiful".

Before everyone could wake up from these beautiful dishes, the last dish was served. The oval porcelain plate was two feet long.

When this dish was placed on the table, I saw a "big fish" on the plate. To be precise, it should be composed of various meat slices, with the head and tail raised, and a few pieces of crimson on the front dotted around the "fish body" and around it.

, the emerald green perilla leaves on the reverse side, and the stacked fleshy slices, are like the waves of the sea, or like the delicate white lotus blooming, making people feel as if they are in a beautiful flower bed, the colors and shapes are poetic and picturesque.

It is dreamlike and beautiful. More importantly, it is so lifelike, highlighting the "raw" characteristics of the sashimi, making people feel as if the fish is still swimming in the water.

It's so beautiful that people don't want to use their chopsticks to destroy this beautiful scenery. This is like using scissors to cut Zhang Zeduan's "Along the River During the Qingming Festival". It will be punished by God.

The characteristics of Japanese cuisine can be summed up in one sentence, that is - taste it with your eyes.

Chinese food pays attention to color, aroma and flavor, but Japanese food does not pay attention to the enjoyment of smell. It pays more attention to the enjoyment of the eyes. Whether it tastes good or not is secondary, but it must look good. If it doesn’t look good, no matter how well it is cooked.

Eating is just a matter of course. To put it simply, you can be a loser in it, but you must get something out of it.

The strong visual impact made Song Huizong and others intoxicated and unable to extricate themselves. It took him a long time to react, shook his head and exclaimed: "Beautiful! So beautiful!"

Li Qi smiled and said: "This 'fish' is composed of three types of fish: flatfish (flounder), carp, and crucian carp, as well as crab meat, venison, and chicken. It is also specially prepared for you, the emperor." He said

Pointing to the small bowl in front of everyone, he said, "This sashimi is paired with the wasabi puree brought by Mr. Tenkichi from Japan. It tastes even more delicious."

"Wasabi mud?"

Song Huizong looked curiously at the small bowl next to him, and saw that the soy sauce soup had a little green color.

Li Qi explained: "This wasabi paste is somewhat similar to my Da Song mustard, but it is spicier. It is perfect to go with this sashimi."

This wasabi puree is also the raw material that is called wasabi in Japan in later generations. It is the most commonly used seasoning in Japanese cuisine. In China, it is yellow mustard, not a plant, but today's wasabi is still widely used in Japan as a Chinese herbal medicine.

There is no dietary application. However, during last year's New Year's Day, Li Qi had already commissioned Tokichi Miki to get some wasabi seeds from Japan, preparing to introduce this plant, and then make it into mustard to make money from the Japanese.

Having said this, Song Huizong and others stopped talking and started eating first. They all started to take action. Since Li Qi had taught them how to eat sashimi, all their movements were very agile.

Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty picked up a piece of sashimi with chopsticks and saw that the fish fillet was so thin that it was translucent. He exclaimed: "Li Qi, your knife skills are really perfect!"

Li Qi smiled and said: "Your Majesty, this was not made by Wei Chen, but by the chef of Jinlou, Master Guda." For this banquet, in order to save money, Li Qi summoned many chefs from the restaurant, and they asked for their names.

, he wanted profit, and they hit it off right away! However, due to the relationship between Zuixianju and Jinlou, he originally did not plan to find Zhang Chun'er, but Zhang Chun'er came to visit him. Li Qi was not afraid of her and agreed with a nod. Of course,

Because of his relationship with the Kingdom of Jin, Guda still received a lot of attention here. If he dared to do anything, his head would be somewhere else in the next moment.

Cai Jing exclaimed: "The ancient master's knife skills are also amazing. The crab yellow jade fan from the beginning is still fresh in my memory!"

Li Bangyan asked curiously: "Li Qi, who is better in knife skills between you and Master Gu?"

His question aroused the interest of Song Huizong and others, and they all looked at Li Qi with interest.

Li Qidao: "In terms of knife skills alone, I'm afraid Master Gu is still better."

He was not being modest. After all, when he first learned cooking, knife skills were only a compulsory course. He also trained his knife skills when cooking. But Guda was different. He was obsessed with knife skills and also

Li Qi has been studying this aspect for a long time, and has seen many of his works, many of which are rare and excellent works.

Cai Jing shook his head and said: "Li Qi, don't be humble. Although Guda's knife skills are exquisite, his dishes are delicate, and your dishes are majestic, perfectly laid out, gorgeous and noble. Which one is better and which one is worse?

It depends on the person.”

He was not wrong. After all, Li Qi had a more scientific method in later generations. Therefore, in comparison, he was really in the same league. But in the end, Li Qi probably won with his heart. And the reason why Li Qi said this was because he was referring to

It's pure knife skills.

Li Qi did not argue and said with a smile: "The grand master is too complimentary, too flattering."

Song Huizong laughed and said no more. He placed a piece of sashimi on an empty plate, put an appropriate amount of wasabi paste on the fish fillet, then folded the fish fillet, covered it with the wasabi paste, and dipped it in soy sauce.

Pick it up and put it into your mouth.

When he first started chewing, a smell that was more pungent than yellow mustard made Song Huizong frown. Li Qi looked nervous, and he was deeply afraid that Song Huizong would vomit it out.

Fortunately, what he was worried about did not happen. As he continued to chew, the fish became more and more rotten and shredded. Song Huizong's brows began to relax, and his mouth was full of saliva. At this time, the wasabi mud turned into a compound flavor, which

Spicy and fragrant. Fragrant, sweet, sandy, salty and spicy are mixed into one. The feeling is very wonderful. Paired with a sip of sake, the taste is really intriguing. It can only be understood, not explained in words!

Cai Jing, an old guy, doesn't have much interest in sashimi, but he loves crab sashimi and specializes in crab meat. If Li Qi hadn't stopped him, he would have eaten all the crab meat on the plate.

After all, Song Huizong and Cai Jing were great gourmets, especially Song Huizong, who had the emperor's tongue and knew how to taste various flavors of food. But the rest of the people did not reach this level, and they were more popular. They were more partial to eclipses, and some people just

Not used to eating sashimi.

Gao Qiu is one of them. He is not very fond of sashimi, but he has a special liking for another dish. He put his hand to one of the dishes and said: "Li Qi, what is this dish called?"

Li Qi took a look and saw that it was a golden dish. It was strip-shaped, somewhat similar to a thickened version of French fries, with a thin layer of golden sand on the outside. Through this layer of "golden sand", he could vaguely see something green or green inside. Bai smiled and said: "This dish is called tempura."

"Tempura? Why is this name so strange?" Song Huizong asked curiously.

Li Qi explained: "I set this 'day' based on Japan's customs. As I said before, Japan has a 'big enemy of oil'. They usually save oil and almost don't use it when cooking." Oil. In order to live a safe life, oil is heaven to them, and the word "wife" originally used the "bran" of "wheat husband", which means flour. The reason why it was changed to "woman's wife" is to make it easier for them to eat oil. The last word "Luo" is more vivid. This word "Luo" is the essence of this dish and represents the skirt, which is the outer layer of batter. I call it a tempura skirt, just like a woman It’s like wearing a skirt.”

"Tempura skirt?" Song Huizong laughed and said, "The name is really interesting!"

Tokichi Miki also praised: "I didn't expect that economic officials could give names to dishes based on my Japanese customs and customs. It's really admirable."

This one was given by you Japanese. It has nothing to do with me, so I can't come up with such a foreign name. Li Qi said: "Thank you, thank you."

After Li Qi's explanation, Song Huizong and others immediately turned their attention to this piece of tempura. Song Huizong bit into more than half of the tempura and found it fresh and delicious. Compared with other fried foods, this tempura The Luo is fragrant but not greasy. Especially the layer of golden sand on the outside, which combines the three elements of fragrant, crispy and crispy, is wonderful. Moreover, there are some vegetables and some chicken inside. The different flavors are fascinating. After a while, I became addicted to it, because you never know what the next one will taste like.

Cai Jing ate a piece of vegetable tempura, nodded repeatedly, and asked: "Li Qi, why is the tempura made with vegetables only covered with batter on one side, while the chicken tempura is covered with batter on all sides? Moreover, this method of battering , you have used it in many dishes before, but why is the tempura batter made as thin as gauze?"

As expected of an old foodie, he got the key point right away. Li Qi explained: "This is to not affect the original flavor of the vegetables or chicken in the dish. If it is too thick, the batter will take over and the taste will be heavier, losing the taste." The key point of lightness is emphasized, so the most critical skill of the tempura dish is to hang it on the batter. Chicken and fish have a strong taste, so they can be made whole, but they must be thin, while vegetables have a lighter taste, so, It can only be hung half way, so for this reason, I specially chose olive oil with a lighter taste."

This sounds simple, but you can imagine how difficult it is to hang the batter like a gauze.

Song Huizong couldn't help but sigh: "This dish is really delicate!"

Fujiyoshi Miki picked up a brightly colored and lovely piece of sushi, put the whole piece into his mouth, and said vaguely: "I still like the cold rice balls the best."

When Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty saw how delicious the food was, he couldn't help but miss the taste of the sushi. He smiled and said, "I haven't eaten these cold rice balls for a long time." After saying this, he picked up one and put it in his mouth. He felt the smell of rice and raw fish.

The fresh aroma of the slices fills the space between the teeth and cheeks, leaving no gaps, and the rich flavor has nowhere to escape, lingering in the mouth for a long time, making people endless aftertaste.

Perhaps it was because they had eaten too many greasy dishes before, so the lightness of Japanese food was more emphasized at this time, and everyone forgot about it.

After three rounds of drinking, Song Huizong's face turned slightly red. It could be seen that the stamina of the sake had already increased. He was feeling warm all over. On this cold winter day, he felt indescribably comfortable. He chuckled and said: "Li Qi said that this wine has the characteristics of men and women."

Well, I think these dishes with various flavors can also be used as a discussion about women!"

Li Qi heard that a dignified emperor actually said such words, and thought, it seems that it is almost done, and he can move on to the next step.

Li Bangyan was always so interested in this kind of topic and said: "Your Majesty, what do you say?"

Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty said with a smile: "Korea-style food is like a simple village woman, hard-working and happy to have fun in hardship; Mediterranean-style food is like a lady, quiet and elegant, with a temperament that comes from within; and Dashi-style food,

They are graceful beauties, passionate and charming. As for this Japanese-style delicacy, it is beautiful in appearance and exquisite in layout, just like the meticulous paintings of the Song Dynasty.

, but they are all cold. They are never tempting with fragrance, just like that young woman who is as gentle as water and wears light makeup, making people lovable!"

Cai Jing, a close friend, immediately applauded and said: "Your Majesty is so precise in every word. He only used a few words to describe the delicacies he tasted today."

Not to be outdone, Liang Shicheng said, "I'm just a rough guy and don't know much about delicious food. But after the emperor said this, it seems that all the delicious food just now has returned."

As expected of a great artist, what he said was really good. Li Qi couldn't help but applaud him.

Song Huizong laughed proudly.

Fujiyoshi Miki suddenly asked: "Your Majesty, I wonder what kind of beauty your country's cuisine is?"

Song Huizong raised his five fingers and said domineeringly: "The most beautiful woman in the world."

When it came to food, Cai You couldn't get in the conversation, but when it came to beauties, he immediately jumped up. He smiled lewdly and said, "What the emperor said is absolutely true. When it comes to beauties, which country dares to compete with me, the Song Dynasty?"

Compare."

Fujiyoshi Miki felt uncomfortable hearing this, but it is true. Compared with the women of the Song Dynasty, their Japanese women are simply not on the same dimension, otherwise they would not always think about coming to the Song Dynasty.

Borrowing seeds to improve varieties, he secretly complained about why he kept asking this question. Then he changed the subject and said: "Economic Minister, why is there no food with your country's flavor on this street?"

Song Huizong raised his eyebrows and said, "No?"

Fujiyoshi Miki shook his head and said: "I walked the whole street down below, but I didn't see it."

Li Qi smiled and said: "Before I answer this question, let me ask you a question first. Is there any delicacy here that does not belong to my Song Dynasty style?"

Only then did everyone remember what Li Qi said at the beginning, which was the essence of everything.

Song Huizong chuckled and said: "Mr. Tengji, is your Japanese food really so delicious?"

This truth was really hurtful. Fujiyoshi Miki shook his head in embarrassment, saying that he was really lying to himself again. In fact, Li Qi said earlier that this was a Japanese-style delicacy, which was enough to give them face.

Li Qi was actually a little ashamed. After all, these delicacies were not created by him, and they were indeed the fruit of their Japanese wisdom. However, Li Qi didn't care about this little honor, because in his mind, Chinese delicacies have always been the best.
To be continued...