Chinese chef

Chapter 59 Braised Winter Melon

59 Braised Winter Melon

When Mu Feng and Shi Nancheng saw the tall monk letting them go, they looked at each other and walked over.

"Hello, two masters." Mu Feng and Shi Nancheng said to the two monks together.

"Hello, wait a moment!" Jiming said and ran into the kitchen.

The short monk looked at the younger brother suspiciously, not knowing what he was going to do.

"You two benefactors, I'm really sorry, my junior brother..." The short monk said to Mu Feng and Shi Nancheng with a smile.

However, before he finished speaking, Jiming came out with two plates of [Braised Winter Melon].

"Come on, two benefactors, try it and see which dish you like?" Jiming said to Mu Feng and Shi Nancheng with a smile.

The short monk was taken aback for a moment, and looked at Jiming helplessly, this kid is really...

Seeing that Mu Feng and Shi Nancheng hesitated, Jiming hurriedly said, "Try it quickly! Hurry up."

"Okay." Mu Feng and Shi Nancheng could only smile and nodded.

Then, each took a piece of wax gourd and tried it out.

"How is it?" Jimin asked.

The two did not answer.

"And this plate." Jiming compared the [Braised Winter Melon] in the other hand again.

Mu Feng and Shi Nancheng had no choice but to pick up another plate of winter melon to taste.

"How is it? Which one is delicious?" Jiming asked anxiously.

"..." Mu Feng blinked, not knowing how to answer.

These two dishes are actually similar. After all, they are vegetarian dishes, so you can't add too much seasoning. It takes a lot of cooking skills to make delicious food from the ingredients alone.

"Aren't the two dishes delicious?" Jiming asked with a frown.

The short monk must have seen the embarrassment of Mu Feng and Shi Nancheng. After all, in the land of Buddhism, people who are in awe must not dare to tell lies.

So, he hurriedly opened his mouth to help the two of them out of the siege.

"Jiming, don't embarrass the two benefactors." The short monk said.

"How could it be? I obviously put so much effort into it." Jiming looked at the dish on his right with some disappointment.

At this time, Shi Nancheng suddenly spoke.

"The winter melon over there tastes better." Shi Nancheng pointed to the dish Jiming was holding in his right hand.

Shi Nancheng saw Jiming's mood and didn't want him to be too disappointed, so he told his feelings after tasting.

However, he didn't deliberately tell lies to comfort Jiming, but the plate of winter melon that Jiming made was indeed more delicious.

However, this deliciousness is only compared to another plate of winter melon.

"Really?" Jiming looked at Shi Nancheng happily.

Shi Nancheng nodded.

He looked at Mu Feng again.

"It's true that this dish is tastier." Mu Feng nodded with a smile and said, "Although it's just a tad tastier, it's definitely better than the other dish."

"It's delicious, it's delicious, haha." Jiming said happily, and then, after a pause, he asked again, "Where is it delicious?"

"..." Mu Feng looked confused, um, how do I answer this.

Looking at Shi Nancheng, I found that he was also bewildered and helpless.

Probably Jiming also realized that the question he asked just now was a bit speechless.

Then he smiled and said, "Thank you, I will do more research on my own, and I will definitely be able to make it more delicious."

When the short monk heard what the younger brother said, he thought to himself, well, now that someone praises him, he will definitely continue to waste time on cooking.

Hey, junior brother, how can we focus on cooking in our cultivation?

The short monk secretly sighed helplessly.

"Slice the wax gourd thinner, it will taste better, and the ratio of salt can be adjusted." Seeing Jiming's passion for cooking, Mu Feng immediately gave him some advice.

Who knew Jiming paused for a moment when he heard this, and looked at Mu Feng with surprise in his eyes: "You know how to cook?"

Mu Feng nodded somewhat unnaturally.

"Can you teach me?" Jiming asked happily.

Before Mu Feng could answer, the short monk beside him said helplessly, "Jiming, I'm here to pay homage to the Buddha, how can you bother him?"

Just as Mu Feng was about to wave his hand and say no trouble, no trouble, a voice came from the stone steps not far away.

"Jiming, Jiwen, why didn't you prepare lunch in the kitchen?"

Mu Feng and Shi Nancheng followed the prestige and saw several people standing on the stone steps. The leader was an old monk who looked very honest, and an old man stood next to him, followed by a young monk and two middle-aged people .

After seeing the old man's appearance clearly, Mu Feng was stunned for a moment.

Um?Uncle Shen?

Shi Nancheng also recognized the old man, isn't this the old gentleman who went to Zhonghua Building yesterday?

The old man on the stone steps obviously recognized Mu Feng and Shi Nancheng, with the joy of encountering acquaintances on his face.

A group of people walked down the stone steps slowly.

When they came close, Jiming and the short monk Ji Wen immediately greeted the old monk: "Master."

Mu Feng and Shi Nancheng also called Master, although they didn't know who the old monk was, but it was always right to call Master.

Then, he greeted Shen Songtao with a smile: "Uncle Shen, let's meet again!"

"Yes, we are really destined! Hahaha." Shen Songtao said with a smile.

Then, he turned his body slightly and introduced: "Mufeng, this is the abbot of Wuquan Temple—Master Ciyuan."

"So it's Master Ci Yuan." Mu Feng and Shi Nancheng clasped their hands together to salute Master Ci Yuan.

Master Ciyuan also clasped his hands together in return.

Then, he looked at Jiming and Ji Wen and said, "Hurry up and help in the kitchen."

"Yes, Master." Jiming and Wen both nodded.

Ji Wen turned around and was about to go back to the kitchen.

But he didn't want Jiming to drag Mu Feng into the kitchen.

"Jiming, why are you dragging this benefactor?" Ji Wen looked at Jiming speechlessly.

"Jiming, why did you drag Benefactor Mu to the kitchen?" Master Ci Yuan also looked at a loss.

"Master, I want to ask Mu Shi to teach me to cook." Jiming said with a smile.

"Cooking?" Ci Yuan was taken aback.

Ji Wen was speechless watching from the sidelines, so he told Ci Yuan what happened just now.

"...Master, you said that Jiming is so obsessed with cooking, he..." Ji Wen said helplessly.

Ci Yuan pondered for a while, and said with a smile: "It's okay if Jiming likes to cook. As he said, if he can cook delicious food so that everyone who comes to the Buddhist temple likes to be vegetarian, that would be great. Think about it." If one person likes to be vegetarian, he can save a chicken or a duck from being killed a day. If tens of millions of people like to be vegetarian, how much killing can be avoided?

Although we Buddhists talk about pure cultivation, we also talk about going into the world to save all sentient beings. If it can lead people to be good, it is not a kind of merit.It's nothing more than the same goal by different routes. "

After hearing Master Ci Yuan's words, Ji Wen frowned slightly, thoughtful.

"Mu Benefactor, please come in with me!" Jiming said with a smile.

Mu Feng laughed, seeing that he liked cooking so much, he had no choice but to say hello to Master Ci Yuan and Shen Songtao, and then followed him into the kitchen.

Shi Nancheng also followed in.

After entering the house, and passing through a small alley, a quite spacious yard suddenly opened up in front of my eyes.

There are many monks in the yard, some are washing vegetables, and some are cooking in the house.

There is an earthen stove in the corner of the yard, but it is basically rarely used now.Except for large-scale festivals such as Buddha's birthday, gas stoves are usually used.

After all, earthen stoves need firewood, and now that environmental protection is emphasized, cutting down trees is absolutely impossible.

I usually go up the mountain to pick up some naturally fallen or dead branches and so on, and slowly accumulate them for emergency needs.

When everyone saw Jiming coming in, they greeted one after another: "Senior brother."

"Ji Yun, hurry up and bring the wax gourd. Mu Shi is mainly teaching me how to cook. Hurry up." Jiming pointed at a young monk who looked to be in his teens at most.

"Oh." The little monk Ji Yun nodded, and immediately went to hug a winter melon.

The wax gourd that little monk Ji Yun is holding is very big, it looks like it weighs forty to fifty catties, but he looks relaxed when he holds it.

Does this Wuquan Temple also have martial arts?

Mu Feng thought to himself.

In fact, Wuquan Temple is not a Shaolin Temple, so it is naturally unlikely that they have martial arts. The reason why the monks in the kitchen are so powerful is entirely because they carry water every day.

The water needed in the temple every day is picked up from the spring by the monks, although the spring water can be brought in with a water pipe.

However, Master Ciyuan, the abbot, believes that carrying water is also a kind of practice, which can not only exercise the mind, but also strengthen the body.

Therefore, this tradition was deliberately preserved.

Of course, not only the monks in the back kitchen need to carry water, other monks also need to take turns to help the back kitchen carry water every day, so as to exercise their bodies.

Jiming led Mu Feng and Shi Nancheng into the kitchen, and Ji Yun followed behind with a wax gourd in his arms.

Mu Feng and Shi Nancheng wanted to help, but the little monk Ji Yun smiled and shook his head and refused.

There were several monks cooking in the kitchen, and when they saw Jiming bring two strangers in, they were a little puzzled.

"Brother, who are these two?" A monk who seemed extroverted stepped forward and asked.

"This is Benefactor Mu, I asked him to teach me how to cook." Jiming said.

The monk nodded and looked at Mu Feng and Shi Nancheng with a smile.

"Go and cook, is your stir-fried tofu ready?" Jiming said.

"It's ready. It's enough for 100 people to eat. There shouldn't be many people coming today. This should be enough. If you make too much, it will be bad if you waste it." The monk said.

Jimin nodded.

The food in the Zhaitang is not like a normal cafeteria, and although it will be arranged according to the number of believers who go to the mountain to worship the Buddha, there will always be less food, in order to avoid wasting leftover food.

----

"Then send the finished dishes to the front dining hall." Jiming said.

The monk nodded and turned to go to work.

Jiming led Mu Feng and the others to the stove.

"Benefactor Mu, can you show me the braised wax gourd?" Jiming said with a smile.

"You can just call me Mu Feng. The word benefactor always sounds like I have traveled through time." Mu Feng laughed.

"Okay, then Mufeng, can you please show me the braised winter melon?" Jiming said with a hearty smile.

"No problem." Mu Feng nodded.

Ji Yun put the winter melon on the chopping board.

Mu Feng hugged the wax gourd with both hands, wanting to try its weight, when he weighed it, his eyebrows twitched, the weight is really not small!

The strength of this little monk is really great!

Mu Feng secretly clicked his tongue.

"I'll peel it!" Jiming approached with a knife, "I'll do it for you when I'm slicing."

"Okay." Mu Feng nodded and backed away.

Jiming's movements were very neat, and he cut a winter melon into a dozen large pieces, and removed all the peels.

"Then you follow me." Mu Feng said with a smile.

"Okay." Jimin nodded.

Mu Feng took a piece of wax gourd, first cut it into several sections with a knife, and then took a section and quickly cut it into thin slices.

"Look, cut it as thin as this, about one centimeter is good. It will be easier to taste later, and it should not be too thin. It will easily rot into a ball when it is too thin." Mu Feng picked up a slice of winter melon and handed it to Jiming.

Jiming took it, looked at it, and nodded.

Then, he took a winter melon and cut it with a knife.

However, his knife skills are really not that good, it's okay if you don't cut quickly, but it's easy to be different in thickness.

"It's okay, just practice more in the future." Mu Feng said.

Together, the two of them sliced ​​the wax gourd into thin slices.

Then, it's ready to start cooking.

Because it was a large pot of dishes, Mu Feng divided the dishes into one pot for about 20 people, which made it easier to season and standardize the proportions of seasonings, so that he could better teach Jiming.

Mu Feng first blanch the wax gourd in hot water, drain it, and put it aside for later use.

Then, heat the oil in a pan, sauté the onion and ginger until fragrant, then add winter melon and stir-fry, then add salt, sugar, dark soy sauce, and water, and cook for a while on medium heat.

After cooking for a while, Mu Feng tasted the taste and adjusted it a few times before it was barely qualified.

However, the current taste is better than what Jiming cooked just now, but it is still far below Mu Feng's own standard.

If it wasn't for the fact that the wax gourd should not be overcooked, Mu Feng would like to continue seasoning it.

After all, the vegetarian dishes in this Buddhist temple are really vegetarian. Not only can you not use chicken powder and other seasonings, but you can't even use cooking wine.

You can only use the simplest seasonings such as salt, sugar and soy sauce, and match the original taste of the ingredients. It is not easy to make the dishes in this way delicious.

What's more, this is still a big pot dish, how to add seasoning, when to add seasoning, how much seasoning to add, you have to think carefully and adjust it slowly.

After tasting that the taste was barely acceptable, Mu Feng thickened it with water starch, stir-fried the hot pot on high heat, and sprinkled with coriander.

After putting the dishes on the plate, Mu Feng tasted them again to feel the taste, and then figured out how to make the next pot of dishes.

Jiming also tasted it, and after eating, he nodded repeatedly and said, "It's delicious, much better than my cooking."

Mu Feng smiled.

"Mu Feng, I'll make the next pot, and you will guide me by the side." Jiming said with a smile.

"Wait a minute, I'll make another pot to try the taste, this taste is not good." Mu Feng said.

"Can it taste better than this?!" Jiming said in surprise.

Others in the kitchen also wanted to come over to taste it, but Jiming dismissed it.

"Hurry up and cook, don't delay the time for dinner." Jiming said, "When it's ready, it will be ready to eat."

Only then did everyone suppress their curiosity and continue to work.

Mu Feng immediately started frying the second pot of [Braised Winter Melon], this time because of his previous experience, Mu Feng made it much smoother.

After the pot of dishes was ready, a tempting aroma permeated the air.

"It smells so good!" The other monks in the kitchen said one after another.

Jiming quickly tasted a piece.

"It's delicious!" Jiming's eyes widened, his face full of disbelief.

Shi Nancheng also tasted it, and said with a smile: "If the vegetarian dishes are so delicious, it's not impossible to be vegetarian!"

"It can be even better!" Mu Feng said with a smile after tasting a piece of wax gourd.

"Can it be more delicious?" Jiming was dumbfounded.

"Of course, you wait." Mu Feng said with a smile.

Soon, the third pot of [Braised Winter Melon] came out.

This time, the whole kitchen was attracted.

Each of them tasted the wax gourd, and they were full of praise after eating.

Ji Wen looked outside the house for a long time, seeing that the brothers in the kitchen liked food so much, he felt worried, so he hurried to find the master.

He ran to the front dining hall, searched for a while, and finally found the master under a tree.

"Master, the dishes made by the benefactor Mu just now are very delicious, and the brothers in the back kitchen all ate very well..." Ji Wen thought for a while, but he didn't know how to describe it, so he had to say, "I'm afraid Because of their gluttony, they will gradually forget the precepts and no longer devote themselves to the Buddha."

Ci Yuan was silent for a moment, then asked: "Ji Wen, do you think all your brothers and sisters can focus on Buddha without distraction?"

"This..." Ji Wen was a little unsure, and he had heard some people complain about the poverty of Buddhism on weekdays.

"There are too many temptations in the society now. It is not a good thing to practice penance blindly. At least for those who have not truly understood the principles of Buddhism, self-cultivation will only continue to suppress their desires. If they are tempted in the future, it will be easy to do it." Mistake.

Do you know that we monks used to not eat after noon, isn’t it slowly changing now?For disciples who are not firm in their will, it is better to keep them in the dark, and let them understand it by themselves.As long as they don't break the precepts, don't kill animals, don't eat meat and drink alcohol, if they simply like to eat vegetarian dishes, there is no need to worry too much.

Most of you brothers and sisters are still young, and it is normal for them to be unsteady in their determination. If they are asked to practice hard at a young age, they may not be able to persevere. Therefore, as long as the principled stand remains unchanged, other things can be gradually improved. Come.You don't have to panic. "

After Master Ciyuan finished speaking, he clasped his hands together and recited the Buddha's name.

In his heart, he naturally hoped that all the disciples under his seat would devote all their attention to the Buddha, but he also understood that many disciples had not joined the world, so why talk about being born, blindly suppressing them would only be counterproductive.

Therefore, he hopes to use some other methods to guide them. As long as their general direction remains the same, they will be able to gradually understand the principles of Buddhism.