sbdcsierra Chapter 338 Opening the Banquet
Chapter 338 Opening the Banquet
Finally, make some cold dishes and desserts.
Freshly chilled watermelon, cooked mochi and fresh milk are added. Qi Ning added a little sugar to the milk and simmered it over low heat. There is a thin layer of milk skin on top.
Finally, add some cold cucumber salad, and today’s dish is basically ready.
Qi Ning'an was just thinking about serving the meal when he turned around and saw a few green mango-like things in the fruit basket. He picked them up and smelled them. Although the smell was a little lighter, they were indeed green mangoes.
"My dear, this thing is a bit sour and not easy to add to dishes. We usually use it as a decoration." The little maid from the imperial kitchen replied immediately when she saw Qi Ning'an holding the green mango.
If she hadn't entered the palace, she would have never seen this thing. Although Qi Ning'an seemed to have opened a restaurant in Kyoto Prefecture, it was probably impossible to buy something like this. If she didn't know what it was, she would just use it to cook it, which would ruin the delicious food.
"I know, it's okay, look, they're all cut into strips."
Qi Ning'an responded quickly that the dish that had just been prepared had been around for a while and that it had to be cut quickly, otherwise the previous dishes would be ruined.
The people in the imperial kitchen were slightly stunned, but since Qi Ning'an was the master, even though they didn't understand, they still did as they were told.
Qi Ning'an heated oil in a pan, fried some chili peppers with chili powder, and added some other seasonings. This reminded her of the seasonings that were readily available in her previous life. They must be more delicious and convenient than these chili peppers.
Everyone watched her pour the pot of shiny chili peppers onto the green mangoes, and everyone's eyes widened.
Qi Ningan wanted to tell them to try it and it was delicious, but she thought that this dish was not something they could eat, so she didn't explain, "Aunt Yuzhan, please have someone serve the meal."
……
While Qi Ning'an was cooking, Princess Mingyue also came.
She acted coquettishly and wanted to stay. She had just heard that the young lady An Qiao from the Kyoto restaurant had become the legitimate daughter of Marquis An Yong. Her mother told her about this in the palace, and she immediately stood up to go and take a look.
Although he was also shocked, he felt more of a sense of inexplicable rightness, as if he had felt that the girl was extraordinary since the first time they met.
"Father, please let me stay." When Princess Mingyue starts to act coquettishly, it is really unbearable, not to mention that she is the emperor's most beloved princess.
The emperor looked embarrassed, but also somewhat happy. No one could stand such a porcelain doll acting like a spoiled child to him. "But today is the day your sister An is coming back. It's not good for you to stay here."
"What's wrong with that? Just let Princess Mingyue stay." Marquis An Yong said lightly. Although he wanted to deify his daughter, he also knew that serving the emperor was like serving a tiger.
This is the best way. It is also not bad to leave a little girl of similar age by your side. At least for a while, your daughter will not be bitten all over the head.
"Yes, Father, Marquis An Yong has said that I can stay. Besides, I promise to only eat and never steal Sister Qi's limelight."
Princess Mingyue held the emperor's hand and fiddled with him for a while. Seeing that the empress dowager was also full of joy, the emperor finally nodded and said, "Okay, then you can stay."
Princess Mingyue smiled happily, "That's great. I haven't had a meal cooked by Sister Qi for a long, long time."
Ever since the plague broke out in the city, Princess Mingyue has not been able to come and go as freely as before. She hasn't left the palace for a long time and has been missing this for too long.
"Little greedy cat, do you often go to An An's restaurant to eat?" The Queen Mother also laughed. She originally thought that the children in the palace were all reserved, but she never thought that Princess Mingyue also had such a lively side.
Princess Mingyue immediately calmed down. She never dared to act like a spoiled child in front of the Queen Mother, as if elegance and nobility were her bywords.
"To answer grandma, I only went there to eat a few times, and every time there were a lot of people following me. Sister Qi was smart. She recognized me the first time, but she didn't expose me, so I had a good meal. She didn't give me a free meal either, which made me feel very comfortable."
The Queen Mother also smiled. It doesn't matter whether the children are lively or elegant, as long as they are healthy.
……
"Empress Dowager, Your Majesty, Miss Qi said that the meal can be served." Yuzhan called someone back to report, and everyone followed her to the dining table in the side hall.
Soon, one dish after another, although not so beautifully presented, was served with a fragrant aroma.
The little girls served the dishes while saying the names of the dishes.
These are all names of home-cooked dishes. They don’t have names like “gold thread” and “silver thread” like those in the palace, but they are extremely delicious.
Even the emperor, who had lost his appetite recently due to the severe heat, couldn't help swallowing.
Did this girl really work in the imperial kitchen?
Then why is it that the food served from the imperial kitchen every day tastes so bad?
The emperor frowned. Normally, someone as meticulous as Eunuch Wei would be able to quickly notice the emperor's unhappiness, but today, Eunuch Wei could not notice it.
Whenever he thought about the food tasting that he would soon be able to taste, he would jump for joy. “Food tasting is great! He has never been so happy about food tasting in his life.”
Qi Ning'an waited until the dishes were served before she came in. She had enough time today and did not have to follow the rules of the ladies from wealthy families and bring two extra sets of clothes.
I wanted to make do with it, but cooking would leave some smell of cooking fumes on my body.
So he could only ask Yuzhan if she had any clothes to change.
"Of course there are some in the storehouse, but they are not that pretty, and the sizes may not be consistent... The ladies in the palace make a lot of clothes every year, and some of them they don't like, so they are piled up in the storehouse. If Miss Qi doesn't mind, I will have someone take them."
Qi Ning'an naturally didn't mind, as long as it wasn't moldy or rotten.
So when she just entered the house, the Queen Mother said distressedly, "Your father gets so much salary every year, but he can't even afford to make you a set of clothes. What kind of father is he? Don't worry, grandma will get you some more cloth and measure your body and make you some more clothes. You can take them back next time you go to the kilometer."
An Yonghou... Is it possible that I recognized her just yesterday?
Qi Ning'an smiled and said, "Thank you for your concern, Queen Mother. I was in a hurry to leave today and didn't think of bringing more clothes. Thanks to Aunt Yuzhan who is by your side, she was very careful and found the best-looking one among a pile of not-so-good-looking clothes. Does Queen Mother think that this yellow color is not good-looking? I really like this color."
"It does look nice, but it looks a little old. It turned out to be from the warehouse. It's okay, your grandmother will make a few more sets for you later. Take them back and change them." The Queen Mother smiled from ear to ear. She was very satisfied to have so many people dining with her today.