Food Story: "Dismantling the Head of the Braised Silver Carp"

It was winter, and the chill was getting thicker. On such a night, if you can get together with your family, each person holding a bowl of fresh and thick hot soup, while idly pulling homely, while drinking warmly, that comfort and ease, who can not envy it?

So, on this weekend evening, I took my wife and my daughter from high school to the "Wang Ji Fish Head Restaurant" together.

This century-old store is located in the heart of Yangzhou City. Turning into an alley on a lively commercial street, two or three turns, leaving behind the hustle and bustle of the modern city. At the end of the quiet ancient alley, the restaurant is lit up with a warm red light, and the steaming mist is faintly emitting from the gap between the doors and windows, and it is suddenly annihilated in the cold wind outside.

When you are in the middle of a cold night and see this scene from a distance, can you have other ideas? He would just stride over, plunge into the small shop, find a bright table and sit down, and then pull up his throat and shout: "Boss, first give the last piece of boiled silver carp head!" ”

Silver carp head, since ancient times, is a traditional delicacy in Huaiyang cuisine, enjoying the famous "three-headed feast", silver carp head is one of them. At the end of the Tang Dynasty, Zheng Bi once had a poem: "Yangzhou is good, the feast has three heads, the crab fat cream is rich and the meat is beautiful, the silver carp head is stewed in the wok, and the heavenly taste is in the world." Mr. Zheng Banqiao also left a poem "In the middle of the night, under the river and the moon, the beauty of the hand is hot with the head of the fish".

Among all the fish head restaurants in Yangzhou City, Wang Ji is not necessarily the biggest and best, but it is definitely the most famous. Much of its fame comes from the plaque hanging in the foyer of the small shop.

On the plaque are the five big characters inscribed by the Qing Kangxi Emperor's imperial pen: dismantling the head of the braised silver carp. The handwriting is majestic and tall, and it is very imperial. Only the "demolition" character has a unique structure, the dot in the word is round and large, and it is deliberately written with crimson cinnabar, which is particularly eye-catching in many strokes.

There is also a legendary story about this plaque, but it is old and not many people know about it. Occasionally, a good person asks the boss, but the other party just shakes his head, smiles and says: "A little family affair, not enough for outsiders." ”

As a result, this small shop has become more and more mysterious, attracting a large number of diners, all year round, endlessly.

Boss Wang was nearly half a hundred years old, and he was a thin man who didn't speak much. I also had a few encounters with him, and when he saw me coming to the store, he nodded at me, which was a greeting.

We found a small round table near the reception and sat down and ordered some dishes. The fish heads were already on the stove. It didn't take long for a waiter to bring up a huge porcelain bowl. I saw a milky white thick soup in the porcelain bowl, the remaining boiling was still boiling, still grunting and bubbling, and the smell of fresh fragrance also drifted around. A huge fish head lay in the soup, thirty centimeters long, split in half, but the skin and flesh in the middle were still connected. There are faint blue waves around the head of the fish, and when you look closely, it turns out to be a tender vegetable heart.

"Come on, let's eat." They are all family, no need to say more polite words, I waved, "This braised fish head soup is the most delicious, you have to drink it while it is hot." ”

"Well, I'll serve you." The daughter took the spoon, put a bowl of soup, and placed it in front of her wife, "Mom, you come first." ”

"Good daughter." The wife was happy, and her eyes smiled into a slit.

My daughter poured soup for me and my wife each, and finally it was her turn. While I was relieved, I glanced at the corner of my eyes by chance, but I saw Boss Wang standing behind the counter, looking at our family with great interest, and there was a lot of praise in his eyes.

I smiled at him slightly, then took the bowl of soup and took a sip gently, a wonderful feeling immediately spread from between my tongues, the soup was not only so fragrant and fresh, but also so thick that after the lips touched the soup, there was a slight stickiness, and when they touched each other, they almost stuck together.

I smacked my tongue lightly and praised: "The soup of the bone base, the fusion of the two marrows, this taste, the word 'wonderful' is not exaggerated." ”

"Dad." My daughter looked at me curiously with wide eyes, "What do you mean by the first half of what you said?" ”

"When braising fish heads, it is not ordinary white water, but a good fresh soup, which is commonly known as the bottom soup. Generally speaking, most people will choose chicken soup as the base, but this fish head, the choice of the bottom soup is made of pork stick bone, because the stick bone is rich in bone marrow, so the bone broth itself is already very thick, and then add the fish head stew, a large amount of gum protein and melted in the soup, which makes the final soup so thick. Not only is it extremely delicious, but even on cold winter nights, it can maintain the temperature for a long time and will not soon become cold. I patiently explained to my daughter that the child was influenced by me and was always interested in the knowledge of food.

"Oh, that's the way it is." The daughter also noticed that Boss Wang was looking at us, and she blinked mischievously at each other, "Boss, your craftsmanship is very good." ”

"This dish is not only delicious, but also nutritious." Boss Wang smiled and said, "Especially the eye balm in this fish head has the miracle effect of beauty and beauty, little girl, you may wish to try it." ”

The daughter nodded happily. I picked up a small spoon and gently probed it through the eye socket of the fish's head. It looked extremely soft, and at the touch of a button, the small spoon immediately sank into it. When it was lifted up again, the spoon was already filled with a gelatinous substance, which was white and tender, translucent, like gelatin, still slightly trembling.

"Is this eye ointment?" The daughter asked.

"Good value for money" Boss Wang nodded, "Although this fish head is big, the eye balm is only a small spoonful, not everyone has a taste of it."

"Is it?" The daughter tilted her head and thought for a moment, "Then give it to my mother." ”

The wife shook her head: "Good boy, you still eat it." ”

"No, you eat, the boss said, beauty and beauty." The daughter coquettishly wrapped one hand around her wife's neck, and with the other hand she put the small spoon to her wife's mouth, and the wife pushed it off, but she had to smile and take it with her mouth, and the clumps of gelatin reached the lips and teeth, and before she could chew, she just touched it lightly, and it immediately dissolved softly, and the rich fresh fragrance immediately spread across every corner of the mouth and tongue, and it did not disperse for a long time.

Under the guidance of Boss Wang, my daughter gave me the fish lip clip with the effect of tonifying the kidney and strengthening the body. Unlike the delicateness of the eye balm, the fish lips are crisp and tough, quite chewy. And leisurely repeated, the taste of fresh flavor is more and more chewy, almost reluctant to swallow.

?/P>

With this warm atmosphere, a silver carp head was quickly eaten by us, and when we were still in the mood, we saw Boss Wang step over to our table and politely said: "How does it taste?" It is better to add another copy, which is sent by a small shop. ”

I was slightly stunned: "Huh? ...... How does that make sense? ”

The boss smiled: "You have to be glad to have such a well-behaved and filial daughter." Our shop's 'demolition of silver carp head' is only in your mouth that it can be regarded as a real taste. ”

"Oh? How to say? I picked my eyebrows, not quite understanding what the boss meant.

The boss did not answer directly, he pulled a chair, sat down at our table, and said leisurely: "I have not personally taken care of the fish head for the guests for many years. At this time, I can also tell you a story, about the story of the Kangxi Grandfather's handwritten plaque, are you interested in listening? ”

I am overjoyed that for a person who considers himself a foodie, this is an unavoidable opportunity. My daughter slapped her face even happier: "That's great, uncle talk about it quickly, we must listen to it." ”

Boss Wang beckoned, summoned a guy, and whispered a few words in his ear. The guy nodded and left, and after a while, he brought back a basin of water and placed it on the square stool in front of Boss Wang. The basin was filled with clear water, and a large fish head was soaked in the water. The gills of the fish are still slightly open and closed, obviously freshly slaughtered, and the raw materials are incomparably fresh.

Boss Wang rolled up his sleeves, put his hand into the basin of water, he closed his eyes, gently caressed the surface of the fish's head, cheeks, eyes, lips... Passing by in turn, the movements were slow and meticulous, like a martial arts master stroking his beloved sword before the decisive battle.

After a moment, he opened his eyes and looked at the guy next to him: "Four-year-old male carp, the head weighs two pounds and eight two, am I right?" ”

"Not bad at all." The guy respectfully replied, "Even if it's the head of the dish, Chen, you may not be able to say it accurately." ”

"Well, this kung fu is not wasted." Boss Wang smiled happily, and then he took a polished steel kitchen knife from the guy's hand, submerged it flat in the water, found the position under the fish's head, and with his wrist power, he split it horizontally. When the body of the knife was all submerged in the fish's head, he took the kitchen knife and gently broke it with both hands, and the fish's head spread its wings like a butterfly, and split into two pieces in the water, but it was not completely disconnected in the middle.

Boss Wang held the fish head in his left hand, and his right hand reached under the water, and sighed and said: "Dismantling the head of the braised silver carp, for hundreds of years, the cooks have done their homework on the word 'stew', and how many people can know that the true essence of this dish is with a 'split' word." ”

As he spoke, he lifted his head and looked at the plaque hanging in the foyer, his gaze confused, his thoughts drifting far away, as if he had entered another time and space. Our family sat aside and began to listen quietly to him.

"Speaking of this plaque, it was more than three hundred years ago... My ancestors were good at making fish heads and opened a restaurant in Yangzhou. Everyone knows how well his fish head is doing, to what extent? Everyone later forgot his real name and called him "King Fish Head". The king fish head lost his father at an early age, and it was his mother who worked hard to pull him up. He had a very good relationship with his mother and was a great filial piety. Speaking of this, Boss Wang took a look at my daughter, thinking of her previous performance, my heart moved, realizing that the stories that will appear below are mostly related to the "filial piety" of the king fish head.

Sure enough, I heard Boss Wang continue: "One winter, the temperature was very low. King Fish Head's mother was unfortunately ill with a cold disease and was bedridden. King Fish Head invited the best doctor in the city to treat him, but the old man was old and his condition always did not improve. The king fish head is extremely anxious, and the business in the shop cannot be taken care of, and he spends all day by his mother's bedside. He watched as his mother's body weakened day by day, and her life was in danger at any time. ”

Boss Wang said on his lips, and the movement of his right hand did not stop at all, but his hand was under the water, covered by the unfolded fish head, and we could not see what he was doing, and could only listen intently to his story.

Just when Wang Yutou was anxious, the magistrate of Yangzhou suddenly found him and asked him to immediately serve Kangxi Ye in the palace. It turned out that these days Kangxi Ye happened to come to Yangzhou to inspect the river affairs, and the magistrate recommended Wang Yutou to be responsible for taking care of Kangxi's supper. ”

"That's weird." Hearing this, I couldn't help but shake my head, "Kangxi went out on tour, he must take the imperial chef, even if he wants to try Huaiyang cuisine, he must also be looking for well-known cooks in those big restaurants, how can he think of a wild man who specializes in fish heads?" ”

"Well asked -- it has to be said to be a coincidence." Boss Wang explained, "It turned out that the Inspector of Guangdong learned that Kangxi Ye braved the wind and cold to patrol the rivers in various places, and specially found a batch of blood carp from the land of Nanyang and sent them to the palace in Yangzhou as an offering. ”

"Blood carp?" When the daughter heard this strange name, she couldn't help but ask, "What is that?" ”

"It is also a type of silver carp, which is produced in extremely hot places. Its whole body was red, as if it were stained with blood. This fish has a miraculous effect of repelling cold and strengthening the body, so it is extremely valuable. ”

I've heard about blood carp before, but it's all in legend. Even if this fish really existed, it is now afraid that it will be extinct, right?

However, since the blood carp appeared in the offering, it was not surprising that the magistrate found the king fish head. I groaned and said, "Silver carp eat heads, bluefish eat tails, ducks eat thighs." This saying has existed since ancient times, with the blood carp naturally to make fish head dishes, in this regard, your royal family is a must in Yangzhou City, did not expect to be favored by Kangxi Grandpa. ”

Boss Wang nodded and continued, "If in normal times, this serving Kangxi Grandpa would be a rare honor, but for the King Yutou at that time, this difference had more meanings than that." You know, this blood carp is the best way to drive away the cold, and if it is used to treat the mother's cold disease, it is very suitable. ”

"Ah, isn't that just right?" The daughter clapped her hands, "Hurry up and ask Grandpa Kangxi to give the blood carp a few days to treat her mother!" ”

Boss Wang smiled lightly and shook his head: "Little girl, your idea is too simple." ”

"Why?" My daughter blinked wide-eyed and looked at me as if asking for help.

"That blood carp is an offering to the emperor, how can ordinary grass people be entitled to share it?" I patiently explained, "Moreover, Wang Yutou didn't even have the chance to see Kangxi, and even if he had the courage to put it forward, no one dared to help him upload a report!" ”

The daughter put her hand on her cheek, thought for a little while, and then said, "I don't need to repay you at all." Take advantage of the opportunity to cook and secretly bring one home every day! ”

"It's easy to talk about." Boss Wang sighed, "This offering is strictly counted." Moreover, cooking for the emperor is not a child's play, and there are large internal guards closely guarding the whole process. Sneak one home... Who can have this skill? ”

"So what to do?" The daughter made a bitter face and made a confused expression.

Boss Wang's words turned sharply and returned to the story itself: "The king fish head goes to the palace every day to cook the head of the blood carp for Kangxi Grandpa." Kangxi Ye was very diligent, often working until late at night, and when he was hungry and cold, he would order people to boil fish heads and drink a bowl or two of them warmly. After a long period of boiling, the glue meat is loosely peeled off, the essence is all dissolved in the soup, and only an empty fish skull is often left in the pot. The rich beauty of this fresh soup can be imagined. ”

These words aroused our hunger again. I couldn't help but add my lips and glance at the fish head in the basin. Boss Wang's right hand was still groping under the fish's head, as if he wanted to clean up every corner carefully. He noticed my gaze and smiled and said, "Please be quiet." When I'm done with the story, the fish head should be taken care of—where did I just say it? Yes, Wang Yutou cooked a supper for Kangxi Ye, so that after seven or eight days, one night, Kangxi Grandpa was a little idle, and his mood was good, so he suddenly wanted to summon the cook who made the fish head, so Wang Yutou finally had the opportunity to meet Kangxi. ”

Everyone knows that the story is going to climax, and everyone is refreshed and listens more attentively.

Late that night, The king fish head knelt in front of Kangxi's dragon case, listening to Kangxi's praise for his cooking skills, but his body was always trembling. Kangxi Ye looked a little strange, so he asked him why he was like this, and he trembled in a perfunctory voice: it was because it was too cold. Kangxi Ye listened, laughed twice, and said: It was neglect, he drank the cold blood carp soup, but forgot the suffering of the soup maker, and came to the person, and gave him a bowl of soup to warm his body. ”

Speaking of this, Boss Wang seems to have completed the work of cleaning the fish head, he re-closed the two pieces of fish head in the water, and then made a gesture, and the young man on the side immediately brought a porcelain bowl, and Boss Wang slowly put the fish head into the porcelain bowl.

But I heard my daughter say happily: "Kangxi Grandpa is a very good person." If the king fish head asked for a reward for the blood carp to treat his mother, Kangxi would definitely agree, right? ”

Everyone thought the same thing, and the eyes of everyone at the table were now looking at Boss Wang, waiting for his answer.

Boss Wang smiled and said, "The king fish head drank the fish head soup given by the emperor himself, and for a while he had mixed feelings, and he finally couldn't control the guilt in his heart, put down the soup bowl, fell on the ground and cried: Kangxi Ye, you are kind and magnanimous, diligent and loving the people, but the villain secretly withholds the fish head you eat every night, which is really a sin that deserves death!" ”

"What? He's already stolen a fish head? I opened my mouth wide in surprise, "This... Almost impossible, how did he do it? ”

Boss Wang asked the guy to bring the porcelain bowl he had just put in front of us: "You see, is there any problem with the fish head in this porcelain bowl?" ”

I shook my head, not seeing anything strange.

Boss Wang smiled and ordered the guys: "Turn over." ”

The guy turned the head of the fish in the bowl over, and we couldn't help but widen our eyes. Only to see that on the back of the fish's head, only a neat, clean half of the skull remained, and all the skin and flesh were gone!

Boss Wang's right hand shook, as if by a trick, a soft and shrugged object slipped out of his sleeve, and it was the missing half-pulled fish head flesh, whose shape remained intact, but it was completely unskeletal support.

"Now you see?" He asked with twinkle in his eye.

"What's going on?" The daughter's face was confused, "When did you take this half of the fish off the skull?" And it's so well ripped that it's not damaged at all? ”

"Instead of removing the fish from the skull, the fish bones are removed from the flesh." Boss Wang corrected, "Just now I hid my right hand under the fish's head, and I was doing this thing." There were thirty-six small bones, dismantled piece by piece, and then spliced and copied one by one, and when I was at my most skilled, it only took three minutes to complete the work. ”

I suddenly realized, "So, when you close the fish head again, the fish head is actually in a state of separation of flesh and bone." Taking advantage of the opportunity to put the fish head into the porcelain bowl, you pulled off the lower part of the skin and meat and hid it in the sleeve. ”

"Yes, this is exactly the method used by the king fish head in those years. Therefore, the blood silver carp head soup he made for Kangxi, although the skull was complete, but the skin and flesh scattered in the soup were actually only half a part, and the other half of the skin and meat were brought home by him and cured of his mother's cold disease. ”

"It's amazing!" The daughter was surprised and exclaimed, "I have learned to solve cattle in Cu Ding before, but compared with this skill of dismantling and fighting fish bones with one hand without looking, it is really a small witch." ”

Boss Wang smiled faintly, "If not, how can you hide it from the eyes of the Great Inner Guard?" Kangxi Ye knew the origin of it, and was also amazed by this kind of worldly skill, plus the king fish head was out of filial piety, Kangxi Grandpa not only did not pursue his crime of deception, but instead wrote his own inscription and gave this plaque. ”

With these words, we turned our attention to the five vigorous characters of "dismantling the head of the braised silver carp".

"Now I understand why the essence of this dish is all in one word." I said with emotion.

This sentence is not possible. You look at that 'demolition', doesn't the point in the middle look like a red heart? The whole glyph looks like a person holding a red heart in his hand. Therefore, the deeper meaning of this dish is a 'heart' word, filial piety. Boss Wang said, while looking at my daughter with a smile and groaning, and then he turned his head and said to the guy, "Well, we should go to the back kitchen, I hope that my seasoning cooking skills are not wasted!" ”

About the Author:

Zhou Haohui, born in 1977 in Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province, holds a master's degree in engineering from Tsinghua University and was a lecturer at North China Institute of Science and Technology. Now living in Yangzhou full-time writing, his works are mainly suspenseful reasoning and food legends. Representative works: novel "Death Notice" trilogy, "Fighting Feast", "Emerald Lake of Life and Death", etc.