The Prodigal Son of Zhenguan

"Uncle Wang, what are we going to do?" Li Chengqian asked.

"Of course... get something to eat." Li Fu responded to Li Chengqian: "I got up too early in the morning. I went to the palace before dawn. I didn't even have time to eat a few bites of breakfast. After all the bumpy ride, it was already consumed."

"I didn't eat much in the morning." Li Chengqian said: "But my mother brought cakes in the carriage, saying that if you are hungry, you can have some cakes first. If Uncle Wang is hungry, I will go and get it for him."

Li Fu smiled.

"No, no, let's do it ourselves and have enough food and clothing."

He held the chicken in one hand and the seasoning in the other, and Li Chengqian held the garlic in his hand.

There were no sweet potatoes in the Tang Dynasty, otherwise he would definitely take Li Chengqian to steal two sweet potatoes.

In this season and weather, it is most comfortable to dig a pit outside and roast sweet potatoes.

The two found an open space not far from the Shangshi Bureau.

"Chengqian, let's pick up all the fallen leaves in the open space around us and gather them into a pile." Li Fu said.

"Okay." Li Chengqian responded.

A child of this age is interested in anything as long as he is not allowed to read or do homework.

Li Fu led Li Chengqian to pick up some more branches in the woods.

"It's so cold, the soil is frozen."

As Li Fu spoke, he processed the chicken in his hand, mixed some sauce himself, and gave the cleaned chicken a massage.

Then wrapped it with oil paper.

"Chengqian, come and make mud." Li Fu called Li Chengqian.

"Ah? Uncle Wang, why do you have to make mud?" Li Chengqian was very puzzled when he saw Li Fu wrapping the raw chicken with oil paper.

The chicken he had eaten before was roasted or stewed, but he had never seen Uncle Wang's way of processing it.

"Roast chicken later."

"But roast chicken can be put on the fire after the fire is lit?"

"If that's the case, let the people from the Shangshi Bureau cook it and we'll wait to eat it. Why do we need to spend so much time here?" Li Fu said with a smile: "Today, Uncle Wang will use a different method to make you a roast chicken, Beggar's Chicken."

"Beggar's Chicken?" Li Chengqian was puzzled.

What kind of chicken is Beggar's Chicken? Is it the chicken that beggars eat?

"Yes, according to legend, this way of eating is that some poor refugees or beggars stole chickens from other people's homes, wrapped them in mud, and burned the mud on the fire. When the mud is cooked, the chicken is also cooked. It is tender and tender when eaten, and has a unique flavor. The term Beggar's Chicken also comes from this." Li Fu was busy mixing the mud while talking to Li Chengqian.

You know, the origin of any delicacy cannot escape four points.

First, it relied on Dongpo's praise, second, it relied on Chongba's begging, third, it relied on Qianlong's southern tour, and fourth, it relied on Cixi's escape.

Beggar's chicken actually has its own allusions. One is to rely on Chongba's begging, and the other allusion is to rely on Qianlong's southern tour. Therefore, Beggar's chicken has two names, and the other is also called Fugui chicken. The saying of Fugui chicken comes from Qianlong's southern tour.

"This is different from roasting. The roasted meat is more woody." Li Fu said, "I will make it later and try it myself, and you will know."

In this weather outside, there are not so many particulars. Before, in his own house, Li Fu asked the kitchen to make beggar's chicken, and it had to be carefully wrapped in lotus leaves. After roasting, the chicken still has the fragrance of lotus leaves, and the taste is better.

But even without lotus leaves, Li Fu marinated the chicken with sauce, and then used oil paper to isolate the chicken and mud. In this way, the roasted chicken will not lose too much moisture, and it will naturally be crispy and tender.

How could a child not be interested in playing with mud? Even though it was winter and it was freezing cold, Li Chengqian was still wearing thick clothes. He had a small coat made of the best mink fur in the palace.

This was a real mink.

The uncle and nephew were busy in the corner. Even if someone from the Shangshi Bureau occasionally looked over here, they just smiled and didn't comment.

Everyone in the Shangshi Bureau had heard that the kitchen in the home of the Prince of Jingyang was no worse than the Shangshi Bureau in the palace. Many new things were made by this Prince.

I just don't know what this Prince is doing with the Crown Prince.

Li Fu took out a fire starter, ignited the dead leaves, started a fire, put the chicken wrapped in mud in the fire, and slowly roasted it with fire.

"Uncle Wang, can this really work?" Li Chengqian asked curiously.

"Trust me, it will work." Li Fu said with a smile, "Go get some water from them first and wash your hands."

"Yes."

Li Chengqian stood up and went to the Shangshi Bureau.

He came back a while later, and this time it was Li Fu's turn to wash his hands, while Li Chengqian watched the fire.

The uncle and nephew leaned against the fire and moved twoHe put a stone on the side and sat aside.

Li Fu was not idle either. He threw the garlic cloves beside the fire and roasted them with a low fire. When he saw that they were almost roasted, he used a branch to dig them out.

Picking up the roasted garlic, Li Fu held it in his hand. It was so hot that he tossed it back and forth for a few times. Then he peeled the garlic, dipped it in some fine salt, and handed it to Li Chengqian.

"Try it, it has a unique flavor." Li Fu said.

Li Chengqian took the roasted garlic.

"Uncle Wang, isn't it spicy?"

"You will know if you try it?" Li Fu said as he peeled one for himself, dipped it in some salt, and threw it into his mouth.

Seeing that Li Fu had eaten it all, Li Chengqian also carefully bit half of it.

Hmm? Not spicy?

"Uncle Wang, why is this garlic not spicy?"

"Because it's roasted." Li Fu smiled.

The two sat beside the fire and rubbed the garlic while waiting for the beggar's chicken to be roasted.

In the camp, someone had already caught prey and sent it back. The food bureau had also begun to prepare lunch.

On Li Fu's side, he estimated that the time was almost up. Li Fu used a branch to dig open the fire and looked at the layer of soil outside the beggar's chicken.

"It's done." Li Fu said.

Li Chengqian also hurriedly got up and went forward to check.

Li Fu pulled the beggar's chicken aside and smashed the outer layer of mud with a stone.

When he opened the paper package, a fragrant smell came to his nose.

The chicken was slowly roasted at low temperature, and the juice was constantly flowing, and the flavor of the spices was completely immersed in the chicken.

Li Fu endured the heat and tore the chicken apart.

Then he took out the ground fennel and sprinkled it evenly on the meat.

"Come, eat meat." Li Fu took out a piece of meat and handed it to Li Chengqian.

Li Chengqian took the meat and put it into his mouth, and then the expression on his little face became unbelievable, and his eyes widened.

"Uncle Wang, it's really delicious." Li Chengqian said with emotion: "It's different from the roasted chicken I ate before."

"Really? When has Uncle Wang ever lied to you?"

Li Fu also pulled a chicken leg for himself and took a bite.

Yeah, it's so comfortable!

The two of them finished the whole beggar's chicken like a whirlwind, sat on the stone, and patted their stomachs.