The County Magistrate decided to hold the culinary evaluation banquet between Yibei Lou and Shizhen Lou at the government office. The County Magistrate required them to choose from existing ingredients, primarily showcasing their culinary skills, without necessarily preparing according to winter seasonal ingredients. On this day, County Magistrate Cui invited nine scholars to attend the banquet and participate in the evaluation, leaving the decision to them. Two dishes would be served with each round of wine, presented alternately by the two restaurants, and at the end of the banquet, each scholar would state their preference for their favored restaurant, with the one receiving more votes declared the winner.
When serving dishes, each restaurant would have a designated person explain the cooking methods and creative concepts to the diners. Upon hearing that Yibei Lou was having Yang Shenglin take on this role, Zhenzhen requested that her mother allow her to rise to the challenge. Wu Qiuniang couldn’t persuade her otherwise and had to reluctantly agree.
Before the wine service, both restaurants presented fruit and vegetable dishes, all seasonal fruits and preserved sweets. The first round of wine was accompanied by dishes from Yibei Lou: a dish called “Spring Orchid, Autumn Chrysanthemum” made with perilla seeds and fruits, and a dish of wine-cooked jade mushrooms.
“Spring Orchid, Autumn Chrysanthemum” used pears, oranges, and white pomegranate seeds called “jade pomegranate.” “The perilla seeds are first pickled in plum brine, mixed with sugar frost, then combined with pear strips, orange pulp, and jade pomegranate seeds. The pear strips and jade pomegranate are white in color, resembling orchids, while the orange pulp is golden yellow, like chrysanthemum flowers, hence the name Spring Orchid, Autumn Chrysanthemum,” Yang Shenglin explained to everyone, inviting the County Magistrate and scholars to taste.
Plum brine is the liquid that flows out from green plums pickled with salt for a long time. It has a salty-sour taste and is used to prevent vegetables and fruits from discoloring when freshly cut, while also enhancing their flavor. The perilla seeds are fine granules, scattered on the fruit like sesame seeds. This Spring Orchid, Autumn Chrysanthemum was delightfully moist in yellow and white colors, covered with sugar frost, and quite beautiful. Everyone took a small portion to taste, and as they chewed, the perilla seeds burst, releasing a wisp of perilla fragrance that instantly filled their mouths. The fruit juices mingled with the salty-sour plum brine, creating a refreshing sensation while also providing the rich, sweet fragrance from the oils in the perilla seeds. It was more appetizing than fresh fruit, and the diners all nodded approvingly, feeling that their taste buds had been awakened by this fresh dish.
Seeing everyone’s approval, Yang Shenglin showed joy on his face and continued: “The Tang poet Shi Guan once wrote: ‘The crimson tent and azure collar are honored on the same day, spring orchids and autumn chrysanthemums flourish in their own seasons.’ The crimson tent represents the teacher’s school, and the azure collar symbolizes students. Today, all you tribute students gather with the County Magistrate in the same hall. Spring orchids and autumn chrysanthemums, each excelling in their own beauty, perfectly matches the saying of crimson tent and azure collar. Isn’t it fitting to taste this fruit dish now?”
The tribute students obviously enjoyed this interpretation very much, repeatedly calling it wonderful, and County Magistrate Cui also stroked his beard with a smile and nodded.
The other dish of wine-cooked jade mushrooms used seasonal fresh mushrooms, about three inches long, gray-white mushrooms that were pure and lovely. They were now served on a silver plate, accompanied by green bamboo shoots from Linzhang, with exquisite presentation and beautiful colors.
“These jade mushrooms grow on decaying wood and carry the essence of mountain forests. First boiled in water, then when half-cooked, changed to good wine for cooking,” Yang Shenglin explained. “I hear that the palace often eats jade mushrooms nowadays, fried with butter, which naturally has good flavor, but I believe it’s better to use wine to remove their cold nature and better bring out their true taste.”
Everyone then tasted the jade mushrooms and praised their fresh fragrance and crisp taste.
Yang Shenglin continued: “The Nanfeng gentleman Zeng Gong once wrote in a poem: ‘Country dishes gather white mushrooms after rain, guest cups face red blossoms after autumn.’ This shows that including mushrooms in country dining is quite appropriate.”
Zeng Gong was extraordinarily talented in literature, his writing elegant, balanced, and harmonious, and he was also a famous minister of his generation. When the tribute students heard Yang Shenglin mention his poetry, they looked upon the jade mushrooms with even greater refinement, and even the taste seemed more delicious.
After tasting the two dishes, everyone toasted and exchanged cups, then proceeded to the second round of wine. Yang Shenglin withdrew to one side, smiling as he looked across at Zhenzhen to see how she would respond.
Zhenzhen calmly nodded outward, signaling the servers to present Shizhen Lou’s two dishes. The current dynasty’s dining utensils were mainly lacquerware, with the wealthy often using gold and silver vessels, while the poor used porcelain. Unlike Yibei Lou’s silver plates, these two dishes were both served in lacquer boxes and looked quite ordinary – one was cold raw crab, and the other appeared to be sliced pickled cucumber.
Zhenzhen didn’t explain first, but asked everyone to taste the raw crab first. The raw crab used common river crabs from Jiangnan, spindle-shaped, finely chopped so each piece was only half the size of a finger joint. Almost every piece contained semi-transparent raw crab meat like longan flesh or orange-red crab roe, clearly mixed with various seasonings, with visible minced ginger and scallions.
Raw crab was a common local dish that all restaurants served, and ordinary housewives could make it. The tribute students didn’t find it novel and casually picked up a piece to taste, gradually detecting the special fragrance. The raw crab had a smooth, cool texture, with meat hidden in the shell. The diner held it between lips and teeth, gently sucking, and the semi-liquid meat slipped out of the shell and slid over the tongue. Ordinary raw crab is mostly pickled with orange paste, vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, and scallions, but Shizhen Lou’s dish had several more layers of flavor. Salty-sour tastes and various fragrances swept through the mouth, and afterward, the tongue root distinctly felt the clear, sweet taste unique to aquatic products as the crab meat slid past. The diners looked at each other with surprise in their eyes.
Only then did Zhenzhen explain: “My mother modified the preparation method for this raw crab. Based on traditional Pujiang flavors, but the seasonings are not entirely the same. Fresh crabs are put on ice and frozen for about half an hour, then taken out and chopped. Grass fruit, fennel, amomum, Sichuan pepper, black pepper, and water ginger are all ground into powder. First, sesame oil is boiled and allowed to cool, then scallions, salt, and vinegar are added, mixed with the ground seasonings and combined with the crab for immediate consumption.”
The scholars suddenly understood. Zhenzhen continued: “These ten seasonings complement each other, removing the fishy smell of raw crab while doubling its fragrance. The pickling time is not long, so the crab meat is fully infused with the spice flavors without being completely pickled through, preventing the seasoning flavors from being too salty or heavy and completely masking the fresh taste of the river crab.”
County Magistrate Cui also smiled and said: “Raw crab is a local home-style dish. Shizhen Lou’s preparation both reflects hometown flavors and has variations, enhancing taste and freshness. It can be called a delicacy.”
Zhenzhen smiled and thanked the County Magistrate for his praise. The County Magistrate then asked: “Earlier, Yibei Lou’s two dishes were both enhanced with poetry. Does this raw crab also have fine verses to recite?”
Zhenzhen pondered, momentarily speechless. Suddenly someone at the table spoke up to answer for her: “This raw crab preparation is similar to the ‘hand-washing crab’ from Bianjing – both can be eaten immediately after washing hands. In the past, the famous minister Su Yijian of Emperor Taizong’s court once wrote a poem after tasting hand-washing crab: ‘Purple-bearded frost crab with shell like paper, grape-like meat with amber marrow.’ Now looking at this raw crab, it also has shell thin as paper and crab meat like grape and amber, perfectly matching Minister Su’s poetic meaning.”
Zhenzhen turned to look at that person and saw a man of about twenty-odd years, wearing the same style of clothing as the tribute students, obviously also a scholar participating in today’s evaluation. He had slightly dark skin, a square forehead and broad jaw, and an impressive bearing. Seeing her examining him, he smiled slightly and bowed to her.
Su Yijian was the top scholar of Emperor Taizong’s court and rose to the position of Assistant Administrator of Government Affairs. Hearing his name, all the scholars felt quite pleased, immediately considering eating raw crab as a good omen, and voiced their agreement with the speaking scholar, praising the raw crab even more.
At this moment, only Yang Shenglin wasn’t smiling. He also watched that scholar, with a trace of confusion in his eyes.
Zhenzhen then asked everyone to taste the other dish: “This is Shizhen Lou’s secret stuffed cucumber. Take cucumbers that have naturally grown large on the branch, cut into two pieces, remove the pulp, lightly salt to remove moisture, then cut fresh ginger, aged tangerine peel, mint, and perilla into strips, add fennel, roasted amomum, and sugar, mix well, place inside the cucumber, tie with string, put in a sauce jar for five or six days, take out and dry, slice when eating.”
Everyone tasted again and found the cucumber flesh firm, with a texture that was soft yet still crisp, alternating between salty and sweet, with the cool, spicy-sweet flavors of aged tangerine peel, mint, and fresh ginger. The taste brought the same feeling as the raw crab – both familiar and novel.
“All you tribute students probably have several types of pickled vegetables in your daily meals, right?” Zhenzhen said. “Our Shizhen Lou initially mainly sold pickled vegetables and reached its current state thanks to fellow townspeople who are accustomed to eating pickled vegetables with their meals. I once left home for many days, and facing exotic delicacies from other places, I found them tasteless, repeatedly thinking of my hometown’s dishes, including this stuffed cucumber. Pickled vegetables can stimulate appetite and generate saliva, and they’re convenient for long-term storage. If you gentlemen succeed in the imperial examinations and leave your hometown to serve as officials, you might as well bring some along. They contain the taste of home, and when homesickness strikes, tasting them will make you feel that the hometown that haunts your dreams has never truly left you.”