Chapter 23 Vegetarian restaurants in Peking

In addition to people in Peiping who believe in Buddhism and eat long fasts throughout the year, some people fast on the first and fifteenth of every month; The 14th, 15th, 18th, 23rd, 24th, 28th, 29th, and 30th all fast, which is called Zhunti fasting, also known as flower fasting; every February, June, and September Fasting on the nineteenth day of the month is called eating Guanyin fasting; fasting from the first to ninth day of September every year is called eating Jiuhuang fasting.There is also a kind of fasting. Only on the first day of the first month of the first month every year, vegetarians will go on for a long time. It is said that that day is the lower realm of the gods. blessing.Therefore, there are many households in Beiping who fast on the first day of the first lunar month.

Back then, there were no restaurants specializing in vegetarian food in Beiping, so it was "three temples and one nunnery" to be a vegetarian.The three temples are Fayuan Temple, Nianhua Temple and Guangji Temple (also known as Huazhi Temple); the first nunnery is Sansheng Nunnery.They are all hundreds of years old temples with strict precepts. The vegetarian dishes they cook are absolutely pure vegetarian, with five aggregates and seven fragrances, and the only food is wombat.These temples often have contacts with princely mansions and wealthy merchant houses. On Buddhist days and festivals, Pupai (temple servants are called Pupai) carry round cages to deliver vegetarian dishes to those who have contacts, saying It is Yu Jun who worships the Buddha. Eating it can add blessings and longevity.It is unavoidable that various benefactors return incense offerings, which are several times higher than the value of vegetarian dishes. Most temples also list this incense offering as one of their main incomes.It is for this reason that vegetarian restaurants in Peking were extremely rare in the early years.

Speaking of vegetarianism, there is also a small story about vegetarianism. It is said that there was a Taifu Jin in Prince Rui's mansion who studied Zen deeply and was a vegetarian for many years.Prince Rui respected his relatives with utmost filial piety, so he set up a small kitchen to cook vegetarian dishes for Tai Fujin, but the chef he hired didn't cook for long before he was dismissed because he didn't suit Tai Fujin's taste.Old Fujin has strict discipline. Not only onions, garlic and leeks are not allowed in the small kitchen, but even the pots, spoons and bowls are inspected by special personnel.Later, a chef was recommended by someone. He was clean and neat, and the dishes he cooked were comparable to that of Yuanxiu.As time passed, everyone became suspicious of the deliciousness of this chef's dishes. Maybe he played some tricks in cooking.Since the supervisor in the mansion inspected the house strictly without any flaws, after a long period of observation, it was found that when he went to work in the mansion every morning, he always wore a white coarse cloth towel on his shoulders, and boiled the towel once he arrived in the kitchen. Fan, and then more or less water for cooking the strips should be added to the stir-fry.After a long time, it was discovered that the towel was simmered in a very thick chicken sauce and dried in the sun and brought into the mansion.As soon as this Mu Mi was spread out, those who fasted, recited the Buddha, and ate vegetarian food all became wary. During the fasting period, they would not dare to dine at relatives and friends' homes.

Later, Layman Zhuang who believed in Buddhism opened a Hongjixuan vegetarian restaurant on the north of Longfusi Road, claiming that his vegetables are absolutely pure and vegetarian.Every morning, he would sit in front of the counter in a dignified manner, and when the people sent by the stove came back from the market to buy vegetables, he would have to check and search carefully himself. Prohibited.Because onions and garlic contain turbid qi, if people who chant Buddha eat vegetables that contain turbid qi, gods and humans will not speak the Dharma.He is three hundred and sixty-five days a year, rain or shine, strictly enforced.As soon as the news spread, all the people who were sincerely vegetarian all came to Hongjixuan to eat pure vegetarian food.As for the family members of some officials and eunuchs, it was not popular back then, so although it was inconvenient to go to small restaurants at will, but on the day of fasting, they always sent people to Hongjixuan to call.So his family's business became more and more prosperous, but they only sold out-of-the-box stews, saying that once they made out-of-the-box stews, if they were mixed with other people's big kitchens, they would not be able to guarantee clean vegetarian food.This kind of hard-line style makes ordinary good men and women even more determined to believe that the vegetarian dishes of Hongjixuan are really pure vegetarians.

Since Xiangchang Wanming Road area was opened up as a new community, a quick-witted friend immediately opened a Liuweizhai Vegetarian Restaurant opposite Wanming Road Snack and Vegetarian Shoes Store. Step-by-step climbing and descending, the seats are elegant, and the cups and chopsticks are super vulgar.Ascend to the tower and face the huge amount of "Namo Amitabha Buddha" in cursive script by the old monk Yuannin, which is majestic and magnificent, and makes people feel Yuan Yi's solemnity.The head chef of Liuweizhai is said to have worked as a firework Taoist in Tianning Temple, Changzhou, Jiangsu, and was hired with a lot of money. In addition, Pu Yicheng, a famous newspaperman (who was the director of the Printing Bureau of the Ministry of Finance in the Beiyang era), was in Tianning The temple has tasted the craftsmanship of this Huogong Taoist, and it is indeed extraordinary.This publicity doesn't matter, and Liuweizhai was immediately praised.However, the dishes made by Xueweizhai are indeed different from the vegetarian dishes made in various temples in Beiping. Take the cooking oil as an example. Northern chefs use sesame oil for cooking, and even add a spoonful of slick oil when cooking, so The fried dishes have a strong sesame oil smell.The chef of Liuweizhai was born in the south of the Yangtze River. He is used to cooking with peanut oil, and the oil is thoroughly fried. All kinds of vegetables have no oily taste, and the mouth is fragrant and moist without being greasy. Natural eaters are delighted.At the same time, a shoe shop for snacks and amateurs was opened opposite the door. It was distributed from Shanghai. The casual shoes they made were not only exquisite in style, but also fit the feet perfectly.Even wealthy businessmen, rich men and famous actors and tycoons wear all kinds of gauze sandals in summer, which are also masterpieces of snack amateurs. Because of the attractive name of snack amateur shoe stores, they also bring a lot of business to Liuweizhai.At that time, Liuweizhai's ordinary vegetarian seats cost eight yuan per table, and a rosary of grass seeds was given as a gift.Once the Bodhisattvas on the Ten Elements Mat are hung, the Xingyue Bodhisattva rosary will be presented as a gift for more than 15 yuan.In this way, besides the regular customers in the Northeast City, Hongjixuan almost lost all the customers in the Southwest City to Liuweizhai.

Liuweizhai's most famous dish is "Tai Chi Liang Yi". Pound the green beans (edamame) into pieces, add water and seasonings to boil until they are rotten, and then use gorgon powder to make a paste, and tender corn to make a paste in the same way; Bend into an S shape, apply hot peanut oil from the side, pour green bean paste on one side, and corn paste on the other side, lift the copper sheet, and it becomes a Tai Chi figure.Drop a little corn soup on the green bean soup, and drop a little green bean soup on the corn soup, yellow and green, not only beautiful but also delicious.

There is also a special dish called tofu loose. Put three or four pieces of old tofu in clear water, boil for three or four hours to remove the brine, squeeze the old tofu dry with a gauze bag, stir fry in a hot oil pan, and add sauce. Stir-fry the ginger pickled melon until it tastes delicious, add a little sugar and bean curd juice, and drop a little sesame oil to start the pot.This dish has yellow flowers and emerald greens, and it melts and crisps in the mouth. It can be served with rice or porridge.Guests who come to Liuweizhai, no matter if they are having a big drink or a feast, always order fried tofu pine, so tofu is used a lot, so the tofu is made to order at the tofu shop, which is especially old.In addition, the firepower is used properly, and his family Yun stir-fries loose tofu, no matter how much he learns, he can't stir-fry Liuweizhai's loose, refreshing and delicious taste.Later, because the New World Chengnan Amusement Park was closed successively, and the famous flowers in Dasenli all detoured to the Eight Great Alleys to re-establish their colorful banners. up.

Not two years later, a Xiangji Garden was opened on Tingzi Street, Xisi Pailou. The corner of the small building was beautifully and peacefully arranged.Although the layout is a bit small, the furnishings of several cases have been guided by wise people, and they are elegant and refined.The background of the master chef who is in charge of the stove is unknown, but he has a particularly grumpy temper, and he only serves for small drinks and does not hold banquets.It is said that this master chef is a devout Buddhist disciple. He said that the list of delicacies is full of delicacies, and there is already Gu Tianhe, which is obviously a vegetarian dish. It is too sinful to name a meat dish. It is all chicken, duck and shark fin. up.He has a few vegetarian dishes that are very tasty. One is grilled mushrooms and hair vegetables. Other vegetarian restaurants named this dish Dharma Futon. He said that it was an insult to the Buddha.This dish only uses mushrooms and hair vegetables, first soak the mushrooms and hair vegetables in boiling water for about two hours, pick out the impurities in the hair vegetables, remove the stalks of the mushrooms, wash them, fry them in a pan with oil, then add hair vegetables, soak Mushroom water, fine salt, and sliced ​​ginger are simmered on low heat for about 30 minutes. The soup is almost dry and tasty, then add soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, and sesame oil, and bring it to a boil.This dish is easy to say, but whether it tastes good or not depends on the skill of the individual.Xiangjiyuan's grilled mushrooms are really mellow, smooth and not sloppy, which is beyond the reach of other vegetarian restaurants.And his family’s Chongcai is also a must. Zhuang Tisheng, a vegetarian expert, said: “His family’s Chongcai is carefully selected, and it is completely made of mustard greens. There is also a cold cloth on the table, so it is very clean and spicy, and the taste can be just right.” When the mustard season is on the market, all the customers who go to Xiangji Garden to eat will always buy some red vegetables to go home.Xiangjiyuan has ready-made small earthen pots, and it is also very convenient to buy one or two pots to take home.This restaurant was called for by its simplicity and honesty, and it was still thriving until the eve of the Anti-Japanese War!

There are many restaurants and teahouses in Zhongshan Park in Beiping, all kinds of Chinese and Western dishes, but there is a lack of a vegetarian restaurant, so someone tried their best to open a vegetarian restaurant in Gongdelin near the Geyan Pavilion in Houheyan.The idea is good, but who would like to eat vegetarian food when they go for a walk in the park!So from the moment it opened, it only sold some vegetarian steamed stuffed buns and noodles in soup every day. It can be said that there were very few customers who ordered a few dishes for dinner at Gongdelin, so it changed to focus on cold drinks and snacks.Beiping produces chestnuts, and ginkgo fruit is not expensive. His ginkgo chestnut soup can be eaten hot or cold. It is waxy and fragrant, which is unique.Jujube paste cold cake, red and white, colorful, as cool and moist as sugar.Hebei Province is the origin of jujube, so the jujube paste is really jujube paste, never adulterated, the jujube is fragrant, sweet and delicious.There is also a dessert that is not found anywhere else.He washed the old lotus root and cut it into sections, washed and drained the glutinous rice, added cocoa powder, chopped longan meat, and finally added sweet-scented osmanthus sugar and mixed well. After steaming, it can be eaten cold or hot. Compared with the red rice lotus root sold at temple fairs, it is much more fragrant and sweet.The delicious glutinous rice lotus root seems to be very popular with friends from all over the world. Many European and American boys and girls go straight to Houhe when they enter the park, and go to Gongdelin to eat a glutinous rice lotus root first. Maybe the hole of the lotus root has a cocoa taste. suit their appetite.There are many tourists in the park in summer, but few in winter; Gongdelin also opens in summer and closes in winter, and only operates for six months a year. How can the business be maintained for a long time? Over time, if you want to eat cocoa lotus root in the park, it will become a thing of the past. La.

There was a time when there were almost no vegetarian restaurants in Beiping. Vegetarian friends could only eat real vegetarian dishes in major temples.On the upper floor of Daoxiang Village in Dong'an Market, Senlong not only sells Chinese dishes, but also Western dishes. Later, a part was set up on the third floor to sell vegetarian dishes, and a separate kitchen was set up, which means that it is really pure vegetarian.The names of the vegetarian dishes at his family are quite different, such as Sanxian Shark’s Fin made with Vermicelli, Sweet and Sour Vegetarian Beef, Roasted Vegetable Tendon, Crystal Fish and so on.In short, all vegetables are inseparable from tofu, tofu, bean curd skin, vermicelli, vermicelli, yams, mushrooms and the like;

Senlong also has another special dish called vinegared stone fungus, which is waiting for guests to have a drink. He will definitely say that he has not prepared this dish when he orders it. If it is a banquet, he will list this dish in the menu.Because stone ear is a special product of Lushan Mountain in Jiangxi, it is difficult to purchase, and there are not many people who know it.At first, Mr. Chen Sanyuan invited several Zen poets to Senlong to eat vegetarian food. The stone ear was brought by Mr. Sanyuan himself. Unexpectedly, the ones made by Senlong are more crisp and delicious than those made by Chenfu. The old gluttons have listed the vinegared stone fungus as Senlong's specialty dish. In the past two years, experts in nutrition and hygiene have concluded that most animal foods tend to make the blood sour. Although cereals are the source of energy for our body, they contain more phosphorus, which can also make the blood sour.However, we must eat staple foods such as rice and grains, so we need to take in enough minerals in non-staple foods to balance the acidic and salty effects.Therefore, vegetarian food has become very popular in Taiwan. Now no matter which county or city there is, there are one or two vegetarian restaurants, so that vegetarians can find food everywhere.The author has also eaten it many times, either there is too much MSG, or every dish is poured with a layer of oil slick, which is prohibitive.I remember that Mr. Wang Runsheng, who served as the Minister of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, introduced that there are two vegetarian restaurants in Guanyin Mountain, which are not bad. I have always wanted to go to Guanyin Mountain for several years, but it is too complicated to leave. I must find an opportunity to try it in the future. What is the taste of Hao Su Zhai in Taiwan?