lcionline Chapter 137 Tofu
Chapter 137 Tofu
The matter of the dried bean curd sticks has been settled. After saying goodbye to Manager Wang, Song Jiaojiao went directly to Huichuntang, bought the necessary items, and returned to the village. The tofu-making model that she ordered from Carpenter Wang yesterday should be finished today, since it's not too difficult. As for the items needed for smoking, she wonders if the villagers have finished weaving them yet.
Back in the village, Wang the carpenter delivered the model he had ordered the day before, which was based on Song Jiaojiao's drawing.
"Jiaojiao, is this what you wanted?" The village craftsman looked at Song Jiaojiao nervously as he brought her the bamboo products she had mentioned.
There was something that looked like a winnowing basket, but it wasn't round; it was rectangular, and the gaps in the middle were quite large, about five centimeters apart.
“Yes, yes, that’s it. That’s fine. Please make a few more, Grandpa Wang.” Song Jiaojiao said with a smile.
After Song Jiaojiao said that, Grandpa Wang finally felt relieved.
"That's good. I understand now. This is easy, I can finish it tomorrow."
"It's alright, Grandpa Wang, don't worry, take your time," Song Jiaojiao said with a smile.
Grandpa Wang left without saying much after receiving the confirmation. He knew this was something Song Jiaojiao wanted to use to make money, and he hoped that the sooner it was finished, the sooner he could have peace of mind.
Just then, the dried bean curd was finished, and there was still a lot of soy milk left in the pot. Song Jiaojiao dissolved the gypsum in water, mixed it according to the ratio, and began to curdle the tofu little by little.
Making tofu is a slow process. The soy milk in the pot is about 8 or 90 degrees Celsius. While making the tofu, you slowly stir it in circles until the soy milk coagulates into tofu curds. Then you can filter out the excess water.
When the water has been filtered enough, scoop the tofu curd into a tofu mold lined with cheesecloth, spread the curd evenly, cover the curd with the extra cheesecloth around the edges, place the wooden board on top of the curd, and then lift a large bucket of water and place it on top of the wooden board.
The tofu used to make dried tofu needs to be made firm, so it takes about two hours to press it.
Aunt Li watched Song Jiaojiao's actions with curiosity and asked, "Jiaojiao, what are you doing? This white thing is so fragmented, won't it be crushed if you put such heavy water on it?"
"Auntie, you have to flatten it. That way the tofu will be firm enough, and the dried tofu you make later will be chewier."
Song Jiaojiao said with a smile,
"Tofu? What's that?" Aunt Li had never seen tofu before and really couldn't figure out what it was.
"When we get back, I'll cut a piece for everyone so we can take it home and eat it. There are so many ways to eat tofu, like mixing it with chili oil, frying it, stir-frying it, or even making soup with crucian carp."
There are countless ways to eat tofu, and in the past, there were many soy products made from soybeans.
"Alright, although I've never seen it before, judging from what you're saying, Jiaojiao, it shouldn't be bad." Aunt Li thought that nothing Song Jiaojiao could make that wouldn't taste good, and she had high hopes for this tofu.
Two hours passed quickly, and the tofu had set.
Song Jiaojiao called Aunt Li for help. First, they moved the things pressing down on top, then removed the outer mold, placed a wooden board on the tofu, and the two of them flipped the tofu 180 degrees at the same time. After removing the gauze, the snow-white tofu was ready.
Song Jiaojiao pressed the tofu with her hand. Not bad, it was pressed quite firmly. She cut the tofu into pieces and had the people in the workshop take it home to eat. It was time to finish work now.
Everyone looked at the snow-white tofu in their hands, puzzled. They knew it was made from soybeans and that soy milk was delicious, but they didn't know how to make this tofu.
"This is called tofu. You can take it home, cut it into pieces, and stir-fry it. However, it's best to pan-fry it in oil until both sides are golden brown and set before stir-frying. This way, the tofu won't break apart when stir-fried."
If you find that troublesome, you can simply boil it in water like you would make soup. Once cooked, just add seasonings. Tofu is very nutritious, just like eggs.
Seeing that no one knew how to prepare it, Song Jiaojiao explained the method of consumption to them.
Hearing this, everyone realized what the things in their hands were. Most of the workers were women, and they understood as soon as Song Jiaojiao explained.
After distributing the tofu to everyone, there were still about two pounds left. Song Jiaojiao decided to make a homemade tofu dish herself.
First, cut the tofu into squares, then diagonally cut it into two triangles. Fry them in a pan until they change color, then remove them. Put oil in the pan, add scallions, ginger, and garlic, then add the triangular green peppers. Once the green peppers have softened slightly, add the fried tofu and stir-fry together. It's a pity I didn't have any fermented bean paste; it would have been perfect if I had some.
Finally, thicken the sauce with a little cornstarch slurry before serving.
The tofu was fried until crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. It was the first time everyone had tasted something so delicious that they immediately fell in love with this food called tofu.
Five days later, the Sifang Escort Agency delivered the first batch of soybeans. Soybeans were not grown in Nanling County; they could only be found in the neighboring county.
The process of making dried bean curd was proceeding smoothly. After Grandpa Wang's prepared ingredients for smoking dried bean curd arrived, Song Jiaojiao began to teach Xu Fang how to make dried bean curd.
Making dried tofu is a relatively time-consuming process.
"We cut the pressed tofu into palm-sized pieces like this. The spices in the pot are the same spices used for braising pork intestines. We put the tofu in and braise it together. After the water boils for about 15 minutes, we turn off the heat. The braised tofu is then soaked overnight and smoked the next day."
Since the tofu made from the soy milk used to make dried bean curd had little flavor, Song Jiaojiao decided to make five-spice dried bean curd instead.
The wood shavings used to smoke the tofu were bought by Song Jiaojiao from Wang the carpenter for five coins a basket.
It is smoked together with free cypress leaves from the mountain.
The next day, the tofu, which had been soaked overnight, was even more flavorful. The tofu was picked out and placed on the prepared smoking rack, leaving a certain gap between each piece.
"Place it like this, and now we can start smoking it. The important thing is that no one should leave it unattended. Just like smoking cured meat, there should be no open flame. Turn it over every 15 minutes. It will take about two days to smoke it."
As Song Jiaojiao spoke, she carefully explained the precautions.
Xu Fang listened attentively, afraid of missing a single detail.
The dried tofu, which had been smoked for two days, was dark brown on the outside and snow-white on the inside. Song Jiaojiao tasted a piece and found it to be chewy and firm. It would taste even better with a little chili powder.
Not bad, it was a success! This batch weighed about 20 kilograms. Looks like we can start making it on an assembly line now.
However, the dried bean curd sticks and tofu skin are currently being made at the fruit preserve workshop. The kiwifruit will be harvested soon, so it seems we'll have to move them to another location. The sweet potato candy and rice candy are being made at the sugar workshop for the time being.
The processing workshop is the largest, but it won't be needed for more than a few days. In addition, the dried tofu needs to be smoked, which is not easy to do in the processing workshop. The old house upstairs is making salted eggs. Although the number of eggs laid by chickens and ducks starts to decrease in this season, there are still more than 300 eggs every day.