Baozi Xishi's Struggle

Chapter 445: Differences in the preparation of stinky tofu between the north and the south

Shen Yu smiled and said to Master Qian, "Mr. Lu has been busy organizing his bookcase and has no free time. Can Master Qian go with me to the bank to transfer the money?"

When Master Qian saw Lu Lang nod, he naturally agreed readily.

Shen Yu stood up and said goodbye, "Mr. Lu, Master Qian and I will go back to the restaurant after we go to the bank."

"In two days, if it is done, I will send it to the county government office for you."

Lu Lang thanked him and asked Qi Xi to drive Master Qian and Shen Yu to the money house.

Shen Yu saluted Lu Lang, and the three of them left the county government office together.

When he arrived at the money shop, Shen Yu was treated with great courtesy because it was the county government's money master who came to handle the matter, and he quickly transferred the silver and money.

Master Qian and Qi Xi sent Shen Yu to the restaurant together, and then drove back to the county government office.

Shen Yu returned to the restaurant and told Li that she had already returned the money to Lu Lang, and also told her that Lu Lang asked her to make a jar of stinky tofu.

After hearing this, Li praised Lu Lang's filial piety.

She said generously that her family had recently bought a lot of tofu and kept it in water, so Shen Yu could just try to make it.

If it was not enough, she would ask the tofu shop to send some to the restaurant.

After saying this, Li seemed to remember something, stood up and went to the vegetable cellar.

Shen Yu followed over and saw that Li was counting the stock of pickled mustard greens in the vegetable cellar.

After Li came up, she discussed with Shen Yu: "Since the flavor of pickled mustard greens is similar to that of Madam Tai's hometown, can we give some to Mr. Lu as well?"

"Let him take it back and cook it for the Madam to try."

"If we divide some of it this way, will the remaining be enough to cook for Lord Yang?"

When Shen Yu took the pickled mustard greens that day, it was actually the first time he had eaten them that winter.

After making pork with preserved vegetables once, the remaining pickled mustard greens can be used up even if you make pork with preserved vegetables two or three more times.

But she was also worried that Lord Yang and the county magistrate would not be the only ones dining together during the New Year. If they invited a table to join them, there wouldn't be enough pickled mustard greens.

So when Li asked everyone not to eat anymore, she did not object.

Hearing Li's suggestion, he thought that if he gave some to Lu Lang, the lady would definitely be happy to eat it.

As for Lord Yang, she had prepared several dishes. This prefect was not from the south, so he would not focus on just one dish.

Thinking of this, Shen Yu agreed.

When the stinky tofu is ready, take some with you.

The preparation methods of stinky tofu are completely different in the north and south. Shen Yu has heard both methods from the master chef.

In the south, people use amaranth stems and winter bamboo shoots to make a stinky brine, then cut tofu into pieces and marinate it in the brine.

In the north, the tofu is steamed and fermented naturally, then marinated with salt, white wine and spices.

It takes about a year to make a good brine for the former, but only one or two days is enough to marinate the tofu.

The raw material of pickled stinky tofu is gray-green in color, smells very bad, and has a firmer texture.

After frying, the skin is crispy and the inside is soft and porous, which is roughly the same as the green square that Lu Lang’s grandmother had eaten.

The latter takes much less time to prepare. If some artificial assistance is given to the temperature and humidity, it can be opened and eaten in about seven or eight days.

The pickled tofu is milky white, has a less strong smell, and is softer in texture.

It can be fried or directly seasoned with sesame oil sauce. It tastes extremely fragrant, delicate and smooth.

Anping County does not have southern vegetables such as amaranth and winter bamboo shoots, so Shen Yu's method of making stinky tofu is naturally adapted to local conditions.

On the one hand, the stinky tofu made in this way tastes lighter.

On the other hand, this pickling method takes a short time. After it is done, Lu Lang can take it with him. By the time he reaches the capital, the pickling will be almost done.

There are two ways to store tofu in winter.

One method is to store the purchased tofu in clean water, change the water every day, and place it in a cool place in the house. It can be kept for one or two months without going bad.

Now that the Chinese New Year is approaching, every household has started to store tofu so that they can still have tofu to eat during the Chinese New Year even if the tofu shops are closed.

Another way is to put the tofu in a bamboo basket and let it freeze in the yard.

When it is frozen solid, take it indoors to thaw it and it will become soft and porous frozen tofu, which is delicious in soups, dishes or hot pots.

That evening, after dinner, Shen Yu started to get busy.

Li did buy a lot of tofu this time. Even if he made two small jars of stinky tofu, it would only take up 10% of the stock.

In two days, I will restock the tofu shop before it closes, and the tofu will be enough for the New Year.

Shen Yu planned to make two small jars together.

One jar was given to Lu Lang to take away, and the other jar was pickled and eaten at home. When cooking for Lord Yang, he could also add a unique side dish.

After washing his hands, Shen Yu took out four large pieces of tofu from the basin.

Prepare a steamer and clean dry wheat straw, then cut the tofu into squares of one and a half inches.

Place the cut tofu in the steamer and steam it for half a cup of tea after the water boils.

If the tofu had not been soaked in clean water after being purchased, you could skip the steaming step if you used the purchased tofu directly.

After the steamed tofu cooled down a bit, Shen Yu took two clean bamboo baskets, spread a layer of dry wheat straw in them, and placed the tofu cubes in order on the straw.

Then he filled two basins with wheat straw, placed the bamboo basket on them, covered them with a lid, and then wrapped each basin tightly with a thick cloth.

Li and the others helped Shen Yu move the basin to the corner of the kitchen near the stove, and asked curiously, "It's done like this, it will be fine if it's left like this?"

"Why add a basin of straw underneath?"

Shen Yu nodded and said, "Just leave it like this. Master Lu will leave in four days, so we need to put the bamboo basket in the kitchen to keep it warmer for the next two days."

"Putting the bowl with wheat straw in it is to make the tofu ferment faster. Don't lift the cloth to look at it in the next two days, and don't pour water or oil on it."

Everyone agreed, then they packed up their equipment, washed up and rested.

On the morning of the third day, probably because the big kitchen had been cooking soup, steaming buns and making cakes, the temperature and humidity in the room were ideal.

Shen Yu took away the cloth, opened a crack in the bamboo basket and looked inside. He was surprised to see that a layer of fluffy white hair had grown on the originally tender white tofu.

Wrap the tofu cubes into fur balls.

If you smell it carefully, you can also smell that familiar stench, but it's not strong enough.

Shen Yu estimated that if he kept it covered for a whole day, it should be fine by evening.

But the smell was indeed unpleasant. When Shen Yu opened it to check, the smell filled the room.