GBP Chapter 40 Zu'an Tofu
Chapter 40 Zu'an Tofu
Xia Chan examined the pig's hind leg that had been cured for the first time, and then told the three of them that the blood had not yet been completely drained from the hind leg.
Then she picked up a pig's hind leg and gently crushed it, instructing the others to imitate her movements and manually drain the blood from the pork.
Otherwise, the pickled food will smell bad, especially since Yufei needs to keep a close eye on it.
After Aunt Xia Chan finished her reminder, she focused on massaging the hind leg meat using her unique technique. As she continued, the blood inside was drained away.
Yufei followed Aunt Xia's instructions step by step with clumsy technique, and it took her several attempts to drain the blood from a pig's leg.
It took them an hour to prepare 30 pig hind legs.
The meat is being marinated a second time. Aunt Xia said that you need 7 qian (approximately 35 grams) of salt per jin (approximately 500 grams) of meat. If you're unsure about the weight, you can weigh it on a scale.
With practice, one becomes more skilled. He then evenly coated the entire hind leg with the salt from the wooden basin.
Following suit, Yufei and her two friends prepared the remaining pork hind legs for a second marinating.
Then Granny Chun and Aunt Qiuju put the thirty cured pork hind legs into the curing room behind the kitchen to hang them up.
Aunt Xia and Yufei returned to the kitchen; the soybeans were already soaked and they were going to make tofu.
Yufei helped Aunt Xia move the soaked beans outside the kitchen, where there was a stone mill.
They ground the beans into bean water, filtered it through cheesecloth, boiled it, poured the liquid out of the pot, added coagulant, waited for it to solidify, pressed it down, and drained the water.
After the tofu has set, the main event finally begins.
"Little Yufei, do you know the characteristics of Hunan cuisine?" Xia Chan tested Yufei before teaching her how to make Zu'an Tofu.
Yufei recalled the Hunan cuisine she had eaten and, based on her own understanding, said, "I think Hunan cuisine is spicy and fragrant."
Xia Chan shook her head and said, "This is just one point. Before we create a cuisine, we must first understand its main characteristics in order to cook it better."
Hunan cuisine—which originated in the Han Dynasty and is one of the eight major cuisines of the Han Chinese—is characterized by its rich, oily, and flavorful dishes, emphasizing practicality and a focus on spicy, fragrant, fresh, and tender textures. Its cooking methods are renowned for braising, stewing, curing, steaming, and stir-frying.
Today I'm going to teach you how to make Zu'an Tofu, which belongs to Zu'an Hunan cuisine. It used to be one of the representative dishes of Hunan cuisine served in official government offices. It is famous for its fragrance and freshness, and it's not very spicy, so it's suitable for both the elderly and children.
Yufei listened very attentively and nodded to show that she understood.
Seeing that Yufei understood, Xia Chan prepared all the ingredients for the Zu'an cuisine and showed Yufei how to make it before continuing.
"Today we've chosen freshly made soft tofu, which we'll continue to drain to make tofu dumplings that are neither too firm nor too soft."
After speaking, Xia Chan took out one or two pieces of soft tofu, wrapped them in gauze, placed a wooden board on top, and weighed down the board with a large stone to drain the water.
"At the same time, we use soybean sprouts to make a vegetarian broth, select old hens for their freshness, pork for its flavor, and ham. This ham is the one I made when the previous batches of pigs were ready for slaughter. We'll use this one this time. After the ham we make together later has fermented, we'll try making the ham together. The ham is for its aroma, and each ingredient does its part."
As Xia Chan spoke, she quickly did as she was told, glancing at Yu Fei every now and then to see if she understood. Once Yu Fei nodded to indicate that she understood, she continued her explanation.
"These ingredients—ginger slices, knotted scallions, and water from the space—are simmered for 6 hours."
During the six-hour wait, Yufei originally wanted to continue gossiping about the three teachers' affairs in the Yan Dynasty.
But Granny Chun and the others weren't very interested. Aunt Qiuju said that after she learned how to make this dish, she would follow her to learn it, so she needed to prepare.
After saying that, he disappeared off to do something, leaving bored Yufei stuck in the kitchen watching the fire, just staring blankly.
After waiting for four hours, Aunt Xia came and took the tofu. The tofu was much shorter than before. Then Aunt Xia called Yufei over to help her crush it.
A delicate aroma of tofu slowly unfolded between their fingers as they crushed all the pressed tofu blocks and sifted them through a fine sieve to create a smooth tofu paste.
Season the tofu puree with cooking wine and salt, then pour it back into the mold, smooth it out, cover it with cheesecloth, and steam it for one hour.
Xia Chan took down the freshly made tofu.
"Wow~ so many tiny holes!" Yufei exclaimed in amazement, looking at the fresh tofu covered with extremely loose, honeycomb-like holes.
"That's right! It's these countless honeycomb-like pores that will make this tofu truly special!"
Xia Chan spoke mysteriously, then cut the large piece of tofu into small pieces and gave a small piece to Yufei to taste.
Full of anticipation, Yufei quickly stuffed it into her mouth.
Hmm... it wasn't as delicious as she had imagined. Although her mouth was filled with the rich aroma of tofu, a lingering beany taste made Yufei lose her appetite.
"Aunt Xia, this is Zu'an Tofu? It's not very tasty!" Yufei said disappointedly, wondering if there was any point in learning it. Xia Chan gently tapped Yufei's head with a soup spoon.
Yufei immediately cried out, "Ouch, ouch!"
Xia Chan told Yu Fei to be patient, and said that Qiu Ju's calligraphy skills were not yet up to par, and Yu Fei needed to practice her self-cultivation more.
After scolding Yufei, I wrapped the tofu, cut into small pieces, in cheesecloth and put it into the soybean sprout soup. I then put it on the stove to cook until the tofu had absorbed all the soybean sprout soup.
Master Xia Chan said that because there were no mushrooms in the space, mainly because Yu Fei hadn't come into contact with them yet, the space couldn't cultivate them.
I used shiitake mushrooms instead; these were specially selected for their superior flavor and aroma.
However, Aunt Xia said that this method wasn't quite authentic, and they should find button mushrooms as soon as possible.
Clean the shiitake mushrooms and soak them in boiling water. Place a bamboo steamer rack in a prepared clay pot, add tofu, chicken feet, and pork belly.
Since there were no dried scallops, Aunt Xia substituted them with turtle skirt, ham, and the previously prepared meat broth. She then added ginger slices and scallion segments, and finally poured the water used to soak the shiitake mushrooms into the clay pot.
Bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer over low heat until fragrant and the sauce is thick; this process can take at least 5 to 6 hours.
The moment Xia Chan lifted the lid of the clay pot, a rich aroma burst forth from it.
Just smelling the aroma made Yufei feel like she was floating on air! No, wait! Yufei thought that if such delicious food existed in the human world, she wouldn't even go to heaven if it were made for her!
Simmer the tofu and broth together, then add the tofu to the pot. The broth will thicken and thicken over high heat until it coats the tofu completely, creating an exceptionally rich and flavorful sauce. Finally, drizzle with hot chicken oil for added aroma.
"Our Zu'an Tofu is ready! Want to try some?" Xia Chan picked up a piece and put it in Yufei's bowl.
Ignoring the heat, Yufei took a small bite. The rich aroma burst in her mouth, followed by an intense freshness and the tenderness of the tofu.
With each bite Yufei took, the rich, fragrant broth burst forth from the tofu, captivating her like a stunning dancer.
"It's so delicious!" Yufei thought that if this dish were in the anime "Cooking Master Boy" that she watched, it would definitely emit a golden light when Aunt Xia opened it.
Everyone who eats this dish will feel as if they are floating on clouds, experiencing a blissful state.
Yufei couldn't wait to share this dish with her family!