Chapter 153 Bean Products on Sale

Of course, rice was still a rare imported commodity that the poor class could not afford. Even the thin white porridge made by adding a lot of water could only be tasted from time to time... But fermented tofu was very cheap. A small can cost only ten nickels, and it contained about ten small, square pieces of fermented tofu. Because of its strong taste, one piece could be eaten with three meals. Using it to make up for several meals could save a lot of money.

The poor cannot afford white rice or rice porridge, but they are very creative when it comes to saving money: the tasteless oatmeal porridge is instantly made flavorful by adding fermented bean curd, not to mention that it can also be used as a special kind of heavy-flavored "cheese" to spread on bread and steamed buns, and there is also one that can be used for cooking!

Jiangyou taught Alexi how to make three flavors of fermented tofu: a salty and fragrant white one, a wine-flavored red one, and another with chili peppers, which was salty and spicy.

Red fermented bean curd can also be soaked to produce a red, fragrant, and thick "fermented bean curd juice." Alexi has tried the fried chicken that Jiangyou makes with this juice. The subtle aroma of wine, the crispy skin, and the alluring red aroma of fried chicken nearly made her gnaw on her fingers. It's just that the production of red fermented bean curd and fermented bean curd juice is limited, otherwise Alexi would have forced Jiangyou to make fried chicken with fermented bean curd every day.

However, Boss You also said that once Alexi can stably produce various fermented bean curds and fermented bean curd juice, she will open another fermented bean curd fried chicken shop on this street and upgrade the snack bar of the Royal Academy of Magic at the same time.

Alexi was thinking while making tofu. At eight o'clock, several other employees also punched in and went to work on time.

These employees are two pairs of veteran couples. Both men have some hidden injuries, but it does not prevent them from pressing and frying tofu and putting various sauces on the shelves. The two women are responsible for greeting customers in the store, serving food, cleaning and cashing.

-Oh, yes, since the Brewing Workshop main store is currently under renovation, the sauces and newly-added noodles have also been moved to Alexi's store for sale.

Considering that soft tofu with soy sauce is a delicious dish and fermented tofu can be mixed with noodles, customers often buy a bottle of soy sauce when they buy tofu, and buy a few packets of noodles when they buy a bottle of fermented tofu... Alexi thinks his boss is a genius in sales.

The Tofu Workshop now opens at 8:00 AM and closes at 6:00 PM. Soy milk and tofu pudding are only available for breakfast between 8:00 AM and 9:00 PM, while soft tofu is only sold before 11:00 AM and firm tofu is only available until 3:00 PM. Fried tofu, frozen tofu, various sauces, and noodles are available all day.

As for fermented tofu, moldy tofu mixed with chili peppers, and fried stinky tofu, you have to be lucky to get them. They are made and sold in batches while stocks last. If you miss it, they will be gone.

This sales method is closely related to the tofu production process, which is essentially made and sold simultaneously. Unsold tofu pudding is pressed into a final batch of soft tofu, and unsold soft tofu is pressed into hard tofu while still fresh. The hard tofu is then fried, frozen, fermented, or further squeezed to make dried tofu.

If the first part of the process is too popular and sold out directly, there will be no need for the following process.

As for expanding production... even with the help of magic and new employees, the output of the tofu workshop is still very limited - of course, considering that tofu itself has a short shelf life before fermentation, this productivity is in line with demand, so that there will not be too much tofu that cannot be sold in the end.

By 11:00, Leila would appear at each store, registering employees who needed lunch boxes. They could choose from sandwiches from the bakery, fried tofu noodle soup from the Tofu Workshop, or the Garden Restaurant's special lunch box of the day. Of course, if employees wanted to eat dishes from their own store, they didn't need to register; they could just ask the chef to make one.

These are included in employee benefits and will not be charged additionally.

Speaking of employee benefits, in addition to providing meals, the boss also provided housing. Lord Andrei housed the veterans and their families in vacant houses in the city, all within walking distance of their workplaces.

Alexi felt that the benefits offered by Boss You were simply too generous. She had only been here a short time, but already she had a stable job, could live peacefully in a large house with her daughters, and had an ample supply of soul fire to keep them from the troubles of transformation.

Even her daughters can go to school! She herself has learned a lot of magic! This is unimaginable in the tribe... Even the slightest thought would be considered a challenge to the rules!

Now it seems that life after being expelled from the tribe is much more comfortable... Hey, this is all thanks to Boss You!

While thinking about this, Alexi ordered a braised pork rice bento and cooked himself a bowl of soup with a few pieces of fried tofu.

They also sell cooked noodle soups, so there’s always a pot of broth simmering on the stove—sometimes beef bone broth, sometimes pork bone broth, depending on what ingredients are delivered from the main store that morning.

There is only one topping for noodles every day, and the main dish is also the braised dish sent from the head office, sometimes it is braised chicken legs, sometimes it is braised beef, and sometimes it is braised pork head. The store can choose additional ingredients including various vegetables, mushrooms, fried tofu balls, fried bean curd skin and fried tofu.

When customers place an order, you only need to cook the noodles, heat the broth in a small pot, add the side dishes ordered by the customers, blanch the main braised dishes of the day in the broth, adjust the seasoning, and the meal is ready to be served. It is convenient and quick.

The noodles here are cheap, and many customers come to eat noodles at noon and in the evening, filling up the small lobby. Residents nearby also bring their own big bowls, pay for them, and take a bowl of noodles home to eat, so as not to occupy the tables and chairs here.

Fried tofu balls and fried bean curd skin are also two side dishes that require a bit of luck, mainly because the production is really small.

Fried tofu skin requires repeatedly picking out the oily skin while boiling soy milk. Picking it out, drying it, cutting it into cubes of the right size, and frying it in a pan is the only way to get a few delicious tofu skins. A pot of soy milk won't yield many, so it's time-consuming and laborious. But it tastes really good, especially when eaten fresh from the boil...

Alexi felt that the most delicious thing was that half of the bean curd was softened by the soup and absorbed the juice, while the other half still retained the crispy fried bean curd skin.

Fried tofu balls are made by mixing firm tofu with eggs, flour, and starch, seasoning it with soy sauce and spices, then forming them into small balls and deep-frying them. When all the ingredients are in place, shredded carrots are often added to enhance the flavor. Amazingly, the balls are incredibly fragrant, with a tantalizing meaty aroma that's incredibly appealing to customers.

So even though it takes a bit more work, Alexi still makes some when he has time. However, since there are so many things to make with firm tofu every day, the amount available for fried tofu balls is extremely limited. He only fries about two pans a day, and they sell out while they last.