Chapter 285: Learn and Apply

"After pressing the oil out of the bean cake, add warm water at a ratio of 1:7 and soak in a wooden barrel for about four hours..."

Su Ying instructed everyone to take out the bean cakes and soak them in warm water.

After four hours, stir evenly, pour into the pot, and cook while stirring.

After boiling, scoop the soup and residue into the filter cloth and filter it, then pour the filtered soy milk into the pot.

Heat over low heat and use a cattail leaf fan to stir the soy milk in the pot so that a film-like skin forms on the surface.

Use the prepared bamboo sticks to wrap the oil film skin and place it on the shelf.

This is how to make bean shoots. Wrap the soybean shoots in more than ten layers, while the red bean shoots only need three layers.

Repeat this process until all the serous membrane in the pot is extracted. When the box is full, take it outside to dry in the sun.

Mainly use the sun to dry, and use the residual fire of charcoal slag in the stove to bake on cloudy or rainy days.

Everyone stared at Su Ying as she produced a box of bean shoots like magic, their eyes wide open.

In the past, when I ordered tofu at home, I would use chopsticks to stir the oil film. I never thought that this thing could be refined into a dish!

"Uh, Aying, these beans and bean shoots are good, but you can't make much in one pot!" County Magistrate Lin looked at the full pot of soy milk before taking out a shelf.

With such a low yield, how much soy milk is needed to produce?

"Well, Master Lin, if you think bean shoots are not worth it, you can scoop out a piece of oil film at a time and hang it up. That's called bean skin! It dries faster.

Like bean shoots, they are easy to store and transport after being dried. When eating, soak them in warm water until they are soft. They can be stir-fried with meat, served cold, cooked in soup, or stewed.

Su Ying poured brine into the pot as she spoke. After removing the oil film essence from the soy milk, you could still make tofu, but the taste was much worse, bland, without the sweetness of soybeans.

After the soy milk becomes floc-like tofu pudding, place a layer of gauze in the template, scoop in the tofu pudding and spread it evenly, fold the gauze to cover the tofu pudding, and then pour the tofu pudding.

Repeat this process until the template is full, then cover it with a cover plate and press it down with stones.

"This is dried tofu. It doesn't taste good when made into tofu. After being made into dried tofu and marinated with soy sauce, it tastes salty and fragrant, and is better than tofu." Su Ying introduced.

Bean curd skin was accidentally discovered by a chef in the mid-Tang Dynasty and became his secret to getting rich.

There are many legends about the origin of tofu skin, and each place has a history of hundreds or even thousands of years.

Bean shoots are a specialty of a certain place with a history of more than 300 years. They are an improved and upgraded version based on bean skin.

It is economical and practical to dig it out and give it to Tongxian now.

Soybeans are rich in nutrients and contain oil. You can use them to extract oil, make bean shoots, bean skins, and dried tofu, and the remaining bean dregs can be used to satisfy your hunger.

In a year of famine, one hundred kilograms of soybeans are enough to keep a family of three alive through the winter, but the same weight of rice and flour is not enough.

"Thank you, Ah Ying is really amazing!" County Magistrate Lin said happily.

"With these, Tong County will have its own specialty products. In the future, caravans going to Wu County can also come to Tong County to buy tofu skin, bean sprouts, and soybean oil!"

"Yes!" A group of Cao officials also echoed.

We have been here since morning and have been busy until late at night without realizing it. No one feels tired and is extremely excited. They will be busy in the future too!

"Aying, after pressing the oil, making bean skin and dried tofu, the bean dregs can be used to satisfy hunger and as fertilizer. When times get better, I guess not many people will be willing to eat them. Is there any other way to utilize the bean dregs?" County Magistrate Lin thought further.

"Well, sir, you can find a few masters who can make soy sauce. The bean cakes after oil extraction can also be used to make paste or soy sauce. This way, nothing will be wasted." Su Ying suggested.

"Yes, yes, yes! Why didn't I think of that?" County Magistrate Lin slapped his head.

Part of the bean cake after oil extraction is used to make bean products such as bean skin, and part is used to make soy sauce products.

Sauce and soy sauce are both precious things!

Everyone had dinner in the office. Shi Yan, Chen Yan and Quan Yan were busy all day. They never thought that a humble soybean could be used in so many ways besides tofu. It really broadened their horizons.

"Aying..." County Magistrate Lin sat next to Su Ying, hesitant and nodding.

"Sir, is there anything else you don't understand?" Su Ying asked.

"No, it's about that. You said you have cement. Can we build a road in Tong County and replicate Wu County? Haha!"

County Magistrate Lin felt quite embarrassed for exploiting a girl step by step.

"It's almost out. Let's lay it out in Wu County first. Lord Lin can send people to learn how to open mountains and build roads. Once Wu County is finished, we'll give it to you to use.

Do you have a place to burn lime in Tong County? It would be best to build a cement plant nearby to reduce costs.

Can you guys in Tong County handle this? Wu County has been struggling since last year. Now Lingnan Dao is a special grain-producing area, with grain production as the primary responsibility!"

"If Wuxian can do it, we can do it too! At worst, we will have to work harder and mobilize everyone to work together during the slack season!" County Magistrate Lin said firmly.

"Our cement factory is jointly invested by the state government, Wuxian County Government, and the Fudong family. You in Tongxian County..." Su Ying pondered.

"We in Tong County will also invest! Invest!" County Magistrate Lin said immediately.

"Well, that's fine. You provide the people and the land, we provide the technology, and the state government provides the iron ore slag. The proceeds from the cement sales will be split among the three of us."

Speaking of this, Su Ying thought about what to do after leaving Wuzhou.

I guess this is the trick, who doesn't want to have a taste of soup? It can be used as a political achievement, and it can be continuously produced later, and it can be used to build city walls and houses.

I have to go back and discuss this with the village elders. I can't just build the cement factory and leave without anyone to manage it. Otherwise, it will become someone else's hens.

The next morning, we arrived at the oil press.

The impurities in the oil settle down and the oil becomes much clearer. Take out the clear oil and add a certain proportion of salt to absorb the moisture in the oil and precipitate it.

The oil is then deodorized with steam and is ready for export.

After checking the soybean oil, I went to the tofu shop next door to check.

Bean shoots and bean skins are hung on the yard to dry, and the dried tofu pressed by stones is taken out, revealing white pieces of dried tofu.

"Boil a pot of soy sauce and cook the dried tofu. If you want it to taste better, you can add spices such as mountain radish and star anise to season it." Su Ying arranged.

An hour later, the whole tofu shop was filled with the aroma of soy sauce.

"It will be more flavorful if you soak it for a while. You can use the sauce over and over again by adding water, salt, soy sauce, and other ingredients. You can add whatever is missing."

Su Ying picked up a piece of dried tofu, broke off a small piece and tasted it. It lacked the original soybean aroma, but it was complemented by the aroma of soy sauce and braised sauce, and tasted good.

"Sir, please try it. How does it taste?" Su Ying handed it to Lin Xiancheng and everyone present.

"Hmm, not bad! Really fragrant!" County Magistrate Lin didn't expect the dried tofu to be so delicious, it was chewy and bouncy, and one piece of dried tofu could be eaten with a bowl of rice.

At noon, I made several dishes with dried tofu, including fried dried tofu with green onions, cold dried tofu, and bean curd dregs pancakes, and everyone ate them all.

"Okay, my Tongxian inn and restaurant will focus on soy dishes from now on!" County Magistrate Lin said with a flash of inspiration.

In order to promote vermicelli, all the inns, restaurants and hotels in Wu County are promoting vermicelli dishes. Now Tong County is following suit and mainly promoting soy product dishes!

"Lord Lin is brilliant! He is truly brilliant!" Su Ying praised. She didn't expect that County Magistrate Lin was quite good at applying what he had learned.