Lin Lanchi of the Qing Dynasty once said, "Don't take fermented bean curd lightly; it has a pure heart and is cool in June. It is not called firm but white, which is better than any other soup."
Tofu, a wonderful food, has been praised by countless writers and poets; its deliciousness is beyond question.
First, cut the tofu into cubes, pour oil into the pan, fry until the surface is slightly golden brown, and then remove it from the pan.
Pour in the finely chopped, red and green chilies and stir-fry until fragrant. Add the pan-fried tofu and sprinkle with various seasonings as needed.
Stir-fry briefly, then add water. The aroma of chili peppers and the flavor of tofu blend perfectly, with the seasonings adding the finishing touch.
Pan Jinhua picked up a piece of tofu, blew on it a few times to cool it down, and then put it in her mouth.
The spiciness of chili peppers hits you as soon as you touch them, and your saliva immediately starts flowing.
It's fragrant; the tofu has a slightly yellow surface with a caramelized bean aroma. When you bite into it, juices pump out from inside, creating a smooth, spicy, and rich flavor that explodes in your mouth.
"tasty!"
Pan Jinhua hadn't had tofu in a long time, and after taking a bite, she couldn't help but praise it.
Li Qingruo was already attracted by the aroma. Seeing that her grandmother had tasted it, she quickly handed over the large bowl beside her.
"Grandma, is this tofu really that delicious?"
"Of course it's delicious. You sisters can try these, but don't touch the rest."
"Grandmother~" Li Qingru wrinkled her nose; she wasn't greedy.
Pan Jinhua smiled, teasing her.
I just made braised tofu, and next I'll make Mapo tofu.
This is a spicy and quick dish.
Cut the tender tofu into small square pieces, mince the pork, and prepare chili peppers, minced garlic, and Sichuan peppercorns.
Pan Jinhua first stir-fried the minced meat in a pot until it changed color. Then she poured the prepared sauce into the pot, followed by chili peppers, minced garlic, and Sichuan peppercorns. After that, she added the tofu and simmered it for a few minutes before serving. She then sprinkled chopped green onions on top and put it in a bowl.
Li Qingruo tasted a piece.
"Spicy and savory, the tofu is so tender it melts in your mouth, the meat and tofu flavors blend perfectly, Grandma, this is so delicious!"
The moment she tasted it, Li Qingruo was captivated by the Mapo Tofu. She preferred this dish to braised tofu.
"It's numbing and spicy, fresh and tender. Grandmother, what's this dish called?" Li Qingfei was also amazed by the dish and hurriedly asked.
"Mapo tofu. There are so many delicious ways to make tofu. Just you wait and see, you'll be the ones making it for Grandma from now on."
A silvery laugh rang out, and several girls repeatedly said yes.
Pan Jinhua is preparing four common dishes with tofu today.
Pan Jinhua had just cut a lot of small tofu cubes. She used half of them to make Mapo Tofu, and the other half was to be used to make Scallion Tofu. The tofu was processed and cut into small cubes.
After heating the oil, Pan Jinhua poured in the chopped scallions, and the aroma of scallion oil suddenly filled the entire kitchen.
"It smells so good, Grandma."
Li Qingjun ran in from outside. His brothers had gone to the fields, but he was thinking about the sweet and salty soy milk he had drunk that day, so he turned back home.
"Hmph, you greedy cat!"
Li Qingzhi scoffed, showing no restraint whatsoever, what a glutton!
"I am a small person, I need to eat a lot to grow tall."
Li Qingjun didn't care about his sister's words. His grandmother said that he should eat more to grow taller.
Pan Jinhua had no time to pay attention to what the two children were saying. She picked up a wooden spoon, scooped two spoonfuls of soy sauce into the pot, and then added a little water with a ladle. She almost got splashed by the oil, but she quickly took the pot away from the heat.
Place the tofu in a bowl, pour in the scallion sauce, add sugar dissolved in water, and then add the remaining chopped scallions. Stir.
Scallion and tofu salad, done!
"Try it, I guarantee you'll eat one without making a sound."
As the eldest sister, Li Qingruo picked up a small piece with her chopsticks and tasted it.
"Refreshing and delicious, the aroma of scallion oil is the perfect finishing touch."
"This tofu and scallions mixed together are surprisingly delicious."
Li Qingfei was amazed. This tofu was indeed a marvel, and her grandmother was truly an extraordinary person.
The last dish was tofu soup.
Every time Pan Jinhua saw meat and eggs at home, she was incredibly grateful to Fang Da; without him, she wouldn't be able to eat a thing.
Take out ten eggs, fry them into eggs, then cut the fried eggs into small pieces and put them in a pot. Pour in boiling water and add the chopped tofu. Cover the pot and simmer.
Before long, when the lid was lifted again, the broth inside had turned milky white.
"Grandma, the soup has turned white!"
"Why is it so white?"
"Because hot water was added."
As Pan Jinhua replied, she poured the vegetables that Li Qingruo and the others had washed into the pot. As soon as the vegetables were put into the pot, they quickly became soft and tender.
Li Qingruo carried a clean wooden bucket, and Pan Jinhua used a large ladle to scoop the soup into it. There were too many people, and the bucket couldn't hold everything. The same was true for the previous dishes; a little was put in a bowl to taste, and the rest was served in basins.
"It's done."
After preparing these four dishes, Pan Jinhua was panting heavily, as she was quite old and the portions were large.
"I never knew my grandmother could cook."
"That's right. In the past, it was only the place where I could use my power. But this time, you can do it next time."
Pan Jinhua had no intention of becoming a cook; ideally, the whole family would learn to cook, and she would only be responsible for eating.
“Okay, Grandmother, I’ll try to do it next time, I just learned from you.”
“Me, Fei’er, with my sister.”
"Alright, alright, all of you together."
"But your brothers had better know how to do it too."
Li Qingruo covered her mouth and laughed: "Grandmother, my brothers are men, how could they do such a thing?"
"What kind of thing? Are they immortal lords? They don't need to eat or drink? My Li family is just an exiled family now. Do our young masters still dare to act like young masters? Haven't they cleared enough wasteland yet?"
Seeing her grandmother angry, Li Qingruo's expression changed.
"Grandma, you scared my sister."
Li Qingfei quickly spoke up, as her parents had reminded her to pay attention to her sister's emotions.
"Grandmother was wrong, she frightened our Ruo'er. Grandmother was not angry with you. Our family is not the same as before. It is always good to learn more things. As the saying goes, it is never a bad thing to have more skills. Maybe one day when your brothers are stranded in the wilderness, they will be able to find a way to cook a meal for themselves."
"Grandmother is right, Ruo'er is overthinking it."
“You’re just too kind,” Pan Jinhua sighed. “Our Fei’er is very protective of her older sister. Grandmother will reward you with an extra bowl of sweet soy milk tomorrow.”
"Wow! Thank you, Grandma."
While drinking soy milk earlier, Pan Jinhua noticed that this girl preferred sweet soy milk, and had given the salty soy milk to Li Qingzhi instead of finishing it.
Li Qingfei was overjoyed; it was like a pie had fallen from the sky.
"I drank with Sister Ruo and Sister Zhi."
"What about me! Second sister, can you share some with Jun'er?"
"Don't share! Second Sister, don't share with Xiao Qi. He eats all day long, he's become a glutton!"
"I'm not a glutton."
"You're such a glutton."
"I'm not!"
"You are it!"
Alright, here we go again with this game of "you are not me" and "I am not me".
Everyone was helpless, but they all smiled broadly as they watched these two clowns bickering.
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