Chapter 12 Brewing Soy Sauce
Pei Ye squinted at the plate Jiang Zhi was holding. The two plates looked almost identical, with only slight differences in color: one was reddish-brown and the other was light brown.
The broth on top was crystal clear and clung to the dish. As for what this dish was?
Anyway, the more Pei Ye looked at it, the more it resembled a bean curd!
So he arrogantly raised his head, glanced at You Yi who was shouting "pork" to the side, and then picked up his chopsticks and "sharpened his knife" at the dish with light brown broth on it!
As for the other plate
Hmph! Pei Ye could tell just by the smell that that bowl of food was definitely going to be incredibly spicy!
*
On the other side, Gu Yuan's eyes truly lit up!
Boss Jiang is so kind!
The spiciness, the aroma, the subtle flavor—no need to use your taste buds on your tongue; just a gust of wind and a sniff are enough to make Gu Yuan's mouth water!
Without hesitation, she precisely lifted the chopsticks and took a bite:
The tofu was much more tender than she had imagined, so she lost control of her strength and pinched the tofu in two, revealing its snow-white interior.
Before she could observe further, her hand instinctively moved to put the food on the chopsticks into her mouth, and then, after one bite, Gu Yuan was so reluctant to open her mouth that she thought it was too delicious.
The first bite was pungent, making those who couldn't handle spice regret it and want to scream for help! But for Gu Yuan, who loved spicy food the most, it made him squint his eyes in bliss.
Why does Gu Yuan like spicy food? It's because he enjoys the heat that rushes to the tip of his throat, making him want to exhale deeply to relieve the intense, uncontrollable stimulation!
Right now, Gu Yuan squinted, like a big cat enjoying itself. The spiciness, just like last night, once again awakened Gu Yuan's sense of excitement, and she couldn't be more thrilled by this kind of excitement!
As the lingering spiciness on the tip of the tongue gradually subsided with deep breaths, the original flavors of the tofu and minced meat, along with the sauce they were coated in, slowly spread across the tongue.
The savory aroma of soybean paste, along with the lingering spiciness, blends with the fragrant, crispy fried minced meat and the tender, slightly charred tofu on the other side. Multiple flavors mingle and interact on the tongue, complementing and colliding with each other. In short...
"Absolutely amazing!"
Gu Yuan scooped up another spoonful of soup and the knife-cut noodles inside, savoring it carefully.
The knife-cut noodles weren't very big, probably only about one or two fingers long, but their width and thickness were just right. Any thinner and they'd break easily, any thicker and they wouldn't absorb the flavor as well. Served with the sauce clinging to them…
Gu Yuan was beyond words. He wondered if he was just eating plain water all the time, while quickly chewing and swallowing the food.
Apart from Xiao Mahua and Jiang Zhi, one bowl wasn't even enough for everyone else. They were probably afraid of missing out, so this time, no one even sat down. They were slurping their noodles and eating with their chopsticks at lightning speed, almost creating a battleground above the dishes.
Jiang Zhi also ate a small bowl. She always ate slowly and carefully. So when she looked up again, she was surprised to find that both large bowls, including the soup, were empty. She looked up at everyone in surprise and realized that she had underestimated their appetite.
The others avoided her gaze: You Yi scratched his head sheepishly and grinned. Gu Yuan simply buried his head in his bowl and continued slurping, decisively avoiding eye contact. Pei Ye turned his head away, seemingly eating his noodles elegantly, but a glance at the bottom of the bowl revealed—
Wow, they ate like crazy!
Little Twist always ate quietly, sipping the soup and noodles slowly while tilting her head slightly to watch everyone wolfing down their food. She also secretly tugged at Jiang Zhi's sleeve and muttered something under her breath when Jiang Zhi looked over.
Are you that hungry?
Jiang Zhi was amused by this remark and smiled slightly.
*
After breakfast, everyone prepared to go home.
After assigning Xiao Mahua some homework from "Tiangong Kaiwu" (The Exploitation of the Works of Nature), Jiang Zhi planned her day: she intended to use the jar of soybean paste she had bought that morning to make some soy sauce.
The reason is simple: in modern times, she's a complete idiot when it comes to soy sauce, even though soy sauce is a barely acceptable substitute in this era. But no matter how Jiang Zhi uses it, it just doesn't feel right, so she still plans to use the soy sauce to make some soy sauce for later use.
Making soy sauce, starting with soaking soybeans, is indeed not an easy task.
However, Jiang Zhi already had a semi-finished product on hand—soybean paste—so the remaining steps weren't too difficult.
She first rummaged through the shop window and found an unwanted cloth bag. She then put the bag into a jar about the size of two palms, then turned a jar of soybean paste upside down inside the bag, and finally placed a clean stone, slightly smaller than the jar, on top of the bag.
When the bean paste slowly seeps out as liquid, Jiang Zhi knows that the initial soy sauce is ready.
She took a deep sniff and, sure enough, it was the soy sauce smell she often encountered in modern kitchens.
However, the production is not yet complete.
Once the bottom of the entire vat was slightly covered with the initial soy sauce that had seeped from the soybean paste in the cloth bag, Jiang Zhi pressed it down gently with her hand to make sure it was almost completely soaked in. Then she scooped up the cloth bag, squeezed out the remaining soy sauce with both hands, and set it aside for later use.
The dregs looked dark and emitted a strong smell. But Jiang Zhi actually knew that this stuff had many uses.
For example, soaking the residue in salt water for a sufficient amount of time will produce a slightly lighter soy sauce compared to regular soy sauce.
As Jiang Zhi thought this to herself, she immediately got to work. She planned to use the soy sauce residue to make a dish for lunch later!
However, the initial processing of the soy sauce is not yet complete.
She poured the extracted soy sauce into the pot all at once and lit a fire under the stove.
The flames licked at the bottom of the pot, and Jiang Zhi added more firewood as needed, instantly causing the fire to swell even more.
Before long, the initial soy sauce was already bubbling and gurgling, from small bubbles to large bubbles.
During this time, Jiang Zhi kept a close eye on the firewood, adding two pieces when the fire was too small and removing two pieces when the fire was too big.
The heating and boiling step is mainly for sterilization. In ancient times, there were no preservatives or additives. Although everyone ate pure natural food without any additives, sterilization was still necessary if you wanted to preserve it for a longer period of time.
The most convenient way to sterilize liquids is by boiling!
Secondly, Jiang Zhi had a little something on her mind. As she skimmed the foam rising from the edge of the pot as it boiled, she thought:
Only processed soy sauce tastes the best!
After skimming off the foam, she took some orange peel, cloves, and Sichuan peppercorns, washed them all, and threw them into the soy sauce pot, contributing to the various aromas and flavors!
Once this step is completed and the soy sauce has boiled again, the initial processing of the soy sauce is considered finished!
Jiang Zhi rummaged through the drawers and found a clean glass jar. She poured all the soy sauce out of the pot and sealed it while it was still hot!
These next couple of days, she plans to use the soybean pulp as a seasoning for her dishes. That way, the resulting soy sauce can be sealed and left to sit for a few days, extending its shelf life!
A note from the author:
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I'm posting a short chapter first, and another one tonight. [cheering emojis]
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