Chapter 103 Daily Life of Making Soybean Paste
After selling the medicinal herbs, Lamb rested at home for two days before arriving at Lai's house on time again.
While Neil was resting, Rae took Lamb and Neil to the shepherd's stall to buy meat. Hearing that it was for his dog, the shepherd casually gave Rae two large bones without asking for a single coin.
In Mu's words, it was something he was going to throw away anyway, it wasn't worth much, but he was happy that it could help Lai.
Lamb had things he wanted to buy, and Ray gave him an hour, agreeing to meet him at the storage area an hour later. He then took Neil to the grain store and the spice shop, buying twenty pounds of soybeans, several pounds of mung beans, a lot of salt, and various seasonings.
After buying these things, Lai went to the seed shop as usual to hunt for treasures. That shop occasionally sold some strange and unusual seeds, even seeds of common magical plants. Lai enjoyed chatting with the shop owner.
The shopkeeper wasn't there this time, and nothing in the shop piqued his interest, so he spent ten copper coins to buy a large bag of common flower seeds. He planted them next to the manure pit when he got home, so as not to affect the village's appearance.
The family's red rockbirds needed to incubate their chicks, but Lai didn't have the skill to weave baskets out of thatch, and he didn't want to bother others. Hearing that someone in the West Market was selling ready-made bird nests, he went there and bought four nests for three silver coins.
The family had already used up last year's wheat straw, and Hagrid's family had stored two large stacks of straw at their cattle farm, which they might not be able to use up even by this autumn. Hearing that Ray needed some, he had Lamb send him a cartload. Ray would definitely harvest more from the village this autumn.
It can be laid inside the enclosure to keep it warm and also to keep the ground dry.
"Is there anything you want to buy? I'll go with you to buy it."
Ray asked Neil, and Neil shook his head.
"Let's go, I'll take you to buy some snacks."
Because he bought a lot of things, he spent a few extra copper coins to have the merchant deliver them to the mule cart. Lai only carried a few of the items he had bought.
Ray took Neil to the bakery and bought buttered bread and cookies of various flavors. Afterwards, they went to the smoked meat shop and bought some sausages.
Vegetable prices at the market have dropped compared to winter, but they are still somewhat expensive. Even potatoes and sweet potatoes have quadrupled in price due to spring planting. Of course, these potatoes and sweet potatoes are from last year's stockpiles, and you'll have to wait until summer to get new potatoes.
Lai didn't plan to buy groceries; he just wanted to check out the current market prices.
If you really want to eat vegetables, just grow some yourself. The taste is basically the same, and you can save a lot of money.
Finally, Ray took Neil to the tavern and bought some fruit wine.
The fruit wine has a low alcohol content and is sweet, so Lai uses it as a substitute for soft drinks and beer. He pours himself a glass when he eats spicy food.
Are you tired?
Ray asked Neil, who was also carrying a lot of bags.
"A little tired."
"We're going back soon, and we can have a good rest when we get home."
"Um!"
Once again, we returned with a full load.
Lamb also bought ribs and wine, as well as a large piece of floral fabric, saying that Linda had asked him to buy it.
That evening, Lai used an axe to split the bones in half, added a little salt and some other side dishes, and cooked a large pot of bone broth. After it was cooked, he poured it all out for Dahuang to have for dinner.
Dahuang was still not in good spirits, but the aroma of the delicious bone broth roused him and he ate a little more.
For dinner, Lai used the spare ribs she bought that day, added sugar and vinegar, and made sweet and sour spare ribs.
I also stir-fried some freshly grown greens and mushrooms to cut through the richness of the dish.
Finally, I spent some time steaming a large pot of flower rolls.
It was rare for Rye to showcase his culinary skills, as he prepared new dishes to improve the family's meals. Lamb simply brought some ribs and ate dinner at Rye's house.
It was still early after dinner, and the sun hadn't set yet. After cleaning up the dishes, Lai decided to strike while the iron was hot and clean up the livestock shed.
As the weather gets hotter, the old canvas and animal hides that were nailed on for them to keep them warm in winter must be removed.
Otherwise, after a few heavy rains, they would definitely get moldy.
It's stuffy and hot, and with livestock urinating everywhere, it's practically a natural breeding ground for bacteria. I'm afraid that in the summer, the smell will be so strong it'll fill you to the core.
The mule and the red wildebeest were left in the yard for the time being; Neil just needed to keep an eye on them to prevent them from running away.
After removing the canvas and animal hides, Ray and Lamb first cleaned up the soiled hay in the shed. Then they replaced it with new, clean straw.
The red rockbird's nest was divided into two simple wooden planks. The newly purchased nest was placed on top to prevent it from being knocked over by fighting red rockbirds.
Logically, the floor should also be washed with clean water, but there isn't enough time today. Even if it's clean, it won't dry quickly, so I can only do my best to clean it like this.
After cleaning, put the mules and tardigrades back into the shed, and dump all the unwanted straw into the compost pit outside the yard.
The two worked quickly and finished all the work before the sun had completely set.
After cleaning himself up, Lamb returned home, and the day was over.
I'm busy all the time, but when I think about it carefully, I haven't actually done much. I don't know why time always flies by.
Lai had another purpose in buying so many soybeans this time: to use them to make traditional soybean paste.
While making the hot pot base, Lai discovered another problem: a key ingredient was missing – fermented soybean paste.
Back when I lived in the countryside, in the small village where my grandparents lived, every spring the whole family would get busy. They would boil soybeans, make soybean paste blocks, and then turn them into traditional homemade soybean paste.
This naturally fermented soybean paste has a unique flavor that is quite different from the kind sold in supermarkets.
Whenever young people return to their hometown to visit relatives, they always bring a bucket of homemade soybean paste made by their mothers. This small bucket is filled with the inescapable taste of childhood, the deep longing for loved ones, and the intense homesickness of those who have left home.
Another point is that in the autumn, you can wash and dry the vegetables that you can't eat, and then put them directly into a pickling jar to make salted vegetables.
This method of pickling vegetables with soy sauce gives them a unique flavor, making them an indispensable side dish for northerners during winter.
Moreover, the different methods and times of marinating each brand result in different flavors.
The auntie in the village who's really good at making soy sauce is famous far and wide. Whenever someone's homemade soy sauce has a problem, they inevitably bring their own fresh vegetables to her for advice.
Unfortunately, this flavor can no longer be found after the zombie outbreak.
Lai had only ever seen his grandmother make it before, and he had also learned about the principles of soybean paste making in his high school biology textbook. So this time, he wanted to try it himself. He had completely mastered the theoretical knowledge; he just lacked some practical experience.
Soy products like tofu are actually quite easy to make. Everyday proverbs already reveal the methods for making tofu.
As the saying goes, "tofu is made with brine." Soak soybeans, grind them into a paste, filter and heat it, then add brine or gypsum, and finally shape it with a mold to make large tofu.
Other special molds can also be used to make dried tofu or bean curd.
With thousands of years of cultural heritage and the wisdom of eating, clothing, housing, and transportation that has been used from ancient times to the present, just a little bit of that knowledge, along with a bit of effort, is enough for Lai to carve out a new world of his own in this unfamiliar magical world.
With a lifespan of two hundred years, there's still plenty of time. We can explore things slowly, and there's still time to make progress.
The important thing is what to do and how to do it.
That evening, Ray and Neil picked out all the bad beans, losing about two pounds.
These losses are negligible; feeding them to tarantulas or mules would be a good supplement for them.
Lai only soaked about ten pounds of soybeans, mainly because he was afraid of failing at making soybean paste for the first time and wasting food.
The next day, the soybeans were soaked and expanded to about twice their original size.
Lai scooped out a small bowl of soaked soybeans, added potato strips, and cooked a pot of soup. Served with leftover steamed buns from last night, breakfast ended simply like that.
Soaked soybeans are not easy to cook until soft. Even after the soup is cooked, the soybeans still have a crisp texture and their own bean flavor can be tasted when chewed.
However, some people dislike the taste, saying it has a strong beany smell.
Well, to each their own.
If you like it, then eat more; if you don't, there's no need to force yourself.
In short, Neil and Lamb, who had come early to freeload, ate heartily, each filling two large bowls.
After dinner, Neil had to go to school, leaving only Ray and Lamb at home.
"Brother, are we going out today?"
Lei shook his head.
"I'm not going hunting. I'm going to stay home and make sauce today. After I'm done, I'll go out and check the traps and then come back."
"Okay, okay."
Lamb nodded repeatedly.
He followed Ray's lead completely, doing whatever Ray told him to do. Apart from the occasional whimsical idea, he was a very obedient assistant. This was one of the reasons why Ray always kept him around.
"Brother, what is sauce?"
"A food item can also be considered a condiment."
Upon hearing that it was edible, Lamb's enthusiasm immediately soared. He couldn't wait to eat the sauce that Lai was talking about.
"Brother, hurry up and do it, I'll help you!"
"good."
The stove that Brown Sugar specially built last year was destroyed by Lai Yi long ago, but cooking beans requires a large pot, and there are not enough stoves in the house to fit Lai Yi's specially customized large iron pot.
So they had to build a makeshift stove in a corner of the yard where it wouldn't be in the way, using flat stones and mud.
The mud was dried over a fire, and the large iron pot, which had not been used for a long time, was first boiled with water and then washed several times before Lai scooped the soaked beans into the pot.
Add enough water to cover the beans and simmer over medium heat until the beans are almost cooked and only a shallow layer of water remains at the bottom of the pot. Then remove all the firewood.
Stir it and let it sit for half a day. Then, when it's time for dinner, turn the heat back on and cook it again.
That's one of the crucial steps: the cooked beans need to be mashed into a paste using a tool. This determines the smoothness of the soybean paste later on.
A strong aroma of beans wafted through the courtyard.
"Brother, can we have this sauce today?"
Lamb's mouth watered at the smell of beans, and he couldn't wait to eat them.
“No,” Ray shook his head, “it will probably take another two months. You can lower your expectations a bit.”
"ah?"
Lamb looked on incredulously; he had never known that any food would take so long to prepare.
Lamb's ever-changing expressions amused Ray.
"Alright, I'll make you something else delicious tonight."
Hehehe.
Lamb was satisfied this time and took the initiative to clean the entire yard.
In the afternoon, Neil returned home from school.
Lamb and Neil kept stirring the soybeans in the pot with a large spatula to prevent them from burning. Ray cooked inside, and only came out to continue processing them when the water in the large iron pot had reduced to half.
Because the soybeans had already been cooked once, they heated up very quickly, and the color of the soybeans in the pot changed from light yellow to earthy yellow.
Lamb couldn't resist taking a bite. The beans were completely cooked and had a soft, mealy texture, somewhat like the mung bean paste that Lai had made before.
"It should be about ready, right?"
Lamb knew nothing about cooking, so he asked Neil, who was turning over beans.
"It seems about time. I'll go call my brother."
Ray put down the knife in his hand and followed Neil outside.
Lamb was right; the soybeans in the pot were indeed cooked. Ray then had the two men remove the firewood from the bottom of the pot. He gave each of them a pestle or similar tool and instructed them to mash the beans into a paste while they were still hot.
"Pound it gently, and make a hole in the iron pot."
Ray's words were mainly a reminder to Lamb, because Lamb was so strong that he had to be on guard beforehand, otherwise all the hard work of the day would be wasted.
"Alright, brother, you can go ahead and cook."
"Brother, don't worry, Lamb and I will be careful."
"Um."
By the time Ray had finished making dinner, Lamb and Neil had already done what he had assigned them.
The beans in the pot had turned into a soft, mushy bean paste, with only a few uncrushed beans remaining.
They did a great job.
“Brother, this is all thanks to Brother Lamb. He thought I was too weak and sent me to work as livestock at home.”
While praising him, Neil subtly complained to Ray. Ray understood Neil's fear of losing the attention of his loved ones and let it go with a smile.
"Okay, put the lid on the pot. Wash your hands, let's go eat."
Is it alright to leave this here?
Lamb asked curiously.
"It's okay, it just needs to sit overnight before we can proceed to the next step."
"This thing called 'sauce' is really troublesome. I must eat more of it when the time comes."
"good."
Lei couldn't help but laugh.
"The sauce is salty, so don't make it too sweet. Are you tired today?"
"Not tired!"
Lamb said he still had a lot of energy left.
Perhaps he was really tired today, or perhaps the food that Lai made tonight suited his taste, Lamb ate a big bowl more than usual.
After resting for a while, he took the long-toothed beast that Lai and the others had given him and went home.
"Make sure to massage your shoulders properly when you get back, otherwise they'll hurt a lot tomorrow."
"That's what Lei instructed."
Lamb waved his hand, indicating that he was perfectly fine, didn't need any of this nonsense, and didn't care at all.
After getting home, I took a shower, played with Luna for a while, and then went to my room to sleep.
The next morning, Lamb was proven wrong.
The arm I was using to pound soybeans was very sore, it felt like I had chopped down ten trees at once, or worked as a blacksmith all day.
Lamb had no way to express his suffering. He ate his breakfast in the kitchen with a trembling spoon, not daring to eat with everyone for fear of being laughed at by Luna.
Those who do not heed the advice of elders will suffer the consequences.
Lamb decided that he would always remember Ray's words as if they were the doctrines of the church.
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