Chapter 42 Sprouting Soybeans
Wang Xiaozhi and the others proved with their voracious appetites that Xie Wanniang was not exaggerating.
Wang Xiaozhi even learned a few cooking techniques from Xie Wanniang, who was very open about her skills, and her cooking skills improved significantly in just a few days.
Of course, that's a story for another time.
Right now, the three people who finished pickling the mustard greens are busy cleaning up the remaining peppers, cucumbers, celery, green beans, and other vegetables in the garden.
They also planned to pickle these. The peppers, cucumbers, and celery that could be eaten raw, as well as the carrots they had reserved, were all pickled together, while the green beans that needed to be cooked were pickled in a separate jar.
Xie Wanniang also plans to pickle the white radish separately. She personally prefers dried radish, so she wants to pickle a whole jar of it.
When these tasks were temporarily completed, the Chinese cabbage that Xie Wanniang planned to use for pickling cabbage had been dried for a sufficient amount of time, so the three of them began pickling the Chinese cabbage again.
Wash the dried Chinese cabbage with clean water to remove surface dust and impurities, then drain the water.
Sprinkle a thin layer of coarse salt at the bottom of the cleaned and dried large vat, then put in a layer of cabbage, and sprinkle another layer of salt evenly on the cabbage.
Layer the cabbage and salt in this manner until all the cabbage is in the large vat, and finally sprinkle a thicker layer of salt on top.
After sprinkling the salt, add an appropriate amount of water to the large vat, just enough to cover the cabbage.
To prevent the cabbage from spoiling due to contact with air, clean, heavy objects, such as a washed, dried, and appropriately sized stone slab, should be used to firmly press down the cabbage and prevent it from emerging from the water.
Finally, use the prepared lid to cover the large vat placed in the corner of the kitchen, and wait for it to ferment.
In the early stages of fermentation, some bubbles will be produced in the vat, which is normal.
As time goes by, the cabbage will gradually soften and its color will slowly darken.
After about twenty days, when the sauerkraut turns yellowish-green and has a distinct sour smell, it is ready to eat.
She excels at making braised pork belly, braised ribs, and braised (frozen) tofu with pickled cabbage. She also makes glass noodles. Whenever potatoes and sweet potatoes are available, she will make a batch of glass noodles as soon as possible and then slurp them in various ways!
Xie Wanniang was filled with rage, and her mouth was unconsciously swallowing saliva.
This was the first time Wang Xiaozhi had ever seen Xie Wanniang craving something. She smiled and patted Xie Wanniang's shoulder, "Don't worry, you can eat it in about twenty days."
The large vats they used for making sauerkraut could hold a lot. Even if Xie Wanniang ate this every day, the sauerkraut she made would be enough to last her until next spring.
Not to mention that Xie Wanniang is a girl who is very particular about "equal distribution" when it comes to food, and Wang Xiaozhi believes that she would never eat pickled cabbage every day.
Wang Xiaozhi believes she will cook the dried vegetables and mushrooms they make, the various pickled vegetables, and the winter-stored vegetables stored in the cellar in different ways.
Looking at the sky, Wang Xiaozhi realized it wasn't noon yet, so she decided not to stay for lunch. She smiled, patted her clothes, and said, "I've finished my work, so I'll head back now."
Xie Wanniang stopped her, "Have lunch before you go. I made fish balls last night, let's have fish ball soup for lunch."
Wang Xiaozhi shook her head, "It's still a long way off."
Xie Wanniang smiled, "Then I'll teach you how to sprout bean sprouts, sister. I think many people like to eat them in winter."
Wang Xiaozhi was taken aback.
Xie Wanniang explained, “You can have everyone exchange beans. One pound of new soybeans can sprout about seven or eight pounds of bean sprouts. If you exchange them at a rate of one to five, and give them a higher weight, those who don’t know how to sprout beans, can’t sprout beans well, or find it too troublesome to sprout beans themselves should be willing to exchange, right?”
To put it simply, the bean sprout business doesn't require much start-up capital or technical skills; it's just about exchanging time for a little bit of hard-earned money.
Furthermore, Xie Wanniang did not suggest that Wang Xiaozhi sell the bean sprouts for money, but instead suggested that she ask the villagers to exchange them for soybeans.
Although soybeans can be sold for money, the pain of receiving grain versus receiving money is quite different for those aunties and grandmas who are so frugal that they try to stretch every penny.
She pulled Wang Xiaozhi to get the soybeans, saying, "Come on, let's try it out now."
She did this a lot when she was at the Xie family's house. It's no exaggeration to say that as long as she doesn't close both eyes, she can definitely sprout the bean sprouts well.
"Xiao Yang is here too. From now on, you'll be in charge of sprouting all the bean sprouts in our family."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yang's face immediately lit up with a joyful smile, "Okay!"
She enjoyed helping Xie Wanniang with chores, especially those she had never done before. Every time she learned something new, the little girl would be overjoyed.
Xie Wanniang noticed this, so she was happy to teach Xiaoyang how to do any task that was within his ability.
After all, it's up to Xiaoyang to decide whether she wants to do it in the future, but it's never a bad thing to learn more survival skills.
Scoop out about two pounds of soybeans, remove the impurities and bad beans, leaving only the plump, undamaged, and insect-free fresh soybeans, and then rinse the beans with clean water.
Find a properly sized, clean, oil-free wooden basin that has been scalded with hot water. Line the bottom of the basin with a layer of breathable coarse cloth, and then put the selected soybeans into the basin.
Add enough water to the basin to cover the beans. Then cover the basin with a clean, damp cloth to maintain humidity and hygiene inside.
Beans generally need to be soaked for 8-12 hours. The soaking time can be shortened in summer and extended in winter.
When the beans have absorbed enough water, expanded in volume, and the skin has slightly cracked, it means they have been soaked enough and can be drained to start sprouting.
Cover the beans with a damp cloth to keep them moist, and then place the wooden pot in a warm, dark place to germinate them.
When germinating seeds, the temperature is best controlled between 20 and 25℃. In ordinary households like theirs, who cannot afford heating systems, the only way to achieve this is through the earthen kang (heated brick bed) in each household.
During the sprouting process, uncover the damp cloth every day and rinse the beans with clean water 2-3 times, then drain the water and cover them with the damp cloth again.
The purpose of rinsing is to maintain the moisture of the beans, while removing the heat and metabolic waste generated by the beans' respiration, thus preventing the bean sprouts from rotting.
After 2-3 days, bean sprouts will gradually emerge. At this time, continue to maintain a suitable temperature and humidity, and carefully observe the growth of the bean sprouts.
When the bean sprouts grow to a certain length (generally 3-5 cm for soybean sprouts and 5-8 cm for mung bean sprouts), they can be sold or cooked and eaten at home.
Fearing that Wang Xiaozhi might not remember the next steps, Xie Wanniang specially brought out paper and used a simple charcoal pencil she made herself to write down all the key points on a small piece of paper.
"There aren't many secrets to sprouting beans. Just don't use old soybeans, don't be careless or lazy, make sure the environment is warm, humid, and dark, use clean and oil-free utensils, use fresh, clean water that isn't too cold, and don't let the bean sprouts grow too long."
It was obviously inappropriate to talk to Wang Xiaozhi about centimeters, so Xie Wan's mother told Wang Xiaozhi that the soybean sprouts should grow to be about the length of a thumb and the mung bean sprouts should grow to be about the length of an index finger.
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