Chapter 87 Stinky Tofu and Stinky Vinegar: A Stinky Combination
Since Zhang Ou's disturbance was resolved, the reputation of Lin Family Restaurant has soared. Lin Yao seized the opportunity and promoted every day that she was about to open a new restaurant specializing in all kinds of smelly food, named Flavor Restaurant.
Lin Yao moved the sales of snail rice noodles to a specialty restaurant, but worried that the menu would be too monotonous, so she started thinking about stinky tofu.
Just as dawn was breaking, Lin Yao, along with A-Zhu and A-Fu, got to work. Several bags of soybeans were piled up next to the stone mill in the backyard, all of which were grains she had stockpiled earlier. After this batch was used up, she planned to buy more to store. "Soak the soybeans first," Lin Yao instructed, pouring the soybeans into a large earthenware jar and filling it with water. "They need to soak until they swell up and can be crushed with your fingers; it'll take about half a day."
By the time the soybeans were soaked, it was already afternoon. Afu led Xiao Hui back from the dock and put it on the stone mill. "Grind it finely, so the soy milk will be smooth enough." Lin Yao occasionally scraped the soybean residue off the edge of the millstone with a wooden spoon. "Azhu, pour the soy milk into the cloth bag."
Ah Zhu had already set up the wooden frame and hung the cloth bag containing soy milk in the air. The two of them worked together to hold both ends of the bag and squeezed it with all their might. The first squeezed juice was very thick, but it gradually turned into a light milky color as they squeezed. Only when the soy pulp became dry and no longer sticky did Lin Yao nod: "Alright, pour out the soy pulp, rinse it with boiling water again, and squeeze out more juice."
The juice extracted a second time was slightly less flavorful, but still carried the same bean aroma. Lin Yao poured all the juice into a large iron pot. As the juice boiled and produced fine bubbles, she stirred it constantly to prevent the bottom of the pot from burning. "You have to keep an eye on the heat; too fast and it will burn, too slow and the bean aroma won't come out."
Once the broth was perfectly boiled, Lin Yao quickly scooped it into an earthenware jar. She then took a solution of gypsum powder mixed with water and slowly poured it in while stirring with a long wooden stick. "Stir for fifteen to twenty turns, then stop," she said, watching the broth in the jar. "It depends on the broth's reaction. If a drop of water dissolves, then you need to add more gypsum solution." After trying twice, seeing that the water droplets floated on the surface of the broth without sinking, Lin Yao stopped. "Just wait," she said, "it'll become tofu pudding in about fifteen minutes."
Sure enough, the liquid in the vat coagulated into tender tofu pudding, which trembled like solidified fat when gently scooped with a spoon.
Lin Yao took a square wooden box, lined the inside with cotton cloth, and scooped in the tofu pudding one spoonful at a time. She sprinkled some salt after each layer was filled, and then added another layer until the wooden box was full.
"This tofu needs to be pressed firmer than usual, but not as dense as dried tofu." She covered it with a wooden board and then placed a heavy bluestone slab on top. "It needs to be pressed for two hours to drain all the moisture."
The next morning, the pressed tofu was cut into small, square pieces and neatly stacked on a wooden rack. The rack had more than a dozen layers, with gaps between them for ventilation. Lin Yao took a salt shaker and evenly sprinkled salt on each piece of tofu. "Enough salt is needed to bring out the flavor and also to prevent spoilage."
She then took a small porcelain bowl containing water infused with dissolved mold. Dipping her fingertip in the water, she gently flicked it onto the tofu, causing fine droplets to fall evenly onto its surface. This mold was the kind used to make hairy tofu; she had specifically bought a block of tofu in advance and used it to develop the mold.
She moved the rack full of tofu into a well-ventilated room, where the sun didn't shine directly on it and the temperature was just right for fermentation. Lin Yao carefully closed the door, leaving only a crack for ventilation: "Wait two or three days, and it'll be ready when it grows an inch of white mold."
On the evening of the third day, Lin Yao pushed open the door and saw that each piece of tofu was covered with a layer of snow-white mold, fuzzy, like little steamed buns huddled together. "It's done." Her eyes lit up with joy, and she directed the tofu to be moved to the yard.
A large wooden tub had been prepared in the courtyard, and boiling water was used to dissolve the alum inside. Lin Yao placed whole blocks of tofu into the tub: "These need to soak for an hour."
An hour later, Wang Xiaoyu and the others took the tofu out, let it cool slightly, and then soaked it in the prepared brine. The brine contained Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, cinnamon, and some secret spices that Lin Yao had specially added; the dark brown brine exuded a rich aroma. "In spring and autumn, soak for three to five hours; in summer, two hours is enough; in winter, six to ten hours," she said, glancing at the sun. "Today it's hot, two hours is just right."
As the sun sets, Lin Yao scoops out the tofu soaked in the brine, each piece glistening with black oil. She rinses off the surface brine with cold boiled water and drains it. "At this point, the basic stinky tofu is done," she says, picking up a few pieces. "But it can be processed a little more. Some people like it spicy, so they brush on a layer of chili oil; others like it fragrant, so they sprinkle some sesame seeds on top."
Ah Zhu leaned closer to smell it, frowned, and couldn't help but sniff: "This smells even weirder than pickled bamboo shoots. Can anyone really like to eat this?"
Lin Yao smiled and picked up a piece: "You'll know once it's thoroughly fried. It's crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and it smells amazing." She turned to Afu and said, "When the restaurant opens tomorrow, put this stinky tofu on the menu. It's guaranteed to become their signature dish."
In the kitchen, Afu had already set up the oil wok. Once the oil was smoking hot, Lin Yao put the stinky tofu pieces in one by one. The oil bubbled and sizzled, and the stinky tofu gradually puffed up in the hot oil, turning golden and crispy on the surface. The unique aroma mixed with the fragrance of oil filled the air.
Lin Yao scooped it out, drained the oil for a moment, and put it in a bowl. She poked a small hole in the tofu and added the prepared seasoning and chopped cilantro. "Here, have a taste!" Lin Yao handed a piece to Wang Xiaoyu first.
After being exposed to the sour bamboo shoots, Wang Xiaoyu and the others were no longer surprised by the pungent smell of her food, but the taste was still a bit strong. Wang Xiaoyu pinched her nose and leaned over. As soon as she took a bite, her eyes lit up. The outer skin was so crispy that it crumbled, while the inside was so tender that it could ooze juice. The aroma of chili oil mixed with the fried tofu and the freshness of cilantro had transformed the pungent smell into an enticing fragrance, making it hard to stop eating.
"This stuff smells pungent, but it tastes really good!" Wang Xiaoyu mumbled, then reached for a second piece.
Lin Yao picked up a piece and put it in her mouth. The familiar taste made her squint her eyes in happiness. Stinky tofu was indeed an irreplaceable delicacy.
The remaining stinky tofu was quickly devoured by the group. After tidying up the kitchen, Lin Yao began preparing another dish.
She pulled out a half-person-high earthenware vinegar jar from the storeroom. The jar had a groove on the mouth for water sealing, and it had been specially made by a potter a few days ago.
The group scalded the jar inside and out three times with hot water, then turned it upside down on a rack to drain. Su Niang had already noticed the new jar, and now that she finally saw the shopkeeper take it out to use, she asked curiously, "What are you going to do with this?"
Lin Yao was wiping the water stains from the rim of the jar with a cloth when she winked mischievously: "Making stinky vinegar."
"Stinky vinegar?" Su Niang was taken aback. "That name sounds really strange. Is there some weird stuff added to the vinegar?"
Ah-Zhu, standing next to him, scratched his head and said, "Could it be vinegar that smells like farts? Who would dare to eat that?"
Lin Yao laughed, took an empty bowl, scooped up a spoonful of water to rinse the remaining jar: "This vinegar is a good thing, people in Lingnan drink it all the time. Don't be fooled by the rough name, it has many uses. It can stimulate the appetite in summer, aid digestion after overeating, and even make you feel better if you have bruises or liver fire. Many of the long-lived old people in the south love to drink this."
"Moreover, this vinegar has to be cooked with pickled vegetables. Once the sourness kicks in, you feel refreshed and your stomach feels clear after eating it, which is why people call it 'stinky fart vinegar,' and that's how it's been passed down from generation to generation." As she spoke, she checked the rice that was about to be put into the jar.
As soon as it was light, she went to the morning market and carefully selected some plump glutinous rice and sticky rice. "The quality of this vinegar depends on the rice," she said to Wang Xiaoyu, who was following her, as she weighed the rice in her hand. "The ratio of glutinous rice to sticky rice has to be this. For this jar, I estimate it will take about three pounds of rice."
Lin Yao poured the rice into a large basin and rinsed it thoroughly with clean water until there were no impurities left at the bottom before draining it. The iron wok in the kitchen was already red-hot, and she poured the rice in all at once, stirring it constantly. "Dry frying requires watching the heat carefully; too high a heat and it will burn easily, too low a heat and it won't cook through." She kept working until the rice grains gradually turned a light golden color in the wok, and a faint aroma of roasting filled the air, before she stopped.
Looking at the slightly yellow rice, Wan Chunlai couldn't help but ask, "Shopkeeper, is this rice cooked directly after being fried without soaking or boiling?"
"That's the trick to it," Lin Yao explained as she poured the fried rice into the earthenware jar. "Dry frying brings out the aroma of the rice and also makes the fermentation more even." After the rice was evenly spread at the bottom of the jar, she brought over a bucket of spring water and slowly poured it into the jar until the water level was more than half a foot above the rice layer.
"Now it's just a matter of time."
Lin Yao took a coarse cloth and covered the mouth of the jar, then put on the grooved lid and filled the groove with water. "This water seal can block the air, but it also allows the gas inside the jar to pass through." She directed Azhu to move the jar to the backyard porch. "Here, it can get some sun in the morning, but it won't be directly exposed to the sun, which is perfect for fermentation."
Ah Zhu looked at the jar of rice and scratched his head: "Just leave it like this for three months?"
"Yes, you can't open the lid casually during this period." Lin Yao patted the jar. "Wait until three months later to open the lid, and I guarantee it will smell bad but taste delicious."
There were six jars of the prepared stinky vinegar. Lin Yao took one jar and delivered it to the martial arts school. "This is stinky vinegar. It's good for the spleen and aids digestion. It's suitable for all ages."
Xu Zhiheng took the vinegar jar and asked, "Did you just come to deliver this vinegar today?"
Lin Yao waved her hand, showing no displeasure at the teasing. "Why do you say that? I was just thinking about the children. Song Mi had indigestion last time, didn't she? I brought you some vinegar so they can use it to aid digestion if they overeat again." She then changed the subject, "But you're not wrong either. I came to ask you about buying grain. We ordinary folks have limited budgets. Should we continue to stockpile grain?"
"Manager Lin is making a fortune these days, if not a fortune, so the more grain he hoards, the better," Xu Zhiheng joked.
Lin Yao rolled her eyes at him and walked into the inner courtyard with the storybook she had just bought.
Xu Zhiheng watched her retreating figure with a smile in his eyes, then turned around and handed the vinegar jar to his junior brother beside him: "Take it to the kitchen and tell the cooks what Manager Lin said."
Under the pomegranate tree in the inner courtyard, several children were practicing calligraphy around a stone table. Seeing Lin Yao enter, they all called out to her in their cheerful voices. Song Mi, clutching her calligraphy brush, ink still smeared on her nose, asked, "Sister Lin, what delicious treats did you bring today?"
"There's no food today, but I did bring a new storybook." Lin Yao waved the booklet in her hand. "I'll read it to you after I finish writing it down."
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Author's Note: ① The recipes for stinky tofu and stinky vinegar are from Baidu.
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