"Wow, this is so delicious! It's smooth and tender, and with the added sugar, one sip makes me feel refreshed."
My older cousin remarked with emotion.
"I think the savory one tastes better, brother, would you like to try it?" The second cousin quickly tried to sell it to his cousin.
Zhao Qingyan pushed the chili oil over.
"This is chili oil that I fried this morning. You can add it to savory tofu pudding to make it more flavorful."
Both the salty and sweet flavors have their own unique characteristics, and the group tried them separately.
"If you ask me, more people might be more used to the sweet flavor," Huang said.
Everyone looked at Madam Huang, who brushed a stray hair from her temple.
"Hey, are you guys stupid? Sugar is so expensive, so the price of sweet tofu pudding has to be at least one coin higher than that of savory tofu pudding."
Zhao Qingyan's eyes widened in disbelief; she really couldn't look at things from the perspective of her past life.
In their past lives, they were all about healthy eating, and for the sake of their figures, they might have given up sweets. It's quite unexpected that they'd charge extra for this.
The tofu took a long time to set, and during this time, Zhao Qingyan began teaching her cousins how to make mala tang (a spicy hot pot dish).
According to Zhao Qingyan's account, her cousins and their wives actually did the cooking. Each batch was small, and after each person made it twice, they basically got the taste just right.
Zhao Qingyan was quite surprised by this efficiency.
She couldn't help but suspect that the Zhao family's food was so bland because they were stingy with the ingredients.
That's good, then I won't have to do anything myself in the future.
For Zhao Qingyan, who just wanted to laze around like a couch potato all her life, this discovery was simply amazing.
"Brother, sister-in-law, you two are really amazing! You mastered the secret so quickly. Why don't you make a few more, just as practice?"
Don't be afraid of wasting oil and salt; only by being generous with the ingredients will the flavor be good.
Big brother, second brother, you two don't need to be scared. When the oil splatters, you two run faster than rabbits. Bring out the spirit you have when you go hunting in the mountains.
Why are you afraid of oil in a pot when you're not afraid of tigers or bears?
As long as there's no water in the oil pan, it absolutely won't splatter, don't worry. Once the tofu is ready, we'll learn how to make tofu.
Cooking isn't difficult; the principles remain the same. As long as you follow the correct order and use the right amount of oil, salt, and seasonings, the dish will taste delicious.
You are the most talented cooks I've ever met. I have high hopes for you!
After Zhao Qingyan finished speaking, she patted her two sisters-in-law on the shoulders to show her encouragement.
The few fools were completely stunned by Zhao Qingyan's words; how come they had never realized their third sister was so eloquent?
Wait a minute, what did Third Sister just say? She's the most talented cook she's ever met, but she's never even left home. Where would she go to meet someone even more talented?
By the time the group realized they had been tricked, several more servings of spicy hot pot had already been made.
After tasting it, I thought, "I really do have a talent for cooking."
When the tofu, white as jade and with the texture of the filter cloth, was presented to everyone.
Zhao Minggeng was very excited.
"This is made from soybeans. It's so beautiful! Just look at the color and the appearance. Shouldn't the price be set too low?"
Mrs. Huang was also very excited and nodded.
"Indeed, look, it's just like a piece of white jade. Should we give this tofu a nice name? Sweetie, what do you think is a scholarly name?"
Zhao Qingyan felt pressured by this.
"Grandma, it's good enough that I can read. You should ask my grandpa for a more scholarly name. All I know is that this thing is called tofu."
Tofu, tofu, all good fortune. Eat tofu during festivals. Eat tofu on joyous occasions. Eat tofu for a long and healthy life. Everything you eat is a blessing.
Zhao Qingyan couldn't resist her sharp tongue and started spouting nonsense again.
The eldest brother, Zhao Qingshan, couldn't help but give his cousin a thumbs up.
"Third sister, when did you become so talented? I had no idea. You're amazing!"
Zhao Qingyan blushed deeply. "My goodness," she thought, "do you have some kind of misunderstanding about the word 'talented'?"
No matter how beautiful something is, it only has value after you've finished admiring it and put it in your stomach.
First, I weighed the soybeans. I soaked a total of 10 jin (5 catties) of soybeans. Not counting the tofu pudding I drank earlier, I got 27 jin (13.5 catties) of tofu. The yield is pretty good.
Mapo tofu, pan-fried tofu, home-style tofu, stuffed tofu, cucumber and tofu soup, mushroom and tofu, tofu with scallions...
They do it in turn, as the saying goes, "Haste makes waste."
But if you don't taste each dish as soon as it's cooked, how will you know how to improve your skills for the next dish?
The group of people gathered around the stove, each with a bowl and a pair of chopsticks, stared at the food in the pot like greedy children.
Zhao Qingyan praised the food as she tasted it.
"Cousin, you two are amazing. With your skills and learning ability, you'll be able to open your own shop with a little more practice."
Mrs. Huang watched as Zhao Qingyan fooled her silly grandsons, and felt a little unable to bear watching. She thought to herself,
"Is this my grandson? He gets all flustered just from a few kind words. If he does this, he'll be easily fooled when he goes out to do business in the future."
The woman I married isn't exactly bright either. Sigh, maybe I should offer some incense to my ancestors and pray for these fools.
Huang's complaints were unknown to those in the kitchen; today was like opening the door to a new world. They realized that ordinary ingredients, after proper processing, could be transformed into so many different flavors.
After various attempts, the remaining tofu was pressed again, and the final product was a chewy tofu sheet with a rich bean flavor, which was especially easy to carry.
"This kind of dried tofu skin is also called dried tofu, and there are many ways to eat it. It tastes pretty good even just eating it like this."
Spread some sauce on it and roll it up with a scallion; it tastes great too.
It can be stir-fried, stewed, used in cold dishes, or smoked; there are always many ways to cook it. My favorite is stir-fried dried tofu with green peppers.
Green peppers are actually just unripe chili peppers, you know?
Zhao Qingyan's tofu-making lesson was successfully completed.
Today, Zhao Qingyan taught her two grandsons and their wives so many recipes, so they definitely need to be given a good talking-to.
And so, another family meeting has begun.
"People strive for higher positions, and water flows downhill. Your grandfather and I have already discussed it, and our family's life will definitely get better and better in the future."
We plan to open a food shop in the future, and then all of you girls and wives will run it together.
Learn more and practice more when you're young, so that you can teach your children when they grow up.
Also, all the boys in our family, regardless of age, must study. When conditions permit, they should all take the imperial examinations and obtain official titles.
From now on, the threshold for our house will be higher.
When you go out, you see this scholar's wife and that scholar's wife. Doesn't that make you look very prestigious?
But studying and taking the imperial examinations cost a lot of money, so the recipe I'm teaching you today must not be passed on to outsiders.
Especially you two, Liu and Zhang, don't even think about revealing your skills because of your maternal family. This is the foundation of our Zhao family's livelihood.
There are many ways to help your family. Once you have your own savings, you can do whatever you want with it; this old woman won't interfere.
"If anyone leaks the recipe, you all know what kind of methods this old woman can use."
Those who are named naturally have to quickly express their determination.
After the family meeting concluded successfully, Huang and Zhao Qingyan set off for Wufang Town.
"Grandma, should we buy a shop in town? Especially one with a shop in the front and a yard in the back. When my dad and the others go to school, they'll definitely need to attend a private school. Wouldn't it be convenient for them to eat and live in the shop?"
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