Chapter 32 Tofu is Made
Xie Shuangbai glanced at his back and continued to work.
"Brother Wang, add the beans and water as I told you. I'll go back and light the fire to make soy milk."
Wang Shunfa came over and took over his work. "Okay, go ahead. I'll carry it back for you after you're done."
Xie Shuangbai returned to Wang's house. Before coming, he took out a few boxes of gluconolactone from the refrigerator in the space. In fact, he also prepared gypsum, which he bought in the town last time. At that time, he didn't know that there was material in the space.
Today he plans to try both.
When Cui saw him come back, she put down the work in her hands and called her eldest daughter-in-law Xue to help.
Xie Xiaomei and the other two also wanted to go, but Cui stopped them and told them to make the clothes quickly with the second daughter-in-law Li, as they couldn't wait as it was getting cold.
The three of them thought so and continued to make clothes.
Xue and her partner went to the kitchen to help Xie Shuangbai light the fire. A quarter of an hour later, Wang Shunfa came over with a full bucket of soy milk.
Xie Shuangbai asked him to pour the soy milk into a large pot, then stir it constantly and cook it until there is no foam and the surface becomes smooth, which means it is ready and the coagulant can be added.
Aunt Cui and Madam Xue saw that he was about to add something and were in a hurry to leave. Xie Shuangbai stopped them and said, "It's okay, Aunt. It's not a big secret. You can stay here, or my hand will break."
“This… isn’t good.”
Cui was a little hesitant.
Xie Shuangbai smiled and went to pull them together: "I'm not afraid of what I did, so what are you afraid of!"
Seeing that he really didn't mind, the two of them stopped being shy.
Xie Shuangbai took out the wooden box he bought from Carpenter Zhang yesterday, poured the prepared gluconolactone into it, and added soy milk and stirred it continuously for 20 minutes.
He, Aunt Cui and the other two took turns doing it, otherwise their arms would be sore.
It is said that rowing, blacksmithing and selling tofu are the three most difficult jobs.
He didn't know about the other two things, but making tofu was really not easy. In ancient times, people had to do everything by themselves, which was really hard work.
The other pot was filled with gypsum to make firm tofu.
Several people followed the same steps, and their hands were so sore from stirring.
After the soy milk solidifies, use a heavy object to compact it for 30 minutes.
The steam produced by the soy milk just boiled gave Xie Shuangbai the illusion of being in a sauna.
He was feeling stuffy and urgently needed to breathe some fresh air.
He turned and walked to the kitchen door to get some fresh air. When he looked up, he saw the old tree outside the yard. It had lost all its leaves as it could not withstand the ravages of the cool wind.
They were scorching hot in the kitchen.
Cui wiped the sweat from her head and said, "This is quite tiring."
Xue also felt the same way: "That's right, mother, but I don't know what it will look like."
Xie Shuangbai turned around and said, "Try it later, sister-in-law. I guarantee you'll like it."
The tofu he made was made with gluconolactone, and it was very delicious.
Xie Shuangbai prefers rennet tofu, which is smooth and tender. He sprinkles sugar on it or adds soybean paste fried with green peppers and eats it in one bite...
He smacked his lips, wanting to eat.
Old tofu, bean curd skin, bean curd sticks, dried tofu, in short, nothing made with beans is bad, it is the greatest invention of ancient times.
Soon the time came, and Wang Shunyi and Wang Shunfa also came to witness the miracle.
They removed the stones that were pressing on the tofu, and found that the old tofu was firm and substantial, while the tender tofu was white, tender and soft, and very appealing.
"Oh my god, this... I can't believe this is made from soybeans!"
Xie Shuangbai took a few small bowls and spoons and scooped a bowl for each person.
"Try this soft tofu. It's delicious even when eaten dry."
This is absolutely true. Tender tofu has no bean smell and is very refreshing. It is a favorite of toothless elderly people.
Cui took a sip first. "What a delicious thing this is! It's so smooth and tender. I've never tasted anything so delicious in my life. I'm afraid the price of soybeans will go up!"
What Cui said really reminded him that the price of soybeans would definitely go up once tofu was released. Why not buy some soybeans?
"It's delicious. I can't talk, but it's delicious anyway."
Wang Shunfa finished one bowl and licked his lips before ordering another.
Xie Shuangbai cut off another piece of old tofu for everyone to taste.
"This firm tofu is more solid and quite filling."
While chewing the tofu, Xue expressed his thoughts on the tasting.
"Sister-in-law is right. This is a good thing. With it, we don't need to starve to death even in a famine. Let's eat it all together and we'll be full."
Wang Dadi also came back from outside and saw them gathered together: "What are you doing?"
Cui hurriedly called out to him, "Come here, old man, there's something good!"
Cui repeated what Xie Shuangbai had just said and gave him a taste of the tofu.
Wang Dadi was obviously more excited, he understood what this meant.
Although no one in their village starved to death, every winter was still difficult. If they had this tofu, it would really be a lifesaver.
I have never found a solution to the problem of unpalatable soybeans. Now with this, I can solve the problem of soybean accumulation, which is really killing two birds with one stone.
"I'm making two tofu dishes for everyone to try."
When Cui heard this, her face turned green and she whispered, "Auntie has to keep an eye on you."
Xie Shuangbai couldn't help but smile when he saw Aunt Cui's distressed look, "Okay, Auntie, you can learn it and cook for your family when the time comes."
So the Wang family’s lunch was a tofu feast.
Sweet tofu pudding, salty tofu pudding, cabbage stewed with tofu, fried tofu, spicy tofu, soy milk.
Xie Shuangbai did everything he could at the moment.
“This spicy tofu is so delicious!”
“I like this cabbage and tofu.”
“I love fried tofu.”
Such conversations filled the Wang family.
"Frost boy, you're doing well. This business will definitely be successful."
Wang Dadi took a bite of tofu, looked at him with a smile, and now he felt relieved.
"That's right. There are many elderly people in our village with bad teeth. With tofu, they can wake up smiling in their dreams!"
Cui swallowed the tofu and asked him, "Since the tofu is so delicious, the price of soybeans will definitely go up. Do you want to buy some?"
Without hesitation, Wang Dadi said, "I think it's a good idea. The soybean price is low, so I'll buy it from you."
"Uncle, I only have one ounce of silver left after buying the stone mill, so I can't collect much. If the villagers raise the price, I can just trade beans for tofu. The higher the price, the less I get. It won't be worth it. In the end, they will definitely not raise the price any more."
Xie Shuangbai thought about it again: "But it's okay to collect some. I'll collect yours and Brother Zhao's first."
"My family and Dunzi's family will definitely leave it to you. If I take it back, it will be from someone else. Don't worry about it. I'll take care of it for you."
"My money..." Xie Shuang was interrupted by Wang Dadi before he could finish his words.
"I'll advance the money first, and you can give it to me when you make some money from selling tofu."
"Okay, then I won't be polite to you."
"Don't be polite. I'm relieved to see that you have a job. From now on, just ask your brother Wang to help you."
"I understand, uncle."
"I'll go harvest beans this afternoon, and you can start selling tofu tomorrow. I'll ask you about the stone mill."
"Uncle, please hurry up. Someone was staring at me while I was grinding beans today. I'm not afraid that he'll notice anything, but it's safer to do it at home."
Wang Da nodded. These days, if there's a skill that can make money, everyone wants to keep it secret. He was afraid that someone would find out what the tofu was made of and study it.
Xie Shuangbai didn't know what Wang Dadi was thinking. In fact, he was not afraid of the villagers knowing. If they could find out just by looking, then anyone could make tofu. He just didn't want to be watched. The thought of the old man staring at him today made him feel nauseous.
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