Dreaming of Lion Rock: Recipe in Hand

Compared with brine tofu, the tofu with sour water has a distinct sour taste, but the taste is okay and not bad.

Chunni was recuperating at home and had nothing to do, so she thought about making Mapo Tofu.

Vegetable tofu is actually more like tofu pudding. To make it into real tofu, Chunni needs to do some research!

After two days of research, Chunni found a way. However, she cooked the tofu pudding twice more, put the colander on top, and pressed it overnight.

The next day, the tofu was ready.

Chunni smiled. Now that we have tofu, how far can we go to make delicious tofu dishes like mapo tofu, tofu soup, and fried tofu?

"Xiazhi, take this bowl of tofu to your grandfather's house to taste it." Chunni tasted a piece of tofu, and it was not bad except that it was a little soft. She filled two bowls with earthenware bowls, and asked Xiazhi to take one bowl to your grandfather. She was going to take the other bowl to the grandfather's house in person to thank him for protecting the three siblings.

"Okay, sister, I'll go to school after I drop you off! Don't wash the clothes at home, I'll come back to wash them after school." Xia Zhi hurriedly drank the sweet potato porridge and went out.

"Qiuguo, Qiuguo!" someone was shouting outside the door.

"Sister, Qiu Chan is calling me. I'm leaving too!" Qiu Guo quickly put on his schoolbag and ran towards his friends.

Chunni smiled and waved, then went back to the house. Since she had nothing to do, she just lay down.

After getting enough sleep, Chunni took out her junior high school textbooks and started studying.

The time spent studying passed quickly. It was getting late and the students were about to leave school. Chunni finally left the house. It had been ten years since she graduated from college. Although she had not forgotten all the knowledge she had learned in junior high school, she still needed a lot of time to review it.

Fortunately, the original owner was still young and had a good memory, so Chunni didn't feel it was too strenuous.

Chunni stretched her body and went to the vegetable garden to pick some green onions. She was going to make mapo tofu tonight!

Xiao Donglin followed Chunni into the vegetable garden and even helped his sister pull out two green onions.

But this little onion looks a little miserable.

Chunni did not scold him, but praised him, "Donglin is so good, he can even help big sister!"

Little Donglin’s face turned red and his lips pursed because of the praise. He looked so adorable!

"Chun Ni, are you home? The cowpeas at home are dried, so I brought some to you." The old lady walked into the yard holding a winnowing basket.

It is a time when vegetables are scarce, and Chunni's family only has pickled cabbage and tofu, which makes her eat so much that she almost loses her appetite. It would be nice to have some cowpeas to change her taste!

"Thank you, Auntie. I was just craving for some cowpeas!" Chunni happily took the basket.

"What are you thanking me for? We ate your tofu today. Your eldest brother ate a whole bowl of rice and kept saying how delicious the stewed tofu was!"

"I made more, you can take another bowl back."

"Then I'm welcome!"

Later, Yao Niang, the captain's daughter-in-law, also came and brought a bowl of dried broad beans.

Most people in that era were simple and honest, and they were afraid that others would suffer a loss. If they got something from someone, they would always think about returning the favor.

Chunni put the broad beans away and prepared to stir-fry them during the Chinese New Year.

Seeing that it was getting dark, Chunni went into the kitchen. Mapo tofu is a dish that goes well with rice, so she steamed a pot of sweet potato and rice for the first time.

Mapo tofu is Chunni’s favorite home-cooked dish, and she knows how to make it by heart.

Chunni can do it with her eyes closed.

Heat the iron pan, add rapeseed oil, stir-fry the ginger and garlic until fragrant, then add a large spoonful of homemade bean paste.

Then add the right amount of water, salt, and soy sauce to enhance the flavor. When the water boils, add the tofu. Then add the Sichuan pepper powder and the sea pepper powder.

Here we have to mention a wild pepper tree that Chunni found on Lion Mountain. The peppers grown there are large and spicy. They are the finishing touch of this Mapo Tofu!

Finally, add a layer of starch and the Mapo Tofu is done!

Although this tofu is not as delicate as the braised tofu, the addition of local peppercorns and chili bean paste makes this mapo tofu spicy, fresh and delicious.

Since then, Chunni's "Food Classic" has three dishes: green pepper and potato shreds, braised eggplant, and mapo tofu. The score is still a pitiful nine points.

Looking at the new progress bar that appeared, Chunni really had a headache.

The new dish was pickled fish. Private trading was not allowed at that time. If one wanted to eat fish, one had to wait until winter when the team went fishing, and her family would be able to get one or two fish.

Forget it, the most important thing is to eat Mapo Tofu.