gourmet food

Chapter 470 Tofu that has lost its soul

"Wow, I have gained a lot of experience. I have eaten this dish for so many years, and now I know the true origin of its name." Xiaoxiao blinked her big eyes, admiring Mr. Che's insights.

“Oh my God, isn’t this a tofu Xishi?

I always thought that Chen Mapo was a person with a lot of pockmarks on her face. There are too many versions of this matter circulating outside.

Many people said she had a few pockmarks on her face, some said she had white pockmarks on her face, and some even said her face was covered in pockmarks."

Ai Ai was also extremely surprised. Mr. Che's words were well-founded and people could immediately understand the cause-and-effect relationship. This Chen Mapo was really unjust and had been misunderstood by everyone for so many years.

"Haha. There is one more thing that I have verified clearly, and that is the specific name of Chen Mapo.

No one had studied her name before, so Chen Mapo’s surname has always been a mystery. Some books said her surname was Wang, while others said her surname was Li. Anyway, there were various surnames.
But finally I learned Chen Mapo’s real name from the Museum of Literature and History.

Chen Mapo's name is not only nice, but it is not the surname in these records at all.

Her surname is actually Wen, and her name is Wen Qiaoqiao!

This Wen Qiaoqiao not only has a nice name, but she is also fair, beautiful and very approachable.

The most uncomfortable thing is that Wen Qiaoqiao has been called Mapo for more than 150 years, and this dish is not known to be translated in English, French and German. In the end, it was impossible to use the pinyin of Mapo.

I have to say that this world-famous dish still leaves a trace of regret. "Che Lao said with some regret.

"That's right. With such a nice name like Chen, it would be better to call her Qiaoqiao Tofu." Xiaoxiao said with a flat mouth, feeling a little aggrieved for Wen Qiaoqiao.

"This is definitely the modern tofu Xishi. I think it's pretty good to be called Xishi tofu. The four words Mapo tofu sound weird now."

Ai Ai suddenly felt that the current name was a bit old-fashioned and did not match its true temperament at all.

"Actually, I'm more curious about its preparation and taste. Mr. Che, can you tell us about it quickly?"

After listening to the story for a long time, Chu Yunfeng didn't get to the most critical part for him, so he started to get a little anxious. The story was indeed interesting, but it hadn't gotten to the point yet.

"Haha. Don't worry, I'll start talking right away. This starts from the 20s. At that time, several of my classmates and I often went to eat their tofu together.

But at that time, they were all poor students and had little money. If they wanted to eat a meal of tofu, their money alone was not enough.

So everyone decided to "tie the knot," which you should all know, and that is to join in and eat together.

Before that, due to Chen Chunfu's early death, Wen Qiaoqiao was too busy to take care of her two children alone, so she hired a chef named Xue Xiangshun to cook in the store.

Wen Qiaoqiao helped out in the store while taking care of her children, so that the store could continue to open.

Master Xue is a tall man with a rectangular face and a little thin. He is usually not good at words and has been working quietly in the store. He is very honest and simple.

Especially when the weather gets cold, he still wears a pair of straw sandals with threaded ears, and he always wears the oil-stained blue cloth clothes.

At that time, we all bought ingredients separately, some to make clear oil (rapeseed oil), and some to cut the meat. As mentioned before, it was yellow beef, and then handed these things to Master Xue.

After telling him how many people were eating, he started cooking on his stove.

At that time, the tofu shop only had square tables and long benches, and the conditions were very simple. I like to watch people cooking.

So every time Master Xue was cooking on the stove, I would stare at it. Over time, I also learned how to make this dish.

But even though I later used more ingredients and more seasonings than he did, the taste was not as good as his.

Later, I concluded a reason, that is, the problem of heat. The word heat is simply too important for this dish.

Later, in 1947, the Wanfu Bridge was washed away by water, and the tofu shop was also washed away, and it was closed for a long time.

Until 1957, it moved to Erdao Bridge in Liangjia Lane, and later to Yulong Street, where celebrities were invited to write a signboard.

But the business plummeted.

This is because when making this dish at this time, pork is used instead of yellow beef, which naturally loses a lot of fragrance, and the soul of this dish is completely gone.

What impressed me most was that the small shovel used by Master Xue to make this tofu dish was only two inches square in length.

After years of use, in the end, less than 2/3 of it is left. This is the spirit of grinding an iron rod into a needle. "

Mr. Che felt a little sad when he recalled those days.

Chu Yunfeng was impatient and asked quickly: "Mr. Che, please tell me quickly, how did Master Xue make this dish?"

Since Mr. Che has seen Master Xue cooking, he must know how this dish was made at the beginning, and Mr. Che also said that the taste of the dishes has changed a lot since the store moved.

This further proves my previous guess that the preparation of this dish is different before and after! ! !
"Good, good, good. The way he made it in the 20s was very different from the way it is made now. At that time, the conditions were difficult, people were not particular about it, and very few seasonings were used.

He first poured the clear oil into the pot and heated it to remove the raw smell, then fried the minced beef until crispy, and then added some black beans.

The most delicious tempeh at that time was tempeh, but Master Xue didn't use it. He just used ordinary tempeh. The reason was that it was cheap.
The tofu is cut into cubes by hand, thrown into the steaming hot pot, and then sprinkled with a handful of chili flakes.

This chili noodles is also the kind that I make on the kang at will. Even the chili stems are pounded in it, and Sichuan peppercorns are also added.

The most unexpected thing is that when making this dish, Master Xue did not add bean paste. The reason is very simple, that is, the bean paste is too expensive and cannot be bought.
After the tofu is put in the pot, add some soup, and then start to "fire it". After roughly calculating the time, check the heat. If the heat is not enough, then "fire it" again, and finally use a small Just use the shovel twice and it will be out of the pot.
I still remember the taste of that time, but unfortunately I never tasted it again. Now that my story is over, the rest is up to you! "

Mr. Che looked at Chu Yunfeng expectantly. Although he had made a gentleman's agreement with him before, he was still a little unsure about whether he could restore this dish.

The biggest reason is that Chu Yunfeng looks too young. How good can such a young chef be in cooking?

Chu Yunfeng verified his thoughts and was not so excited anymore. There must be a big difference in the taste of the dish made by these two methods. He just needs to go to the system space and slowly experiment.

But now I still have a question in my mind, which is related to the authentic taste of this dish, and I can't be careless at all.

(End of this chapter)