Chapter 161 - Dongpo Tofu (1/2)

After filtering the rough parts of the chestnut, Zhang Tong found a large iron pot and was about to pour it in.

Shen Hui immediately stopped him and looked at her son uncertainly. “Can you cook it in this pot?”

“Change to the copper pot,” Xu Le said. “The iron pot will have a chemical reaction, causing the color of the chestnut soup to turn black, which will affect the appearance and appetite.”

“Oh, oh.”

Zhang Tong quickly threw away the pot in his hand and found a copper pot.

After adding the chestnut soup to the pot, he poured in an appropriate amount of water and rock sugar. He turned on the heat and kept stirring.

The poria powder separated in cold water. He stirred until there was any solid inside, then filtered again and slowly poured into the pot for stirring.

“You have to keep stirring. When your arm gets tired, just change to someone else. If you stop, the pot will be burnt easily.”

Xu Le reminded him and brought over dried osmanthus. After spreading it evenly, he continued to guard it over a small fire until the osmanthus spread out in the chestnut soup and emitted a fragrance.

As he stirred, he carefully removed the froth on it and simmered it until the unique smell of chestnuts disappeared. When he smelled that it was no longer raw, he could add the osmanthus sauce.

Li Qing lost his patience. With one hand on his waist and the other slowly stirring the pot, he said, “How long will it take?”

He grumbled. After another ten minutes or so, it was ready to be served.

“It has to go through the sieve again.”

The dried osmanthus flowers in the chestnut soup were boiled and filtered out after absorbing the fragrance. It ensured that the taste of the chestnut was thick and smooth, and there would be no impurities when it was drunk.

Li Qing heaved a sigh of relief and looked at the remaining chestnuts, saying, “I’ll just cook this pot. You guys can do the rest. I really can’t stir it anymore.”

As he spoke, he helped himself to a small bowl of chestnut soup and drank it.

After drinking it, he stood rooted to the ground and was tempted to pour another bowl.

Zhang Tong said, “Come on, don’t drink so much. It’s troublesome enough to make this. You’ll finish it before the audience can taste it.”

Li Qing rebuked, “I didn’t taste anything in the first bowl. If you don’t believe me, try it. It just slides down your throat directly.”

He shamelessly filled another bowl and hid at the side to taste it carefully.

The chestnut smelled rich and sweet. The osmanthus fragrance inside was fragrant and extremely smooth.

“Well, not bad!” Zhang Tong praised, “It’s smooth and fragrant. The chestnuts give off an especially strong fragrance. The audience will definitely like it later.”

The three of them worked together to peel and cook the chestnuts… Whereas Xu Le took out the tofu and prepared to make the last dish.

As the name suggested, Dongpo Tofu was developed by the great poet, Su Dongpo. He had been demoted and lived a tough life, but he was optimistic and had developed many delicacies that had been passed down for generations.

The Dongpo Tofu could be used with the onion oil that Li Qing had fried at the beginning. The tofu was cut into large pieces and placed on a plate. A layer of salt was evenly spread on the surface, and pepper was sprinkled to marinate it.

After the fenugreek seeds were crushed, half of them were chopped into powder form, and the other half was beaten with the back of the knife, retaining some of its texture.

Then he prepared shallots and ginger by chopping them.

After pouring onion oil into the pot and heating it 60-70%, he added tofu from the side of the pot. At first, he had to ensure that the oil would submerge the tofu in the middle. After frying it to a golden color, he did not need to flip it over. He drained the oil from the pot, leaving only a little base oil.

He sprinkled chopped shallots on the tofu, poured clear chicken soup from the side of the pot, and turned to low heat to simmer.

He added some diced ginger and added a little pepper.

Then came the most crucial step—the bamboo leaves were soaked until they were soft and spread on the tofu.