gourmet food

Chapter 789 Boxes of Tofu
Chu Yunfeng is making beef with tangerine peel at the moment. He is already very skilled in making this dish, especially with tangerine peel, an ingredient that is both a tonic and a medicine. He has some experience in using it.

During this period, when making tangerine peel dishes, all three-year-old tangerine peels are used. After synthesis, the tangerine peel flavor of the dishes is long-lasting, fresh and pleasant.

And after the synthesis ratio of 1:2, Chu Yunfeng found that the quality of the orange peel in the past three years has reached 5 years old. Drinking it in water is not only refreshing, but also good for digestion, and the effect is particularly good.

What Mu Qing and Mr. Li just drank was synthesized orange peel soaked in water, but Mr. Li was impressed.

Seeing that the old man liked it so much, Chu Yunfeng had packed a large bag in advance for him to take back. It would be more healthy to have a drink after eating.

But it’s a little bit regretful that after asking Boss Wu last night, I still haven’t heard any news about the 50-year-old Guangdong Chenpi. It seems that I still have to wait a while.

Mr. Li's sudden interest caused the three of them to immediately stop what they were doing. Chu Yunfeng was the first to react and immediately threw the marinated beef into the cupboard and gave up his seat.

Guo Kui and Hu Yue's reaction was not slow either. They also put the bread dough into the cupboard. They didn't even want to wash their hands and gathered around them.

"Haha, I just came here to join in the fun. I was planning to go back. Seeing how attentive you are doing, I can't help but feel a little itchy."

Mr. Li suddenly became interested and recalled his youthful past when he saw the three people cooking with care. Then he wanted to show his skills to everyone and reminisce about his youth.

"We can't help but ask for it. If you don't show your skills, there are still two positions for Guo Kui and Hu Yue!"

Chu Yunfeng saw that Mr. Li was in high spirits, so he smiled and joked. Cooking a dish in this position just showed off his skills.

"It makes sense, old man, why don't you give it a try?"

Guo Kui quickly initiated an assist. Regardless of whether Chu Yunfeng was joking or not, if Chu Yunfeng really showed off his skills more, it would definitely be good news for everyone.

Hu Yue also nodded suddenly and said: "Western food is the simplest, can you please give me some advice?"

Seeing these three guys beating snakes with sticks, Mr. Li, an old man in the world, felt like a mirror in his heart, and he didn't accept the move at all. After putting on his apron, he said: "You three, what a beautiful idea!"

Haha~!

The three of them laughed at the same time, and even Mu Qing, who had originally planned to send Mr. Li back home, also started to laugh, and became curious when she saw that she could taste another dish.

"This is a very traditional Sichuan dish with a long history. It is a tofu dish, and it is older than Mapo Tofu."

In fact, Mr. Li didn't do it on a whim. The main reason was that he saw Chu Yunfeng take out a piece of tofu from the cupboard while drinking tea.

This tofu is different from the usual ones. It is a piece of old tofu, which is different from the ones usually used in the store.

"Where's that piece of tofu you just had? Why can't you find it?"

After Mr. Li opened the cupboard, he searched for it for a long time but didn't see it, so he started asking.

"In the cupboard over at Guo Kui's side, they sent it wrong when they delivered it in the morning. They put an extra piece in. This is old tofu. What kind of dish is it?"

After Chu Yunfeng signaled, Guo Kui quickly took out the so-called old tofu from the cabinet below.

When you lay it out, you can see that it is indeed a piece of old tofu, because its color is a little darker than that of soft tofu, and there are more pores on it. These are the characteristics of old tofu.

Mr. Li's eyes are indeed very powerful. He can see so clearly from such a distance, and he can also tell the age and tenderness of this tofu at a glance. It's hard not to accept it.

"This dish is called Box Tofu. It has a fishy flavor. It tastes slightly sour, slightly spicy and slightly sweet. It's very tasty.

And the quality of the pickled peppers here is very good. Making this dish will make people want to eat it. "

Mr. Li immediately fished out some pickled peppers from the kimchi jar. He also picked up some radishes and celery. He cut them randomly and put them on the kitchen counter.

He motioned to Mu Qing and himself to taste the kimchi, while the other three chefs standing aside were ignored.

How can I eat while learning cooking?

Mu Qing pursed her lips and smiled, very happy that Mr. Li gave her a benefit. He was probably worried that he would get bored standing here, so he prepared this small benefit for himself.

Seeing Mu Qing's slightly proud expression, Chu Yunfeng shook his head and asked, "Who invented this dish? Why haven't you heard of it before?"

This is a very good question, Guo Kui and Hu Yue also want to know, not only have the three of them never heard of this dish, but after thinking about it carefully, it seems that there is no restaurant that makes this dish.

Has it been lost?

That must be because the production process is too cumbersome and takes a lot of time, so not many people are willing to make it.

"This dish probably wasn't invented by our Sichuan chefs, because there is a similar dish in another place, and there are allusions and records.

It should be that this dish was introduced to Sichuan after it became famous, and then some improvements were made, and some changes occurred in the amount of ingredients and the taste. "

As Mr. Li talked, he prepared some of the necessary seasonings. In a short while, he had prepared six or seven kinds. He hasn't stopped yet. It seems that there are still a lot of ingredients and seasonings needed.

"Mr. Li, tell us about the origin of this dish. What's the allusion about?"

When Chu Yunfeng learns each dish, he also pays great attention to the inheritance and allusions of these dishes, because a dish often contains a historical allusion, and there is a strong sense of history behind it.

Learning to cook means learning to cook, but learning to cook means learning a culture and a quintessence of Chinese culture. Chu Yunfeng still has a deep understanding of this.

Mr. Li nodded and appreciated everyone's curiosity. If you want to pass on a cuisine well, the culture behind the dishes is something that cannot be ignored.

After more than ten kinds of ingredients were prepared, Mr. Li said while cutting pickled peppers: "The origin of this dish should be in the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty.

During the Xianfeng period, there was a man named Zhang at the south end of Boshan Street in Shandong, whose given name was Dengke and whose nickname was Zhang Jiu. He worked as a master chef in a large-scale shop called "Zhentai Silk and Satin House" in the capital.

Don't get me wrong, this master is not the boss of the silk shop. He is not the one who greets business outside, but the boss behind the scenes, that is, a chef.

The owner of Zhentai Silk and Satin Store has a wide network of friends and often invites business partners and friends to the store for dinner. Everyone is amazed by the dishes prepared by this chef.

Over time, the skills of the head chef of this silk shop were publicized. Due to his superb cooking skills, he was called "Boshan Chef No. 1" in Kyoto.

Later, during the reign of Emperor Guangxu, Zhang Dengke, who was over 50 years old, resigned from his job in the silk and satin factory due to illness, and returned to his hometown to recuperate. Within a year, he recovered from his illness.

At that time, Boshan had three major industries, namely coal, colored glaze and ceramics. They were pillar industries in the local area and there were many merchants doing business.

After knowing that Zhang Dengke was a master of cooking, these businessmen in Boshan jointly opened a restaurant with him in the mountain top where the coal industry was very developed at that time, and named it "Qingheju".

It has just opened, and it has already attracted many merchants. Many times, if you want to come to eat, you need to make a reservation in advance, which shows that the business is booming.

Until one day, Zhang Dengke's big shopkeeper when he was in Beijing went to the local Zhoucun to handle goods and stopped by Boshan to visit him.

It was already evening when the guests arrived at the Qinghe gathering. All the exquisite dishes prepared in the restaurant were sold out, and there was no decent food to entertain the guests at all.

This big shopkeeper had taken good care of me before, but this time he came to see me when he was passing by. How could he have the nerve to neglect him?

However, it is difficult for a clever woman to cook without rice. In desperation, Zhang Dengke came up with an idea and used Boshan's high-quality tofu as the main ingredient to make a box-style vegetarian dish. The finished product satisfied him greatly.

The main ingredients are stir-fried tofu, dried shrimps, fungus, amomum villosum and other ingredients put into the box. The whole appearance is box-shaped, which is deep-fried until golden brown. After thickening, it feels like a golden box.

During the banquet, the boss, who was tired of eating delicacies from all over the world, was full of praise when he tasted this unique vegetarian dish, praising Zhang Dengke's thoughtfulness again and again.

The head shopkeeper had never seen him cook this dish before, so he was very curious and asked about the origin of this dish. Although Zhang Dengke felt a little embarrassed, he still told the truth directly.

After hearing this, the shopkeeper didn't mind at all, and discussed the dish with him with great interest, especially the shape and taste of the dish.

The shape of this dish is very beautiful. A large piece of tofu is square and delicious. The boss blurted out at that time: "This really looks like a gold box, so let's call it a gold box?"

Gold chest?

It seems that this name sounds good!

The other guest at the same table is a literati, usually with a high level of literary accomplishment, he accepted the conversation and said: "If it is based on the way of eating, it should be more reasonable to call it "out of the box."

From then on, the dish "Golden Box" gradually appeared at the banquets of some coal mine owners in the mountains, and gradually became a must-order dish at every banquet.

When Zhang Dengke first started making this dish, it was in the shape of a "big box" with only a large piece of tofu, which was very inconvenient to eat.

So later he changed it into several "small boxes" to make one "big box", which not only looked more beautiful, but also tasted more convenient.

Because this dish is a vegetarian dish, Shantou people call it tofu box according to the local naming convention.

And some more "fastidious" people still call it "unpacking the treasure box" or "gold box".

Due to the darkness of the society at that time, it was not so easy to start a business. Qingheju's credit could never be recovered, and the store was on the verge of bankruptcy.

At this time, the former head of the silk and satin shop repeatedly invited him to the capital. After much hesitation and careful consideration, Zhang Dengke returned to the capital and brought the craft of making "tofu boxes" with him.

From then on, "Boshan Tofu Box" appeared in the banquets of some merchants in the capital, and gradually the dish "Boshan Tofu Box" was often seen in the family banquets of some bureaucrats.

The three pillar industries of Boshan are developing rapidly, and the exchanges with the capital are also increasing. The dish of Boshan Tofu Box is naturally known and sought after by Boshan merchants.

So this dish spread back to Boshan and became a signature dish in restaurants and restaurants.

In the early years of the Republic of China, there was a "Tongxinju" restaurant on the hilltop where Boshan Tofu Box was born. The owner was Li Tongxin, who was known as "Master Tian" because of his superb cooking skills.

He changed the shape of the "box" to "tower" based on the "tofu box" method, and renamed the Boshan tofu box "Shuiman Jinshan Temple", giving this dish new meaning.

"Water Man Jinshan Temple" is made up of four layers of small boxes, small at the top and large at the bottom, in the shape of a tower. When serving, sprinkle an appropriate amount of fine liquor around the plate. After lighting it, turn off the lights, and there will be a smoky golden atmosphere. The tower appears and disappears.

Later, at Boshan's banquets, as long as the dish was box-shaped, it was called "Boshan Tofu Box", "Gold Box" or "Open the Box to Get Treasures"

The one with a "tower-like" appearance is called "Shuiman Jinshan Temple" and has been passed down to this day.

It is said that when Emperor Qianlong visited Boshan once when he was on a tour to the south, a dish called tofu box was served locally when he was having a meal. Lord Qianlong was full of praise after tasting it.

It is said that this dish has also been served at state banquets. Many foreign friends like it very much and are very interested in it.

But how it was introduced into Sichuan cuisine and how it was improved is unclear. However, the two methods are roughly the same, but the taste and flavor are quite different. "

After Mr. Li finished telling the story, he not only prepared all the required ingredients, but also cut a large piece of tofu into square pieces and deep-fried it until it was golden brown.

At this time, Chu Yunfeng wanted to ask if some adjustments could be made to the taste and ingredients of this dish, but considering the need to maintain Mr. Li's "rules", he held back.

But I didn't expect Mr. Li to be so "considerate" and immediately announced the correct answer.

“This dish is usually made with pork, mushrooms and winter bamboo shoots in Sichuan, while in Shandong, dried shrimps, shrimps and pork are commonly used, and crab roe and chicken fillings are also used.

The "sealing" techniques and subsequent production methods are also different. In Sichuan, it is sealed with egg paste for frying, but in Shandong, it is not sealed. It is steamed directly in a basket and then poured with juice. "

Sure enough, Chu Yunfeng's guess was correct. Not only the taste of this dish can be changed, but also the ingredients in the sealed box can be changed as one likes.

Chu Yunfeng has already thought of making tofu dishes like this with sweet, sour, spicy and other flavors. As for the ingredients, they are even more flexible and it is not difficult for him.

Now just wait and see how it is made.

After Mr. Li said this, he stopped talking. For Chu Yunfeng, who was familiar with Mr. Li's temper, this was already remarkable.

How could his old man teach so much about cooking?

However, these things contain too much about history and culture and do not involve cooking methods and techniques, so I am very lucky to hear so much.

After putting aside distracting thoughts, Chu Yunfeng carefully observed Mr. Li's technique. He had already started to "pry open" the tofu and start "boxing".

(End of this chapter)