Great Qin Emperor

Chapter 4 A Little Invention

Even if the bean is boiled very rotten and soft, it is still difficult for the elderly with few teeth to eat. Zhou Chong really couldn't bear to watch the second elder tortured by the bean, so he decided to use a modern method so that the second elder would not have to worry about it anymore. Tooth tortured.

"It doesn't matter if you don't have teeth if you grind the beans and make them into tofu," Zhou Chong said as a matter of course.

Zhou Chong's suggestion is definitely a good one. Logically, the elders should agree with it, but the reaction of the elders is beyond anyone's expectation. They asked curiously: "Tofu, what is that?"

Tofu is the most common food in our life now. It can be eaten as a dish or as a meal, and no one will laugh at you. I believe that there will not be too many people who know the origin of tofu.It is said that tofu originated in the Western Han Dynasty, and its originator is Liu An, king of Huainan.The mother of King Huainan liked to eat beans. She was sick in bed once, and Liu An was afraid that he would not eat them well, so she asked someone to grind them into powder and mix them with water.For seasoning, I also added some salt, but I didn't expect it to condense into tofu.Later, Liu An and a group of alchemists, that is, what we call alchemists, studied many times before they came up with the method of making tofu.

Since then, tofu has also appeared in people's daily life, and it is favored because of its tenderness and deliciousness. The Poetry of Pingdou by Su Xuexi, a poet of the Ming Dynasty, "is the best technique in Huainan, and the essence can be seen when the skin fades away. One round Grinding the high-flowing nectar, rolling snowflakes in a hundred boiling soups. The toads soaked in the earthenware pots have shadows, and the golden knives cut through the jade without flaws. Who knows what it feels like, most of them belong to monks and Taoists."

Although Zhou Chong knew a lot about ancient history, subconsciously he was thinking with modern thinking. He forgot for a while that there was no tofu in the Warring States Period. The two elders just remembered it when they asked a question. It was a bit embarrassing, and explained: : "Grind the beans into powder, add water to squeeze out the juice, add some salt, and the tofu will be coagulated. It is tender and soft, white as jade, light and palatable, especially suitable for the elderly without teeth."

What he said was a bit of a lure. Zhou Chong thought that even if the elders agreed, he would still make some remarks. After all, this was a new thing that did not exist in the Warring States Period. Unexpectedly, the elders were looking forward to it when they heard it. Said: "Is there really such a good tofu?" People without teeth are tortured to eat, and the two elders know the pain. When they hear that there is a better way to eat, there is no reason to look forward to it.

"This is basic common sense in modern society, and there is no need to ask." Zhou Chong was a little amused in his heart, and explained: "Mother, uncle, this is true."

Old man Sun said helplessly: "It's good, I have a pair of stone mills, but I'm old, I don't have the strength, and I can't use them. I'd better eat beans and rice, I was born with this fate."

Zhou Chong was grateful for the meal given by the second elder, and volunteered to say: "Don't worry, sir, I can still handle it." Zhou Chong had never used a stone mill in his life, and he believed that he was strong and strong, so it was no problem.

"How can that be done?" The second elder objected immediately.

Zhou Chong said with a smile: "Grandpa and grandma, don't worry, I promise to make you a meal of tofu."

The second elder saw that he was very determined, so he stopped talking.At the moment, under Zhou Chong's care, the beans are soaked in water, and then the stone mill is cleaned, and the work starts when the beans are ready.

On the second day, the beans had been soaked until they were plump, and Zhou Chong knew it was done.At the moment, the division of labor was carried out, and he took on the hard work of grinding the mill, and asked old man Sun and his wife to help fill the grinder with beans.The old couple was looking forward to this matter, but also curious, very enthusiastic, and agreed without saying a word.

Zhou Chong took off his coat, stopped at the local area, held the handle of the mill, and pushed the stone mill.Old man Sun used a small wooden spoon to scoop beans and water into the grinding hole, and a stream of white bean liquid flowed out along the grinding plate.

This matter is very common to modern people, but to the ancients in the Warring States Period, it was very unusual and very fresh. The old couple were naturally surprised and commented, and Zhou Chong explained with a smile.

The three of them tossed together, and it didn't take long to grind a small pot of beans into bean liquid.Zhou Chong put it on the stove, poured it into the pot, after a pass to remove the slag, boil, add salt and settle, white tofu miraculously appeared in the pot.

It is best to use gypsum juice to order tofu. I can't find it for a while, so I have to use salt stone that old man Sun has collected for many years.It didn't have much effect until Zhou Chong's hands were sore.In the end, Old Man Sun gritted his teeth and took out a pinch of salt that he had treasured for many years to solve the problem.

For the ancients, it was very unusual for tofu to appear in the water. The old couple were amazed and kept shouting, "My God, there is such a thing in the water." Regret for not thinking about it sooner.

"It's not water, it's soybean milk." Zhou Chong explained with a smile, a little regretful: "I forgot to scoop up some soybean milk for you to drink."

For the two old people, soy milk and water are the same thing, and they were a little confused. They asked, "What's the difference? They're not the same."

The difference is very obvious, modern people don’t need to explain it, but it takes a lot of time to explain it to the ancients. Zhou Chong was not in the mood to explain it. He smiled and scooped up a spoonful of bean curd and put it in the earthen jar, saying: “Master, grandma! , try it."

There is a smell of tofu in the air. This is the first time the old couple have smelled it in their lives. They have already whetted their appetites. They pick up the tofu curd with chopsticks and put it in their mouths to taste. After chewing, they still feel like old apes. It was a mouthful, but the joy was already visible in the color, nodding and laughing: "It's delicious, it's so delicious. Before eating, it was really a toss. This way of eating is so worry-free, you can eat without teeth,"

If their sighs were in modern society, people would definitely be ridiculed. Zhou Chong knew that they had to suffer from Dou Lian for every meal, and said with a smile: "Master, mother-in-law, wait until I squeeze the tofu dry and mix it with oil and salt." It tastes better."

"Then hurry up." Old man Sun was really greedy and started urging.

After Zhou Chong squeezed the tofu, old man Sun was so heartless that he also contributed the piece of meat that had been cooked so many times.Zhou Chong chopped up the meat and made a pot of tofu with rotten meat. The old couple hiccupped and had to put down the bowl.

Old man Sun smacked his lips and sighed endlessly: "It's delicious. It's better than the meat that the king gave me back then. It's a pity that I won't be able to eat it anymore." Work in the army personally, and reward the soldiers with wine and meat.

Zhou Chong was a little dazed, and asked: "My uncle loves to eat, and he can still make it, why can't he eat it?"

"If there is no oil, there will be no taste." Old man Sun felt sorry for the piece of meat that was so hot.

Zhou Chong laughed in his heart: "What's the difficulty? Let me do a little trick, even if you take a bath in the oil."

(End of this chapter)