During dinner, the mother-in-law mentioned the tofu dregs to Chen Lan.
"Xiao Lan, that basin of tofu dregs I asked you to keep for yourself, what do you plan to do with it? Lin Mai told me today that the tofu dregs have grown mold and asked if you still want it, if not, she'll use it for fertilizer."
Chen Lan slapped her head. She had completely forgotten about the tofu dregs.
She quickly said, "Yes, yes, I need it. It's just a shame it's fermented and moldy."
The mother-in-law quickly comforted Chen Lan, saying, "Xiao Lan, it's okay. We're making tofu again tomorrow morning, so we'll have fresh tofu dregs. I'll tell them to save it all for you!"
Chen Lan happily said, "That would be great! Then I'll get up early tomorrow morning and make some new delicacies for everyone with the tofu dregs."
The mother-in-law was shocked and said, "Xiao Lan, don't be reckless. Tofu dregs are for livestock, how can people eat it?"
Chen Lan was dismissive, "Mother-in-law, do I look like someone who acts recklessly? Just wait and see tomorrow morning! I promise you'll praise it to the skies after tasting it!"
Seeing Chen Lan so determined, the mother-in-law knew further persuasion was futile, so she simply said, "Alright! I'll be waiting. Just don't spoil good things."
Chen Lan hadn't even finished dinner before she wanted to go check on the fermented tofu dregs. Her mother-in-law hurriedly stopped her, saying, "Lan'er, this is no way to be. No matter how busy you are, you must finish your meal properly. Look, the siblings are watching you! You need to set a good example for them."
Chen Lan looked up at her son and daughter, who had finished their meals and were now looking at her with their big, grape-like eyes. Alright! She lowered her head and continued to shovel rice. She finished her meal in a few swift mouthfuls, nearly choking herself. After eating, she kept burping.
Her mother-in-law, both amused and exasperated, patted Chen Lan's back and chided her, "You child, you're a mother now, how can you still be like a child, getting choked while eating?"
Chen Lan waved her hand while burping, "It's okay, *burp*, Mom, *burp*, I'm going to go see, *burp*, the tofu dregs, *burp*."
With that, she got up and walked towards the shed where tofu was made, still burping.
As she got closer, she saw a basin used for vegetables filled with tofu dregs covered in layers of long white mold. It smelled faintly of fermented tofu. She quickly used her mental powers to open the system and retrieve a pair of disposable gloves from the inventory. Wearing the gloves, she examined the tofu dregs at the bottom of the basin. There was no black mold, only white mold.
At this point, Chen Lan realized she had stopped burping.
She then took a winnowing basket from the kitchen, used to dry mushrooms, wiped it clean with white wine, and scooped up a clump of the moldy, white-furred tofu dregs. Using her hands, she patted it into rectangular cakes about one centimeter thick, fifteen centimeters long, and fifteen centimeters wide. She arranged them neatly in the winnowing basket. After patting all the moldy tofu dregs into these rectangular cakes, she sprinkled a layer of starter evenly on each tofu dreg cake.
She then inverted another winnowing basket of the same size onto the one holding the tofu dreg cakes and left it in the shed to ferment naturally overnight.
The next morning, Chen Lan woke up early without waiting for her mother-in-law to call. After a quick wash, she cradled the sleeping twins, who were as cute as little pigs, and took them to her mother-in-law.
Her mother-in-law was startled and asked in a low voice, "Lan'er, are you really going to make food with tofu dregs?"
Chen Lan nodded and replied in a low voice, "Mom, just you wait and see! You'll eat it this morning. I'm not kidding you. It's getting late, I have to hurry and get ready."
With that, she turned and ran out.
Chen Lan rushed to the tofu-making shed. Lin Mai and Cui Qiao had just arrived. Lin Mai and Cui Qiao were washing soybeans, Ming Wei was cleaning and wiping the soy milk machine, and Hu Yuzhen was preparing to wash the wooden buckets for coagulated tofu and scrub the large iron pot.
Seeing Chen Lan enter, everyone exchanged greetings and continued with their work.
Chen Lan checked the fermentation of the tofu dreg cakes she had placed in the winnowing basket yesterday. Yes! It was good. The fermented tofu smell was even richer, accompanied by a hint of wine aroma.
Cui Qiao asked curiously, "Xiao Lan, are you really going to use tofu dregs for breakfast for everyone today?"
Chen Lan nodded and replied earnestly, "Tofu dregs are a great ingredient. Making cakes with tofu dregs not only results in a good texture and delicious taste, but it's also very nutritious, especially suitable for the elderly and children.
Tofu dregs can also lower blood cholesterol levels and reduce the insulin consumption of diabetics.
Moreover, tofu dregs are rich in dietary fiber, which can prevent colon cancer and aid in weight loss. Today, put your minds at ease and prepare to enjoy a feast!"
The women were all efficient workers, and soon the soybeans were ground, filling a large basin with tofu dregs, estimated to be around eleven to twelve catties.
Chen Lan took the basin of tofu dregs and said to Lin Mai, "Maizi, I'll handle breakfast this morning. Don't worry, just help make tofu here. Don't rush to make breakfast."
With that, she took the basin of tofu dregs towards the temporary shed where meals were prepared.
As soon as she entered the shed, Chen Lan got busy.
First, she took out a large basin used for kneading dough, wiped it clean, and poured the tofu dregs into it. Then, she added about twenty catties of white flour.
She bought a large bag of yeast from the system and added about thirty grams of yeast to the basin.
Next, she cracked in thirty eggs. Looking in the kitchen, she found only scallions, no chives, so she made do with chopping up the scallions and adding them. She also added an appropriate amount of salt, tasting the batter to ensure it was slightly salty.
Finally, she mixed all the ingredients thoroughly and added a little water to form a paste. She let it sit for an hour to ferment.
Chen Lan, not pausing, grabbed a vegetable basin and returned to the tofu-making shed. By then, the soy milk had been cooked, and the mother-in-law was adding brine to the vat.
Chen Lan didn't disturb them. She walked to the winnowing basket where the tofu dreg cakes were and collected all of them into the basin to take away.
Back in the kitchen, she used a knife to cut all the large tofu dreg cakes into pieces slightly larger than mahjong tiles.
She cleaned the large pot, heated it, added oil, and fried the tofu dreg cakes until golden brown on both sides. Once fried, she took them out.
Then, she purchased five catties of fattier streaky pork from the system. Since tofu dregs absorb oil, she sliced the pork into half-centimeter thick pieces, fried them in the pot until slightly browned on both sides, then added dried chili, Sichuan peppercorns, scallions, ginger, and garlic to stir-fry until fragrant. She then added the fried tofu dreg cakes and stirred them evenly.
She then added water to cover all the ingredients, along with soy sauce, salt, pepper, five-spice powder, MSG, and other seasonings. For those who like vermicelli, more water could be added along with the vermicelli. It could then be simmered on low heat for half an hour before eating.
While the streaky pork and tofu dregs were simmering in the large pot, Chen Lan brushed a layer of cooking oil onto her electric griddle. She had bought this electric griddle before the autumn harvest; at the time, everyone was too busy, and Chen Lan bought it fearing that Lin Mai and her mother-in-law wouldn't be able to manage alone.
She poured the fermented batter into the griddle and cooked until the "cakes" were golden brown on both sides. This way, the tofu dreg pancakes were ready to eat.
With the help of the advanced equipment, the tofu dreg pancakes were quickly cooked.
The aroma of the pancakes was fresh and fragrant. The stewed streaky pork with tofu dregs had a rich, indescribable aroma mixed with the smell of meat, spreading far and wide, making one's mouth water.