Sichuan Tofu Rice
Ingredients: Dried Soybeans, Sichuan Arbol Chilies (or Cayenne), Sichuan Chili Bean Paste, Salt, Soybean Oil (or Peanut Oil) · 120 min cook time · 450kcal · ~₩15,500
Ingredients
500g Dried Soybeans, 30g Sichuan Arbol Chilies (or Cayenne), 5tablespoons Sichuan Chili Bean Paste, 0.5teaspoon Salt, 1cup Soybean Oil (or Peanut Oil), 0.5teaspoon Fennel Seed, 8pods White Cardamom Pods, 2stars Star Anise, 4g Sand Ginger (or Dried Galangal), 1teaspoon White Pepper, 23g Nigari (Magnesium Chloride), 20g Water, 0.5teaspoon Minced Garlic, 1tablespoon Sliced Scallions, 1tablespoon Chopped Cilantro, 0.25teaspoon MSG, 0.5tablespoon Soy Sauce, 0.5teaspoon Toasted Sesame Seeds, 2drops Mujangzi Oil (or Lemongrass Oil), 4bowls Cooked Rice
Instructions
1. Pick out any blackened or moldy soybeans from 500g of dried soybeans. Rinse them thoroughly, then fill the bowl with water a couple of inches above the soybeans and let them soak in the fridge overnight.
2. Take 30g of Sichuan Arbol chilies (or a substitute like Cayenne), remove any large stems, and reconstitute them with hot boiled water. After about an hour of soaking, they should be soft and pliable. Strain and toss them into a large mortar.
3. Pound the chilies for about 5-10 minutes until they form a paste. Add 5 tablespoons of Sichuan chili bean paste and a half teaspoon of salt, then pound for another 5 minutes. You can also use a food processor, but ensure it's not too fine, aiming for a similar consistency.
4. In a cool wok or cast iron pot, add a half cup of soybean oil (or peanut oil). With the heat still off, add the chili paste and turn the flame to medium-low. Fry the paste, stirring constantly, for about 10 minutes until the chilies deepen in color and start to resemble a paste. Continue cooking until the oil is absorbed, the chilies dry and crisp, and you get a toasted smell. The chilies are done when they sound like packing sand.
5. Set the fried chili paste aside. For the spices, grind up a half teaspoon of fennel seed, 8 white cardamom pods (skip if unavailable), 2 star anise, 4g of sand ginger (or dried galangal), and 1 teaspoon of white pepper into a powder.
6. In a small pot, heat another half cup of soybean or peanut oil up to smoke point. Wait a minute or two until it's down to about 185°C, then toss in your ground spices. Stir briefly. Add this spice oil to your fried chili paste, mix, box it up, and leave it to sit overnight.
7. The next day, your soaked soybeans should be plump. Strain them and add them to a blender. Add water at an 8:1 ratio of water to soybeans (4 liters of water in total for 500g soybeans). Blend in batches if necessary (we did three), blending each batch on high for 4 minutes, using the smoothie setting if available.
8. Transfer the blended soymilk to a large wok or stockpot. Over high heat, bring the soymilk up to 100°C. Use a thermometer, as soymilk can appear to boil when it's just frothing. Once it reaches temperature, reduce the flame to medium-high and continue to cook for 15 minutes, continuously ladling soymilk over the foam to prevent overflowing.
9. Strain the cooked soymilk through a tofu bag or cheesecloth into a bowl. Twist up the bag and squeeze to get every last drop, pressing for about 3 minutes. You can use a cast iron pot or other heavy object to help press out the liquid. Pour the strained soymilk back into the large pot.
10. Prepare the coagulant: in a non-reactive bowl, add 10g of Nigari (magnesium chloride) with 20g of water and set aside. Get your soymilk back up to 90°C. Shut off the heat and start to spoon in your Nigari mixture. Go in 5g at a time, give the soymilk a quick stir, and repeat this three times total. After the third time, you should feel a slight resistance when mixing.
11. After the third addition of coagulant, spoon only 2g in at a time and spread it over the surface. Continue this process until the soymilk forms little popcorn-sized solids and the liquid becomes clear. For reference, we used 23g of Nigari in total. Place a bamboo basket (or a fine mesh sieve) over the tofu. It will start to sink; ladle out some of the liquid. Gently press down on the basket until the tofu is firm to your liking, about 10 more minutes.
12. Slice the pressed tofu into pieces. For each serving of sauce, combine 2 teaspoons of your homemade Xiangla Jiang chili sauce, about a half teaspoon of minced garlic, sliced scallions, chopped cilantro, a sprinkle of MSG, a half tablespoon of soy sauce, a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds, and a couple of drops of Mujangzi oil (or lemongrass oil).
13. Serve the tofu in a bowl, along with your sauce and rice. Drink the tofu liquid as a soup.
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