Red Mushroom Tofu Residue

Red Mushroom Tofu Residue

　　Red Mushroom Tofu Residue is a specialty of Wuping, and can also be found in areas such as Shanghang and Pingyuan in Guangdong. It is a uniquely flavored dish made from the residue of soy milk — typically used only as pig feed — after undergoing special processing. Its exact history is unknown, but it is known that before the advent of monosodium glutamate (MSG), it was often used as a flavor enhancer, much like licorice harmonizes various herbs, it harmonizes various dishes.

　　Whether cooking meat, tofu, or a variety of vegetables, adding a bit of Red Mushroom Tofu Residue makes the dish extraordinarily delicious, and it is also very inexpensive, which is why it is so beloved. It is said that many people from Renju who went to Southeast Asia would often write home in advance, asking their relatives to prepare Red Mushroom Tofu Residue — roasting and sun-drying it, then bottling it — so they could bring it back to Southeast Asia to share with family and friends as a taste of home.

　　The method for making Red Mushroom Tofu Residue is very simple: pour fresh tofu residue into an iron pot and bake it over low heat. When the residue has dried to the point where it can be formed into a clump by hand, leaves slight wet marks between the fingers without leaking water, and scatters easily when tossed, it is scooped out and placed on the reverse side of a rice or bran sieve lined with banana leaves. Press it down firmly, evenly, and smoothly to a thickness of about one inch. Once cooled, sprinkle the surface with the mushroom spores. The spores’ rootlets quickly penetrate the tofu residue, making it both firm and supple, while a layer of red fuzz grows on the surface — this is the red mushroom.