Laiyuan Tofu

Laiyuan Tofu

　　What makes Laiyuan tofu special is its coagulation process. Unlike tofu made with brine or gypsum, it is coagulated using “sour whey.” What is sour whey? It is the soybean whey that is pressed out during tofu making, which is then placed in a vat and fermented. If the fermentation is not acidic enough, a bit of millet soup can be added to catalyze the process. The tofu made this way naturally has a slight sour taste, so locals call it “sour tofu.” Laiyuan tofu cannot be sold on chopping boards like tofu elsewhere—it must be stored in buckets or large vats and basins, soaked in clean water. Only in this way can contact with air be cut off, preserving its tender texture. Otherwise, it will quickly turn sour and spoil. That’s why Laiyuan tofu is also called “water tofu.” At the same time, the soybeans used are grown without chemical fertilizer. In modern terms, Laiyuan tofu is absolutely a green, natural food. Speaking of which, a poem by Cao Zhi comes to mind: “Beans are boiled over a fire of beanstalks, / And the mash is strained to make soybean milk. / The stalks burn below the pot, / While the beans cry inside. / We are born of the same root, / So why should we hound each other to death?” Though not entirely fitting here, the metaphor does apply well to the making of Laiyuan tofu, as all its ingredients come from the soybean itself.

　　There is also a legend behind why Laiyuan tofu is coagulated with sour whey. In ancient times, there was a fierce mother-in-law who forced her daughter-in-law to grind soybeans every day. After filtering the soy milk with a cloth, the mother-in-law would eat the solids (actually soybean dregs), while making her daughter-in-law drink the soy milk. The mother-in-law thought she was getting the better deal—but in fact, the opposite was true. Over time, the more bean dregs the mother-in-law ate, the thinner she got, while the more soy milk the daughter-in-law drank, the plumper she became. One day, the young wife felt plain soy milk was too bland, so she casually added a few spoonfuls of pickled vegetable soup to season it—and a miracle happened: the thin soy milk suddenly coagulated into curds. This gave the clever young woman an inspiration, and she invented the method of using sour whey to coagulate tofu.

　　Laiyuan tofu can be prepared in many ways. The most common include home-style stir-fried tofu, scallion-tossed tofu, Chinese toon-tossed tofu, brine-fried tofu puffs, and tofu balls. One particular preparation is called “Laiyuan tofu,” prominently featured on restaurant menus. Its basic method is stewing tofu with tomatoes and chili peppers. In recent years, as people have developed a stronger desire to return to nature, a new way of eating tofu has emerged—“fresh-out-of-the-pot tofu,” where freshly made tofu is served hot and dipped in various seasonings. Further processing of tofu into dried tofu has also created a range of products: white dried tofu, smoked dried tofu, oil-boiled dried tofu, tofu strips, and tofu tendons. These can be eaten directly, mixed with vegetables like cucumber, stir-fried with other vegetables or meat, or even boiled. As a traditional green food, Laiyuan tofu is winning increasing favor among people.