Gaoping Roast Tofu

Gaoping Roast Tofu

　　 When speaking of Gaoping, one must inevitably bring up Gaoping Roast Tofu. The tradition of eating roast tofu here can be traced back to the Battle of Changping in 260 BC. That year, Zhao Kuo was soundly defeated by the Qin general Bai Qi, and 400,000 surrendered Zhao soldiers were buried alive by Bai Qi. Bai Qi’s cruelty ignited lasting hatred among later generations, who began comparing tofu to Bai Qi’s flesh. They would then roast and boil it before eating, venting their fury in this way. Unexpectedly, people found the taste quite novel and uniquely flavorful, and thus "roast tofu" became a longstanding tradition across Gaoping.

　　In Gukou Village, Gaoping City, there is a temple that earned the name “Skull Temple” due to its resemblance to a skull in appearance. The Skull Temple is the only shrine in China dedicated to commemorating the fallen soldiers of the Warring States period. The most authentic Gaoping Roast Tofu is made right in Gukou Village, where almost every household prepares its own version.

　　Tofu is the primary ingredient for roast tofu. The soybeans used are locally grown in Gaoping. The quality of the tofu directly affects the taste of the roast tofu. Rural residents tend to go to bed early, and around nine o’clock at night, before sleeping, they will soak the local specialty soybeans in buckets to allow them to expand.

　　At midnight, they get up to light the fire and boil water. While the water is heating, the pre-soaked soybeans are ground into a slurry using an electric mill and added to the bucket. This raw soy milk is then poured into a large vat. When the water in the pot boils, all of it is poured into the vat filled with raw soy milk.

　　The raw soy milk in the vat is then filtered using a homemade strainer made from gauze and a wooden barrel frame. A pestle is used to press the soy milk through into a basin below. Fresh, milky-white raw soy milk fills the basin, leaving behind only some “waste residue” in the gauze. The seasoning for the roast tofu comes from these “waste residues.” By mixing ginger, garlic, and the waste residue together with a bit of salt, you get the condiment used for eating roast tofu. The raw soy milk in the basin is then returned to the pot to be boiled again—this time producing the regular soy milk we usually drink.

　　The soy milk is poured back into the vat, and gypsum mixed in advance is used to coagulate the tofu. Gypsum coagulation is a truly fascinating process: under the catalytic effect of the gypsum powder, the entire vat of soy milk gradually transforms into tofu curds, which are what we commonly know as soybean pudding.

　　Finally, these curds are poured into a handmade wooden mold to settle. After about three hours, the loose curds solidify into a solid block of smooth, white tofu.

　　By eleven in the morning, the tofu curds that have been pressed for three and a half hours have become solid blocks of tofu. Only now does the actual roasting process for roast tofu begin. The tofu is removed from the molds, cut into 3 cm thick, 6 cm square pieces, and neatly arranged on bamboo boards. Charcoal fire is ideal for roasting the tofu. An iron rack is placed over the charcoal, and each piece of tofu is evenly laid out on the rack. During roasting, each piece is flipped until it turns golden brown.

　　Like a small-scale artisan workshop, no more than 300 pieces of roast tofu are roasted per day, priced at five jiao (half a yuan) per piece.

　　Roast tofu is a widely loved local specialty, deeply rooted in the community of Gaoping. Regardless of social status, age, gender, whether office workers or passersby, everyone who walks by a roast tofu stall will stop for a few minutes to enjoy a few pieces.