Blood jelly

Blood jelly

　　Blood jelly

　　In the Zhuang villages, whenever a pig or sheep is slaughtered, making blood jelly is always part of the process. Elders say that not everyone can successfully make blood jelly—it depends on one’s fate. Some people, no matter what, just can’t make it work. This might sound a bit superstitious, but objectively speaking, making blood jelly is definitely a skillful task.

　　Steps: When slaughtering a pig, take the fresh blood, add an appropriate amount of salt, stir for a while, then let it sit. Once the other ingredients are ready, dilute the blood with warm water (stir it a bit), and once the blood coagulates, add the ingredients and it’s ready to eat.

　　Principle: Thrombin only works under certain physical and chemical conditions.

　　When taking the blood from the pig, add a certain amount of salt (you should add quite a lot—until it tastes quite salty). Due to the high salinity, thrombin doesn’t work and the blood won’t coagulate (the large amount of salt acts like an anticoagulant). Then add warm water (remember, it must be warm water, around body temperature, not hot to the touch), which dilutes the blood and also the salt concentration. With the right level of salinity and temperature, thrombin can function properly, and the blood will coagulate.

　　Key points: 1. Put the salt in the container first, then take the blood. While taking the blood, keep stirring so that all the salt dissolves. 2. The water temperature should be appropriate, as mentioned above. 3. Add water gradually, starting with a small amount. Generally, if the blood doesn’t coagulate, it’s usually because there wasn’t enough water added—not too much. If the temperature is suitable, even cold water can work.

　　Normally, you can tell whether the blood jelly has been successfully made after about ten minutes. The method is simple and can be summarized as “look and check.” “Look” means observing whether the blood jelly in the bowl has solidified into a firm block. If successful, the blood jelly will look like tofu cheese—bright red with some transparency. However, this visual method only works for experienced makers. “Check” means tilting the bowl slightly. If the blood jelly doesn’t move, it’s a success. If it flows out of the bowl, it’s a failure. But don’t be discouraged—even unsuccessful blood jelly isn’t wasted. You can boil it in a pot and still eat it, though it won’t have the authentic taste of blood jelly.

　　Blood jelly is a regional specialty, and not everyone likes its taste, so it’s important to follow the principle of voluntary consumption when eating it.