Héyáng Spicy Tofu

Héyáng Spicy Tofu

　　Spicy tofu is popular in the areas of Lùjǐng, Dúdiàn, and Mèngzhuāng in the southwestern part of the county. First, cut the tofu into pieces and boil them in a seasoned broth for 20 minutes; then pan-fry the "sàozi." The toppings include fried tofu, diced radish, diced lotus root, and pork intestines; then prepare the spicy oil by mixing lard and refined oil, stir-frying it, and only keeping the top layer of spicy oil. When eating, first scoop out the tofu, then add the sàozi, and finally drizzle on the spicy oil. It tastes delicious and is so well-loved that there’s a saying: “Better to eat one bowl of spicy tofu than ten bowls of a formal banquet.”

　　The preparation of spicy tofu is divided into three parts. The first is making the hot-spiced oil. Use high-quality refined oil mixed with an appropriate amount of lard, and select high-grade red chili powder. First heat the raw oil until cooked, control the oil temperature carefully, then pour in the chili powder, stir well, and immediately add a small amount of vinegar and soy sauce. Making the hot-spiced oil is a key step in preparing spicy tofu, and the most crucial part is controlling the oil temperature. If the oil temperature is too low, the chili won’t cook properly—it will be spicy but not fragrant. If the oil temperature is too high, the chili will turn black, tasting bitter rather than spicy, black instead of red, which greatly affects the dish. The second part is extracting the soy milk flavor from the tofu. The goal is to remove the beany taste. A clay pot is the best utensil for this. Place water in the clay pot along with salt and a seasoning packet, then add the sliced tofu. The key again lies in mastering the heat—cook until the broth boils and the tofu floats to the surface. If the time is too short, the beany flavor remains, the texture isn't pleasant, and the seasonings can’t fully penetrate, leaving the tofu tasteless. If the time is too long, the tofu becomes tough and loses its original texture. The third part is stir-frying the sàozi. Mix scallions, cellophane noodles, Chinese cabbage, carrots, fried tofu, meatballs, braised pork, and kelp with seasonings, then stir-fry them in lard before adding a small amount of meat broth to complete the sàozi.

　　When eating, first scoop the tofu out with a strainer from the clay pot, add sàozi in broth—about one-quarter of the total portion—and then drizzle on the spicy oil. The chili oil is bright in color, the sàozi rich in flavor, the tofu soft, and the dish bursts with aroma in every bite.