Frozen Beans

Frozen Beans

　　Frozen Beans have been a traditional festive snack since the Ming and Qing dynasties and are widely consumed among the people of Zuoquan County. On the first day of the twelfth lunar month, as soon as you wake up in the morning, don’t speak—first eat a few frozen beans. It is said to ward off disasters and misfortunes. As the local saying goes, “If you don’t eat fried snacks on the first day of the twelfth lunar month, some will rise while others will fall.”

The method for making frozen beans is as follows:

[Ingredients] 1000 grams of soybeans, 2500 grams of medium sand, 2500 grams of warm water (30 degrees Celsius).

[Process] After sorting and selecting the soybeans, pour them into a basin and soak them in warm water for 1–2 hours. Then place them outdoors at minus 20 degrees Celsius to freeze for 24 hours. Once frozen, heat up a stove and set a pot on it. First, roast the sand until red-hot, then add the frozen beans. Keep stirring continuously until the bean skins automatically peel off and turn yellow. At this point, they can be taken off the heat. After removing from the pot, sift out the sand, and the beans are ready to eat.

[Features] Fragrant, crispy, flaky, and delicious.