Stewed Shredded Tofu with Dried Shrimps

Stewed Shredded Tofu with Dried Shrimps

　　A Qing Dynasty poet wrote in his poem *Ode to the South of the Yangtze*: “Yangzhou is fine, where tea house guests are worth inviting — heaps of seasoned shredded tofu, long brass pipes resting on the stand, and crystal-clear meat with liquor.” Seasoned shredded tofu kicks off the morning melody, a tradition that the people of Yangzhou have enjoyed for centuries. The shredded tofu is characterized by being “fine, hot, soupy, and variable” — fine as a needle, hot to remove the beany taste, the soup made with chicken broth and seasonings to enhance the flavor, and variable in toppings, which change with the seasons, never falling into cliché.