Chapter 406 - 204: A Decent Fish-Flavored Tofu
The tofu bubbled away in the gradually thickening, rich red sauce. He turned up the heat to reduce the sauce, drizzled a little vinegar around the rim of the wok, and then added the chopped scallions. After a gentle stir to combine everything, he took it off the heat and plated it.
The long strips of tofu, fried to a perfect golden brown, were coated in a thick, rich fish-flavored sauce and dotted with flecks of green onion. The dish was a glossy, vibrant red, and its irresistible aroma made it look incredibly appetizing.
[A decent portion of Fish-Flavored Tofu]
Zhou Yan had already seen the Identification result.
Decent.
A pretty solid evaluation.
’For his first attempt, the result was pretty good.’
"Brother, what did you make? It smells so, so good!" Zhou Momo shuffled over to the stove, standing on her tiptoes and craning her neck to see. Unfortunately, the little girl was shorter than the stovetop; only her two pigtails, bobbing and swaying, were visible over the edge. The suspense was killing her.
"Fish-Flavored Tofu. I made a new dish, and this one’s just for us tonight," Zhou Yan replied with a smile, lowering the plate to give her a peek.
"Whoa! It’s so pretty! And it smells so good!" Zhou Momo leaned in a little closer and took a deep sniff, her eyes instantly lighting up. She held up two fingers and declared in her sweet, childish voice, "I’m going to eat three bowls of rice tonight!"
"Like this, this is three." Mrs. Zhao said as she passed by, gently helping her unfold her ring finger.
"Right! Three bowls!" the little girl nodded emphatically.
"Alright, three bowls it is," Zhou Yan chuckled. He handed the Fish-Flavored Tofu to Mrs. Zhao Hong, then served up a portion of braised beef with dried bamboo shoots from a nearby pot and scooped out a side of pickled vegetables.
’He’d lost track of time reading the recipe, so tonight’s staff meal would have to be simple: the new dish and the braised beef with dried bamboo shoots.’
"This tofu looks amazing. Why have you been making so many new dishes lately?" Mrs. Zhao remarked admiringly as she brought over a large bowl of rice and set her eyes on the tofu.
"It smells incredible—that sweet and sour spiciness. Seems like the same flavor profile as fish-flavored shredded pork," Zhao Hong said as she started dishing out the rice. "It looks like it’ll go perfectly with rice."
"Mm, you’ve got a sharp palate. Fish-Flavored Tofu—that fish-flavor profile is designed to be eaten with rice," Zhou Yan said, smiling and nodding. He served Zhou Momo a bowl of rice first, then got one for himself. "It’s a new dish. Everyone, give it a try and tell me what you think."
"Brother, is this tofu spicy?" Zhou Momo asked, looking up at Zhou Yan without reaching for her chopsticks.
"Don’t worry. It’s just like the fish-flavored shredded pork—only a tiny bit spicy. You can handle it," Zhou Yan said with a smile, placing a piece in her bowl. Last time, she had snuck a taste of Mapo Tofu and the numbing heat had brought her to tears. She hadn’t touched tofu since.
"Okay!" Zhou Momo chirped. She leaned in, blew on the piece gently to cool it, and took a small bite.
’Salty, sour, and just a little bit spicy. So yummy!’
’But it’s a little hot!’
"Hoo... hoo..." The little girl refused to spit it out, instead panting to cool it down in her mouth. As soon as the temperature dropped, she began to chew it properly, and her eyes lit up.
’This tofu is so delicious!’
’My tongue isn’t going numb! It’s so soft inside! Yummy! I love it!’
After swallowing the tofu, the little girl used her chopsticks to shovel a huge mouthful of rice into her mouth and chewed with gusto.
"The tofu is yummy! But the saucy-sauce is even yummier! Brother, I want saucy-sauce on my rice!" the little girl declared after swallowing her mouthful, looking up at Zhou Yan with pleading eyes.
"You really know the best way to eat, don’t you?" Zhou Yan laughed. He took a small spoon and ladled a few scoops of the rich fish-flavored sauce over her rice. ’Just eating a fish-flavored dish by itself isn’t satisfying enough; pouring it over rice is what makes it truly sublime.’
"Mm! This Fish-Flavored Tofu is fantastic!" Mrs. Zhao had already tried a piece, a surprised look on her face. "Frying the tofu makes the outside crispy and porous, allowing it to instantly soak up the sauce. It’s incredibly flavorful, yet the inside remains so tender. It’s completely different from Mapo Tofu, but every bit as delicious! This really makes you want to shovel down the rice!"
"Delicious!" Zhao Hong said after one bite. She immediately shoveled a large mouthful of rice into her mouth, nodding again and again in agreement.
Comrade Zhou remained silent, simply shoveling rice into his mouth. The fact that he was eating so much rice said everything that needed to be said.
’The feedback from his diners was good.’ Zhou Yan picked up a piece of tofu for himself. First, he examined its appearance. ’The thickener seems a bit heavy; the sauce is a little too viscous. The glossy red is tinged with a bit of cloudiness, and the coating isn’t perfectly even.’
’Before frying, the tofu was dredged in dry starch—the same principle used to get other foods crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. It helps form a better crust on the tofu’s surface, which in turn helps it absorb flavor.’
’However, during the simmering process, some of the starch from the tofu’s coating dissolved into the sauce, creating an additional thickening effect.’
’Zhou Yan hadn’t accounted for that, which was why the slurry he added at the end made the sauce a bit too thick.’
’He popped the tofu into his mouth. The flavors—savory, fragrant, sour, and spicy—exploded on his tongue. The fish-flavor profile was perfectly authentic; no issues there.’
’The skin of the fried tofu, originally crisp, had softened after soaking up the fish-flavored sauce, but it retained a unique, fragrant crispness.’
’Meanwhile, the inside of the tofu remained exceptionally tender, creating that delightful textural contrast of a crispy exterior and a soft interior.’
’It was, without a doubt, a decent home-style dish perfect for eating with rice.’
’The strengths were obvious, but so were the flaws.’
’With the sauce being too thick, the mouthfeel was slightly gummy. The amount of cornstarch definitely needed to be reduced for a better texture.’
’The starch coating on the tofu was likely too thick, making the texture feel a little off—like it was wearing a shell. That also needed improvement.’
’The recipe stated: "Dredge in dry starch, then deep-fry."’
’But the "how much" was a fine balance the Chef had to figure out through personal experimentation and trial and error.’
’The seasoning was fine, but Zhou Yan felt he could increase the cooking time slightly. The tofu hadn’t fully absorbed the flavor, which might also be due to the thickness of the strips. He could try making a few adjustments next time.’
’Why is it said that cooking from a recipe is so difficult?’
’Because it’s a constant process of review, correction, and improvement—and sometimes, you have to throw it all out and start over.’