Xiao County Stinky Tofu

Selecting soybeans. Pick through the prepared soybeans and remove any rotten, damaged, or insect-eaten beans.

Soak the beans. Place the selected beans in a bowl and pour in water. The water should cover the beans. If you notice the water level is low in the middle, you can continue adding water until the beans are covered. The beans need to soak for more than 12 hours.

Cook the beans. Rinse the soaked beans once, put them in a pot and bring to a boil, then reduce to low heat and continue cooking until the beans can be crushed with your fingers.

Cover the beans. Scoop them up and drain the water, then put them into a clean basin while they are still hot. Cover with a cloth, then cover with plastic wrap, and place near a heater. The indoor temperature should be maintained at around 20-25 degrees Celsius, and it will take about 7 days to grow a type of white and slightly green sticky mycelium. If you pick it with chopsticks, you will find very sticky threads.

Prepare the beans. Stir-fry the Sichuan peppercorns (about 5g) and star anise (about 5g) in a pan until they slightly change color, then grind them together with the Sichuan peppercorns using a blender; stir-fry the dried red chili peppers (about 50g) until the color starts to turn yellow and the aroma of the chili is noticeable, then grind them with a blender and add to the fermented beans; then add some fine salt (about 50g) and shredded fresh ginger (about 30g), and stir repeatedly with chopsticks to mix evenly.

Sun-dry the beans. Put the harvested beans in a place with plenty of sunlight and let them dry for 4-5 days. It's best to cover them with plastic wrap to keep them cleaner.

Eating beans. There's not much to write about, anyone who has eaten them knows. It's even tastier with a bit of sesame oil!