01x11 - Tofu Cake

[bunniefuu]

This is a delicacy made
through baking.

Fillings of all sorts wrapped
in exceptionally crispy crusts.

The filling may seem unfathomable,

but the imaginative combination
is unforgettable after just one bite.

CHAOSHAN CUISINE

CHAOZHOU CITY, GUANGDONG PROVINCE

Breakfast is what locals
look forward to earliest in the day.

A kind of fine pastry

can always be seen on the common streets
at this time of day.

In appearance, it is no different
from traditional Chinese pastries,

and yet,
the flavor is distinctly different.

-The secret lies in the filling.

HUAIDE HUANG

This kind of snack
has been around for over 300 years.

To this day, Huaide Huang’s family
has kept the most traditional recipe.

LEMON CHICKEN

Night has fallen.
After the small shop closes

is when Huaide Huang is the most focused.

Hot temperatures
must be avoided while making the filling.

So, the core of the tofu cake’s flavor
must be made late at night.

Fatty pork meat is rich in fat
and protein.

Stir-fried nuts provide oil
and flavor substances.

After the garlic is minced,
the cell walls and nuclei

transform
into sulfur-containing compounds.

Strong baijiu adds a rich
and mellow aroma.

Each condiment
has a distinctly different flavor.

All that is needed now is a medium
to link them together.

Fermented bean curd is the medium
that links the exquisite flavors together.

To understand Chaoshan flavors,

one must be familiar
with fermented bean curd.

We should start with its previous form.

Along the South China Sea,
the air is warm and humid.

This makes the protein
in tofu decompose into white hyphae,

producing lots of amino acids and lipids.

These are what give
fermented bean curd its flavor and aroma.

The tofu covered in hyphae is dehydrated
with sea salt.

Then, the salt is sieved out

to ensure that it will not be too salty

but can still be preserved
in later fermentation processes.

Seven days later,

add slices of steamed bun, huangjiu,
and red rice into the endosperm

and continue the fermentation.

Six months later, it becomes
a familiar flavor to Chaoshan locals.

Huaide Huang’s method
is even more refined.

He prolongs
the half-year fermentation period

to one year.

More amino acids
and lipids give it a richer flavor.

Fermented bean curds
are added into the preprepared fillings

and evenly mixed.

Various microorganisms

in the natural environment
of 30 degrees Celsius

constantly react with each other.

It is set aside for one night
while waiting for new flavors to emerge.

Chaoshan locals cannot do without tea.

The pungent scent of Dancong tea combined
with special brewing methods

give it exuberant aromas.

It needs strong flavored snacks
to go with it.

These are called tea snacks
in Chaoshan dialect.

Tofu cake is one of the perfect snacks
to go with tea.

The tea’s simplistic fragrance
and the tofu cake’s complex oily aroma

are not only very distinct,
but also a perfect pair.

According to tradition,
tofu cake is eaten cold

in order to complement
the mouth-burning, hot tea.

Today, people find that, when eaten hot,

tofu cake has an even more magical appeal.

- When freshly baked,

the tofu cake’s liquor aroma,
strong garlic smell,

and boiling hot meat
are exceptionally tasty.

Most importantly, the fillings
have intertwined under high heat,

becoming soft and tender in texture.

You cannot savor this goodness
once it has been cooled.

After Huaide Huang’s son
graduated college,

he inherited the family business
and made their products famous online.

But even so,
food lovers from outside of Chaoshan

still can’t savor the goodness
of freshly baked tofu cake.

FOUR GENERATIONS OF HIGH OFFICIALS

TEA HOUSE

In Chaoshan, each pastry shop
has its own unique recipe and flavor.

Each pastry chef has their own innovation.

Qingwu Zeng’s family
has made pastries for three generations.

Now that the business is his,
he intends to go against tradition

and try to make a new type of tofu cake.

He uses peanut oil
instead of animal fat.

This decision was made
for marketing reasons

and to cater to current health trends.

Two and half kilograms of flour
and 150 grams of vegetable oil

are well mixed and kneaded.

Large amounts of unsaturated fatty acid
combine with flour.

It maintains the aroma,
all the while reducing the greasiness.

The oily surface continues to expand.

Flavor substances in the peanut oil
continue to break down,

seeping into the flour
while also locking in the moisture

and forming small pores.

Stuffing the filling
and demolding.

It seems like easy work,

but keeping the thin crust from cracking
is not an easy task.

180-degree high heat

causes a Maillard reaction on the surface
that gives off aromatic substances

and causes oil compounds
to keep breaking down.

Pores in the flour expand
and gradually set.

The surface puffs up completely.
Now this means the tofu cake is ready.

PUFF PASTRY TOFU CAKE

Puff pastry tofu cake
may look common enough,

but it is actually incredibly crispy,
light, and tasty.

It greatly appeals
to the younger generation.

Chaoshan is hot
and humid all year.

Due to the humidity, puff pastries
begin to turn stale after a day.

Qingwu Zeng’s tofu cake

has naturally become a delicacy
that can only be enjoyed in Chaoshan.

The year's most important event
involving tofu cake

is ancestor worshiping in Chaoshan.

On this day,
many households make their own tofu cake.

- Ruibin Chen is no exception.

Although not as skillful
as professional makers,

Ruibin Chen’s tofu cake recipe
is also laced with family history.

The family tofu cake filling
must include olive nuts,

which is the nut inside the olive pit
once the flesh is removed.

Olive nuts are rich in oil
and have a sweet, aromatic taste.

But because they are difficult to acquire
and quite expensive,

very few people use them nowadays.

Olive nuts can turn crispy
just by slightly roasting them.

Adding them into the filling
enhances the tofu cake’s overall flavor,

giving it a richer texture.

OLIVE NUT TOFU CAKE

Later, offerings to ancestors
will be enjoyed by family and guests,

and there cannot be any leftovers.

According to old customs,
these are blessings from ancestors,

representing luck and prosperity.

There are pastry cuisine customs
almost everywhere in China.

And yet, unique flavors,
such as those of this tofu cake,

are only present in the Chaoshan region.

After just one bite,

you will find it unforgettable
for a very long time.

CHAOSHAN CUISINE