Making tofu is said to be related to jiaozi in the north. Hakka ancestors used to live in the Central Plains, where wheat was produced and flour was often used to make jiaozi. Later, due to war and other reasons, Hakka ancestors moved to the south to live. There is more rice, less wheat and less flour in Lingnan area. Fermented tofu replaced jiaozi as food. Hakka ancestors thought of chopping pork into stuffing, replacing flour with tofu, and then stuffing it into tofu, just like jiaozi. This dish is delicious and has become a famous Hakka dish, and it is also a home-cooked dish on the table of Hakka people.
Network diagram, intrusion and deletion
In other words, Hakka cuisine really likes to "brew". Besides tofu and rotten skin, there are also bitter gourd, mushrooms and peppers.
Stuffed mushrooms
There is also a saying that fermented tofu is a delicious food "let" by Hakkas who advocate the golden mean. Up to now, many Hakka restaurants have hung up the signboard of "Let Tofu". Legend has it that a long time ago, two good brothers had a conflict when ordering food. One wants to eat pork and the other wants to eat tofu. Later, the clever restaurant owner came up with a way to kill two birds with one stone and made "Jane" tofu. The chef's practice of putting pork into tofu also gave the word "rang" a new meaning, which created a precedent for brewing vegetables. Because "rang" (the traditional Chinese character of "rang") and "niang" (the traditional Chinese character of "niang") in Hakka dialect are homonyms and similar in structure, and some food-related words all have unitary elements (such as wine, vinegar and sauce), later. So this dish also carries the culture of courtesy between Hakka brothers and sisters.
I can't go home for the New Year this year, but no matter where I spend the New Year, I will cook the dish "stuffed tofu" myself, hoping my family will be safe in the new year. I also wish you all a happy New Year and a happy Year of the Tiger!