What is Laba Tofu?

Introduction to Laba Tofu:

Laba Tofu is a special snack in Guichi District. Every year during the Laba Festival, almost every household will bake Laba Tofu to celebrate the festival. Laba tofu is as yellow as jade in color, soft in the mouth, salty and sweet, fragrant and fresh. Tofu tastes more delicious when paired with seafood. If ingredients such as shrimps are added during drying, the taste will be extremely delicious. People in Yixian County are accustomed to hanging Laba tofu in a ventilated place with straw ropes and picking it when eating. Some people also like to carve Laba tofu into animals and flowers, and pour sesame oil on it to make it an excellent side dish for drinking.

The legend about Laba Tofu:

Laba Tofu is not directly related to the Laba Festival. The birth of this delicious dish is due to a coincidence. It is said that in ancient times, a couple lived a loving life. The man went out to do business and the woman worked as a prostitute at home. One day, my wife, who had just bought tofu and was going home to cook, received an invitation from relatives far away to help make wedding clothes. Don't put the tofu on the stone mill in front of the door before leaving. As a result, it took two or three months before returning home.

When I entered the door, I found that the tofu on the stone mill had become golden and hard, and I could still smell the aroma. I cut it and tasted it. Food for long journeys. My friends who were traveling with me all thought the tofu was delicious, dry and easy to carry, and praised it repeatedly. My husband was so happy that he called it "wife tofu". The pronunciation of "wife" in Yixian County was very similar to "Laba". Over time, this tofu also became popular among people. It's called Laba Tofu.

How to make Laba tofu:

1. First make tofu from fine soybeans and cut into round or square pieces.

2. Then apply salt water, dig a small hole in the middle of the upper part, put in an appropriate amount of salt, and bake it slowly under the mild winter sun, so that the salt is gradually absorbed and the water is gradually dried, that is, Into Laba tofu.

3. The finished product is as yellow as jade in color, soft in the mouth, salty and sweet, fragrant and fresh. If ingredients such as dried shrimps are added during drying, the taste will be better.

Nowadays, in order to eat Laba tofu all year round, Laba tofu shops use firewood to dry it. Make the tofu during the day and bake it at night. Firewood is burned outside, and the hot air circulates among the layers of Laba tofu. Bake for three to four hours every day, and it takes five days to bake the tofu until it is chewy and chewy. Each tofu weighs about half a catty (made from seven to eight taels of beans).

How to eat Laba Tofu:

Laba Tofu is usually hung in a ventilated place with straw ropes to dry. It can be eaten alone, stir-fried or stewed with meat. When entertaining distinguished guests, people in Yixian County will carve them into animals and flowers, pour them with sesame oil, mix them with onions, ginger, garlic and other condiments, and serve them as cold dishes, making them a delicacy for banquets.