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Handmade tofu in Rugao

en.nantong.gov.cn

Updated: 2022-03-21

[Video/WeChat account: rugaofabu]

Rugao natives eat tofu three times a day, starting with tofu pudding for breakfast. One might even say they're obsessed with the stuff.

Motou tofu is the most popular type of tofu in Rugao and was listed among the seventh batch of the city's intangible cultural heritage items this year.

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Various soybean products made by the Shen family tofu-making workshop in Motou town, Rugao, are on display. [Photo/WeChat account: rugaofabu]

Among the many tofu-making workshops in Motou town, the most renowned is the one run by the Shen family, who has been making tofu for more than 100 years.

With a strong soybean smell and tender taste, Shen family-made Motou tofu is not only loved by local residents, but also sold in other cities.

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Dishes made from soybean products (from L to R): Strong-smelling preserved tofu, sizzling tofu with scallion, stewed tofu with minced pork in pepper sauce, and sliced beancurd sheets in chicken soup. [Photo/WeChat account: rugaofabu]

This is how the dish is prepared:

Step one: Grind Rugao-grown soybeans with water after soaking them for six hours.

Step two: Boil the soybean milk after removing the bean dregs.

Step three: Mix the special brine with boiled soybean milk and leave it to cool down.

Step four: Squeeze water off the tofu after wrapping it in gauze.