Home> Visiting > Food

Lei's Tofu Pellets

Chinadaily.com.cn|Updated: June 8, 2020



Lei's tofu pellets are said to be the first thing a Guiyang woman named Lei Sanniang created, more than seven decades ago. For preparation, take some top soybeans and soak them in water for up to 10 hours, then grind them into a paste, add some rape oil sediment, boil, and add to sour soup. Take them out, add some five-spice powder (red pepper, anise, fennel, cinnamon, fructus tsaokoand galangal plus chopped scallions; stir until well mixed. The tofu is gently kneaded, pressed flat, and slowly put into hot oil and fried. The finished Lei’s tofu pellets are brown, crisp on the outside and tender inside. When served, they are accompanied with a mixture of soy sauce, chopped scallions, pepper, sesame oil, and vinegar. They should be served hot for the crispy, tender, fragrant taste, and go well with rice and wine. Guiyang peddlers often sell Lei’s tofu pellets on the street, in portions of three to five for the buyer's convenience.

How to make Lei's tofu pellets has long been common knowledge and five-spice powder is the key to the pellets. The final taste is adversely affected if any of the ingredients are missing or too much or too little. The frying follows certain procedures. The pellets should not be kneaded too strongly and the oil temperature should not be neither too hot or too low. The pellets are taken out only after they are cooked just right. This requires experience rather than knack. The experience you get through repeated practice and research. Many people have tofu pellet businesses, and make them comparable to the original pellets.

Ingredients: Tofu 500 grams, ordate houttuynia 60 g, sour turnip 50 g.

Seasonings: Fennel powder, Chinese red pepper, ground pepper, sesame oil, salt, gourmet powder, soy sauce, vinegar, alkaline, chopped ginger, chopped scallions.

Preparation: Add soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, chopped ginger, Chinese red pepper powder and ground pepper to the chopped ordate houttuynia and sour turnip and fry, stirring them until well mixed, and the juice is ready. Put tofu in a bowl, add fennel powder, salt and alkaline, stir with your finger until sticky. Add chopped scallions and stir. Mold into 10 pellets with the fingers. Press them flat with the middle and ring fingers. Fry them in oil until brown. Take them out, put on a plate, add the seasoning when they’re served.

Characteristics: Brown in color, crisp on the outside, tender inside, fragrant and delicious. Add the appropriate amount of alkaline to the tofu.