Family Recipe 38 - Braised Blood Curd, Fish Cake, and Hundred Leaf Tofu

Ingredients: Blood curd, fish cake, hundred leaf tofu, old braising liquid, rock sugar, soy sauce, ginger, chili peppers Instructions: 1. Cut the blood curd into appropriate sizes, about the size of a mobile phone. Don't cut it into bite-sized pieces, as it can overcook easily. Score both sides of the hundred leaf tofu. Since hundred leaf tofu doesn't absorb flavor well, scoring it helps it absorb flavor better and reduces braising time. 2. Thaw and heat the old braising liquid to a boil. Add rock sugar, soy sauce, ginger, and chili peppers (smash the ginger, add whole chili peppers). 3. Add the hundred leaf tofu and fish cake in order (since the hundred leaf tofu floats, you need to press it down to braise better). Finally, place a sieve on top and put the blood curd in the sieve to prevent it from sinking to the bottom and scorching the pot, ruining the entire batch of old braising liquid. 4. Once boiling, reduce to low heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it soak to absorb flavor. The fish cake should soak for at least 30 minutes. The longer the hundred leaf tofu and blood curd soak, the better. Although the blood curd can be eaten after 20 minutes of cooking, it's tastier when it soaks longer. If you haven't braised a large amount of ingredients or meat at once in the old braising liquid, you can add braising ingredients every 2-3 times, or add them yourself if you feel the aroma is insufficient during braising. I previously introduced how to make the old braising liquid. Use soy sauce, rice wine, rock sugar, ginger, chili peppers, a braising spice packet (if you don't have a recipe, use a store-bought one or ask a Chinese herbalist for help), and add broth (or water, broth has a richer flavor) to create the new braising liquid. The old braising liquid is the essence left behind after braising various ingredients. It's completed after many uses and proper storage, so the new braising liquid needs time.