Mapo Tofu / 麻婆豆腐 is a popular Chinese dish from the Szechuan province. It is a combination of tofu dices, and ground meat, beef or pork, in a hot bean-based sauce. Best served with white rice.

1. 豆腐切成1/2寸方丁，放到开水里滚上3分钟。滤干备用。
   Poach the tofu in a pan of simmering water for 3 minutes. Remove from boiling water and drain.
2. 加热中式炒锅或是平底锅，倒入少许油，晃一下锅，加入猪肉炒至颜色转为粉红色就可以继续添加蒜，姜末，中火炒香。加入豆豉，用炒勺弄碎，这样容易和肉糜混合。
   Heat a wok or large heavy skillet over high heat until hot and add oil, swirling to coat. Add pork and stir-fry, breaking up lumps, until no longer pink. Add garlic and ginger and stir-fry over moderate heat until very fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the salted black beans. Mash the beans with a cooking ladle until they blend in well with the meat.
3. 接着加入豆瓣酱继续翻炒，倒入鸡上汤，酱油，和豆腐块，倒入芡水，轻轻翻拌，这样豆腐才不会碎。盖住焖烧15秒直到酱汁浓稠。
   Add bean paste and continue stiring, then the stock, soya sauce and bean curd. Stir cornstarch mixture and add to stir-fry. Bring to a boil, stirring gently, and cook until thickened and glossy, about 15 seconds.
4. 关掉火，洒入花椒油，花椒面和一半的葱花。稍微翻拌一下。就可以起锅了。这道豆腐趁热和白米饭一起食用最佳。
   Turn off heat and sprinkle with chili oil, Szechuan chili powder, to taste, and half scallion. Stir once or twice, then serve sprinkled with remaining scallion. Serve hot accompanied with cooked white rice.

Okara or soya pulp is the fiber remnant of soya milk or bean curd making. This high fiber and protein contained Okara
angiesrecipes has been just used to feed the pigs in China (well....at least some parts of China) or even worse, treated as waste. Its nutritious value starts attracting attention of consumers...well....not enough though....so here is another simple recipe for those who love bread......and of course okara too.

1. In mixing bowl, dissolve the sugar in warm water. Sprinkle in yeast and sit for 10 minutes. Add in flour, starter and egg. Stir until combined. Add in the rest of the ingredients, except 50 g of peanut butter, and knead at medium speed until a smooth, elastic and moist dough forms, about 5 minutes.
2. Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a well-oiled bowl, turning to coat completely on all sides with oil. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and set to rise in a draft-free warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 to 1-1/2 hours.
   
3. Punch down dough. Turn out onto lightly floured surface and shape into a smooth ball. Cover and et rest for 10 minutes. Flatten to remove air bubbles. Roll into rectangles about 2cm thick. Spread 50 grams of peanut butter over the dough. Fold the bottom third of the rectangle up toward the centre, and the top third down to make a neat square. give the square a quarter turn to the left. Roll out the dough into a long rectangle. Again fold into thirds. Turn again and roll out into a 14x8-inch rectangle.
   
4. Now roll into a log and seal the ends. Slice the roll into 14 equal pieces and place one in each greased muffin tin or paper muffin cup. Cover and let rise 45 minutes until doubled. Brush the top with whole egg wash and bake in a preheated 180C/350F oven for about 20 minutes until golden. Remove and cool on rack.

Soya milk is full of proteins, Vitamin-B and isoflavones. I am talking about REAL SOYA MILK, not those diluted one, or the soya beverages, which probably contain much of sugar. In supermarkets we can easily buy them in powder form, and they are no exception sweet. Street vendors sell just watery soyamilk. Therefore, homemade soya milk starts to gain its popularity.

1. Measure dry soybeans with the included measuring cup, about 55-60 grams. (I use JYDZ-15B soya-maker) Rinse the measured soybeans 2-3 times until water is clear. Discard the damaged beans and cover them with 3-4 times of water. Soak 8-10 hours at room temperature. After soaking, wash soybeans thoroughly with fresh water. Rub the skins off for a more smooth drink.
   用随机搭配的量杯勺出一平杯干黄豆，大约是55克。（我使用的是九阳豆浆机JYDZ-15B）黄豆清洗2-3次直到水清澈即可。挑出坏豆不用。用3-4倍清水，室温浸泡豆子8-12小时。泡好的豆子务必再用清水洗净才可以使用。搓去黄豆皮这样做出来的豆浆更顺滑。
2. Place the soaked soya beans into the cup, and fill with warm water between the water level marks. It is quicker to make soya milk with warm water. Attach the filter to machine head and position machine head onto the cup. Connect power and press the SOYABEAN button to start. The whole process takes 8-10 minutes. Multiple audio beeps with a flashing light indicate the soya milk is ready. It may be consumed immediately. Filter through a colander to yield drink with a less grainy and creamier texture. Enjoy the fresh made soya milk with self-made yau-char-kwai.
   黄豆放入杯内，加入温水至水位线之间。用温水可以缩短制浆时间。拉法尔网装上机头，然后正确放入杯体。通电源，按下全豆豆浆键。制浆过程大约8-10分钟，完成后机器会用声光提示豆浆已好。喜欢口感更细腻顺滑口感的豆浆，可过滤后饮用。搭根自制油炸鬼，蘸着豆浆吃。

Okara or Soya pulp is low in fat, high in fiber, and also contains protein, calcium, iron, and riboflavin. If you make soya-milk by soya-maker
angiesrecipes, then the soya pulp/okara shall be cooked during the process. Or you will need to steam or bake the raw okara for about 20-30 minutes before applying to a recipe.

1. Combine flour, yeast, soya milk and honey in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with dough hook. Knead on lowest speed until a rough dough is formed, about 3 minutes. Add in salt and okara. Increase the speed and knead the dough until smooth and springy, about 8 minutes.
   
2. Lightly oil a mixing bowl and place dough inside. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to proof at room temperature for approx. 1 hour until doubled in bulk. Punch down dough and divide into two or three even pieces. Gently round each piece into a ball. Cover dough closely and let rest about 20 minutes.
3. Press down and shape the dough into a loaf. Or divide the dough into 3 or 4 small even portions. Shape each into a round and place into a loaf pan. Or divide the dough into 2 portions and shape each into a log and place them in a loaf pan. Cover the loaf and set in warm place to rise until doubled in size. Brush the top with egg wash and sprinkle with desired topping, such as oat bran, poppy, caraway or sesame seeds. Bake in a preheated 180C/350F oven for about 35-40 minutes.

1. Clean soybeans by removing dirt and the damaged soybeans. Pour into a large deep pot filled with 1600 millimetres tap water (usually 3 or 4 times of the dry soybean by weight) and leave the soybeans to soak overnight at room temperature. Drain and rinse soaked beans again with tap water. Dehull the beans and the weight should gained twice, i.e. about 800 grams. Bring 2 liters of water to a boil. Add in baking soda, then the dehulled soya beans into the boiling water. Blanch for 8-10 minutes. Drain and rinse with hot water. Grind the blanched soybeans with 3 liters of water (in general, the ratio of water for grinding is 7-10 times of the dry bean by weight) in 2-3 batches into slurry in a blender for 3 minutes at high speed. Filter through a colander lined with cheesecloth to remove soya fiber-okara and to collect about 3 liters of soya milk.
   黄豆洗净，挑出杂质和坏豆。放入一个大且深的锅，加入1600毫升饮用水（通常浸泡水多于豆子重量的3-4倍即可）室温下隔夜浸泡。用清水再冲洗干净，去皮上秤，应该是原豆重量的双倍，也就是800克。大锅入2升水烧开，拌入小苏打，接着加入豆子煮8-10分钟。沥干后用热水清洗干净。把苏打水焯过的豆子和3升水（搅拌的水量一般是干豆子重量的7-10倍）分2-3次用搅拌机高速搅打3分钟成为浓浆状。过滤网铺上薄纱布，过滤出豆浆和豆渣。
   
2. Divide the soya milk into two 3-liter deep pot and set them over medium heat and bring the whole mass to a boil. It will foam up while heating the mixture, skim it off with a ladle. Adjust the heat to low, continue to cook about 10 more minutes. As soya milk cooks, dissolve 15 grams of gypsum-calcium sulfate (the amount of coagulant used is 0.3-0.5% of cooked soymilk by weight) in half cup of warm water.
   把打好的豆浆分到两个3升左右大小的深锅，中火烧开。边煮豆浆，边撇去浮沫。豆浆煮开后，调低火候继续煮约10分钟。这时可以开始准备凝固剂了。15克硫酸钙-石膏（凝固剂用量约是煮好豆浆的0.3-0.5%）和半杯温水调开。
   
3. Turn off the heat, but leave the pots on the glass tops to keep it hot. To be precise, the temperature should reach 95C/200F (with Nigari, the temperature should low down to 75C/160F). At this point, slowly pour in the gypsum solution in a few additions, stirring gently in one direction. Immediately stop stirring as the curd begins to form. Allow the curd to set without disturbing for 10-15 minutes.
   关掉火源，但不要移开锅，使其保持温度。测试后的温度读数应该在95C/200F。（如果使用盐卤的话，温度应该稍微低些，大约在75C/160F）。将调好的石膏凝固剂分次慢慢倒入热豆浆里，朝一个方向轻轻搅拌。豆浆开始凝固时，立即停止点浆及搅拌，静置10-15分钟。
   
4. Now the chunks of forming curds stay at the bottom and yellowish liquid on the top. If there are still some milky areas after adding all the solution, mix additional one teaspoon of powder and two tablespoons of warm water. Gradually add in until no more white particles float. Transfer the curds into a tofu box lined with cheesecloth. Any container that has many small holes to allow residual liquid to drain can serve as a tofu mold. Fold cloth, cover with tofu lid and press with a heavy object, such as a pot of water, and allowed to sit for15 minutes or so. Remove tofu lid, unfold the cloth and remove the tofu. Place tofu in water and chill until needed.
   这时候你会看见豆腐脑和浮在表面类似乳清的浅黄色液体完全分离了。如果加入所有的凝固剂后仍有豆奶，那么再取一小勺石膏和2大勺温水调和。逐量加入直到看不见有漂浮的豆奶即可。将凝固的豆腐脑勺入铺好薄纱布的豆腐模子里。可以用任何带有排水小孔的容器都可以拿来当豆腐模子。翻好纱布盖上盖子后，在上面压上重物（比如一大盆水）静置大约15分钟。打开盖子，掀去纱布后取出豆腐。放入水里入冰箱保存，需要时取出使用。
   
5. When making soya milk from JOYOUNG automaton, follow instructions as per user's manual. Add the soaked soya beans to the cup of the soya maker, then pour in water between the water level marks. Lock the head attached with cylinder in position. Plug in and press the START button. That’s all. Pour all the batches of soya milk into a large pot and simmer for about 10 minutes. Cool down to 95C/200F if using gypsum, and 75C/160F with nigari.
   如果你用的是九阳全自动豆浆机，那么要参照随机配送的使用手册来制作豆浆。分次将泡好的豆子放入杯体中，加水至上下水位线之间，将装好拉法尔网的机头正确放入杯体中，接通电源，按下豆浆健就可以了。豆浆都做好后回锅加温。温度要根据不同的凝固剂来调整。

1. 豆腐切成1寸左右的丁状。青葱洗净切成松仁大小。酱汁材料放到小碗里调匀备用。烧热油锅，入豆腐炸至金黄色出锅，沥干油备用。
   Cut the tofu into inch-cubes. Clean the scallions and cut into pine-nut-sized pieces. Combine together all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Heat up a skillet with oil and fried diced cubes until golden brown. Drain.
   
2. 锅中留半勺油，入泡椒，蒜末和松仁炒香。豆腐回锅，倒入调好的酱汁翻炒至豆腐均匀上色，随即入葱花和盐翻炒兜匀即可出锅。
   Save half spoon of oil in the skillet and add in pickled chillies, minced garlic, and pine nuts. Stir until aromatic. Return the tofu to the skillet and then pour in the prepared sauce. Gently stir until all tofu are coated with the sauce. Sprinkle the chopped scallions over and toss until all ingredients are well-combined and flavours have mingled.

1. Rinse and drain tofu. Cut into the thick slices. Soak black fungus and mushrooms in water for 10 minutes. Squeeze the water out and cut into smaller pieces. Save the soaking water for use in the recipe. Slice the carrot.
   
2. Heat some oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat until hot. Lower the heat and pan-fry tofu slices until golden brown on both sides. Drain on kitchen paper towel. Use little oil left in the skillet to stir-fry garlic and hot bean sauce until aromatic. Add in black fungus, mushrooms, carrot slices, scallion chunks and pickled chillies. Stir briefly.
   
3. Return the tofu and pour in the soaking water, rice wine and light soya sauce. Cook over the medium until tofu slices are evenly coated with sauce and flavours have mingled. Season with chicken bouillon and salt. Thicken with starchy solution and drizzle with sesame oil. Serve hot.

Equipment: box (plastic, wood or bamboo-made) with holes. I used tea leaves filter of my black tea set to make a tube-shaped tofu
, and a colander to make a balloon-shaped tofu
.

1. 黄豆洗干净放入一个稍深的大锅，加入6杯左右的清水。浸泡12-18小时。浸泡期间要换2-3次水。夏季就把浸泡的豆子放在冰箱里。黄豆会很明显涨大，滤掉水份后冲洗一遍。准备个2大深锅，各倒入5杯左右的水放到炉上小火加热。
   Place the soya beans in a large deep pot after rinsing and fill in 3 times of the amount of water, about 6 cups. Soak for about 12-18 hours until soya beans Change the water 2-3 times during the soaking period and in summer keep them in the fridge. Soya beans should become larger after proper soaking. Drain the soy beans and rinse. Prepare 2 large deep pot, each filled with 5 cups of water. Start heating up over the low heat.
   
2. 泡好的黄豆分2-3次放进搅拌机内，加入适量水，没过豆子即可。搅打约3分钟。将其分倒入2个深锅。容量尽量控制在锅一半深度。中火煮滚豆浆，用漏勺拂去表面的泡沫。调低火势，用小火继续煮约15-20分钟。要边搅拌，别糊锅。煮的时候人不要离开厨房，豆浆很容易溢出的。最后你会看见奶一样的豆浆和豆渣分开了。
   Divide the mixture evenly between the two prepared pots you previously. The mixture should not come up higher than halfway up of the pot. Adjust the heat to medium and bring the soya mixture to a boil. Turn the heat lower and continue cooking for about 10 minutes. Don’t leave your kitchen and watch the pot. Soya mixture can boils over easily any minute. Continue to cook this for about 15-20 minutes, stirring frequently. Finally the soya mixture looks kind of grainy as milk has separated from okara.
   
3. 取个带孔木制容器（塑料或不锈钢都可以）铺上纱布。纱布要长些，翻出容器边沿。醋放入一个大盆，加入2大勺水稀释。过滤豆浆到另外一个干净的锅。然后冲入稀释醋里头。注意一定要将豆浆冲入醋里而不是稀释醋倒入豆浆里。一会儿就能看到有类似豆腐脑的凝固体了。将有凝固物豆浆倒入铺好纱布的容器内，翻上纱布包好。压上一个大碗或盖子，让其渗出些水份。重物越重，加压时间越长，豆腐口感就会越结实。
   Line the plastic mold with holes, (bamboo, wood or stainless steel work too) with long cotton muslin. Place the vinegar in another large bowl and dilute with 2 tablespoons of water. Strain the soya liquid into another clean pot. Pour the strained soya liquid into the diluted vinegar. Shortly you would see the soya milk start curdling. Then pour those curds into the prepared molds. Fold the muslin over to cover. Weigh it down with a bowl or lid, so that some water can be pressed out. The heavier the weight, the longer the soya curds are pressed, the firmer tofu have you.