Tofu Pudding Broth

How To Make

Soak the soybeans in cold water until they swell, taking care to preserve their color (generally about 2 hours in summer and about 6 hours in winter). After rinsing, add cold water and grind into a thin paste—the finer the better. Once ground, add more cold water and stir well. Strain through a fine sieve. Place all the strained soybean pulp in a bucket, mix with an appropriate amount of cold water, and stir, then strain again.Repeat this process several times until the soy pulp no longer sticks to your hands. Pour the slurry into a pot, bring it to a boil over high heat, then pour it into a porcelain bucket and skim off any foam.Place the gypsum powder in another bowl, mix it with warm water until smooth, and pour it into the soy milk. Stir with a wooden stick as you pour to ensure the soy milk and gypsum solution are thoroughly combined. Let it sit for 5 minutes, then skim off the foam floating on top; the set mass at the bottom is the tofu pudding. Cut the lean, tender lamb crosswise into slices 1.5 centimeters long and 0.3 centimeters thick.Soak the button mushrooms in warm water for 5 hours, then rinse, blanch, drain, toss with a pinch of salt, and dice into small cubes. Bring the soaking water and the rinsing water to a boil over high heat; once sediment settles, skim off any impurities floating on the surface. Peel and rinse the garlic, then crush it with salt to make a garlic paste. Mix dry starch with cold water to make a thickening slurry.Fill a pot with cold water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the lamb slices. Just before the water returns to a boil, pour in the soy sauce, minced garlic, oyster mushroom broth, salt, and MSG. When it comes back to a boil, slowly pour the thickening mixture into the pot while stirring continuously. Bring to a boil again to complete the braising sauce.Pour the prepared braising sauce into a warm porcelain bowl, add the tofu pudding, and sprinkle diced oyster mushrooms on top. Drizzle with chili oil to taste. Heat a wok over high heat, add sesame oil, and heat until it reaches 80% heat. Add Sichuan peppercorns and fry until charred; while still hot, pour the oil over the diced oyster mushrooms and toss with the braising sauce to combine.