Flowers in full bloom

Chapter 570: Pickles without Salt

After all, we have no control over this, and we cannot monopolize brick kilns, lumber mills, or anything else.

So, let's just follow our own steps." Hualei thought for a while and said.

Pei Jingyang nodded.

"But, father, will there be any soldiers in your camp who have retired due to age this year? If so, can we recruit some?

After the Ministry of Revenue has measured the fields, the employment will be even tighter. Your horse farm will also need a lot of manpower. Of course, we can also arrange some manpower for our brick kiln and timber workshops in the early stage. "Hua Lei asked again.

"Yes, but not many will stay in Mobei. Many soldiers whose ancestral home is not in Mobei will still return to their hometowns. I will pay attention to it then." Pei Jingyang nodded in agreement.

As they were talking, Rong Jin came back from work. After a few more words, Pei Jingyang left. Hua Lei originally wanted to keep him for dinner before leaving. He just waved his hand, said he wanted to go back to accompany Madam Han, and left.

Hualei and Rongjin ate a meal of porridge made from dogtail grass seeds. It wasn't as delicious as rice porridge, but it was filling. After dinner, Hualei still didn't rest, and took Sister Hehua and others to prepare sauerkraut.

Hualei, who had grown up in the south, had never known that pickled vegetables could be made without salt. When she went to the capital, she bought fish salt to reduce costs.

However, there was no special department in Mobei that sold fish salt, and if she had to buy it from Shangjing City, the cost would increase. So she had been using the pickles sent from Shangjing City during this period.

However, some time ago, when she was patrolling the fields, she happened to chat with a local in Mobei, who said that pickled vegetables could be made without salt and still tasted good.

So she decided to try the method suggested by the commoner. First, boil water in a pot, and when bubbles start to form in the pot, cut the cabbage into four, wash it, and fill the pot with the roots facing down. Boil it for a few breaths, then turn the cabbage over, with the leaves facing down, and continue to blanch it for a few breaths.

Then take it out and put it in a jar. Pour the water used to blanch the cabbage back in, just enough to cover the cabbage, add a little vinegar, and you can eat it the next day. The only advantage of this method is that you don't need to add salt.

The next morning, Hualei touched a piece of sauerkraut and tried it. It was really good, refreshing and crispy. The taste was slightly different from that with salt, but it had a different kind of crispness.

It should be said that this is now a salty pickle soaked in water. Hualei used to make dry pickles that were squeezed dry, and the shelf life is slightly different.

She found that the saying "local climate and soil nurture local people" is really true. As a southerner, she has run a tofu shop for a long time, but has never made frozen tofu.

She heard that frozen tofu and sauerkraut are a perfect match, so she started to learn how to make frozen tofu. To make frozen tofu, you usually have to choose tofu with a rougher texture and a harder texture, which is what people often call old tofu.

The frozen tofu made from this kind of tofu is more likely to have honeycomb inside. If you want to make delicious frozen tofu, choosing good tofu is also crucial.

Cut the tofu into rectangular cubes. Don't cut it too thin. Leave some space for it. Place the cut tofu on the steamer one by one. It's best to place them individually without overlapping.

After the steamer is filled with tofu, turn on high heat and wait for the steam to come up. Then turn to medium heat and continue steaming for about two cups of tea, then turn off the heat and let it cool naturally.

Steaming in this way can effectively remove the beany smell of tofu. In addition, during the steaming process, the high temperature and high humidity environment can make the tofu softer and absorb more water.

Then, with the alternation of hot and cold, honeycombs are more likely to appear in the tofu, making it more elastic and less likely to break. Put the steamed tofu directly outdoors to freeze at night.

Similarly, the tofu cannot overlap during the freezing process to prevent them from freezing together. After freezing overnight, the frozen tofu is almost frozen.

Of course, you can also extend the freezing time appropriately. When the color changes from off-white to beige, it is ready. Collect and seal it for storage. It is very convenient to take it out whenever you want to eat it.

The frozen tofu will have a honeycomb shape in the middle, and the texture will be very chewy. Stewed with sauerkraut and some meat, it tastes really delicious.

Hualei said that she had opened the door to a new world. Hualei arranged her diet very well. However, she did not expect that what happened next would make her feel sad.

That day, Doctor Sun from the Ministry of Justice came to see Hua Lei. In Mobei, all prisoners and captives were under the jurisdiction of Doctor Sun, who worked with the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works.

When the prisoners and captives were reclaiming wasteland and building the prefectures, their two meals a day were borne by the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works respectively. However, their treatment was very poor, with only three black steamed buns and two bowls of porridge with a few grains of clear rice a day.

Coupled with the recent high-intensity work, many prisoners have fallen ill. Although they are prisoners, their crimes are not punishable by death, so sometimes they have to spend some money to buy them a dose of medicine.

Moreover, as a doctor in the Ministry of Justice, he is responsible for the lives of these prisoners. There may be work-related injuries and deaths, but the mortality rate must be controlled within a certain amount.

If a large number of prisoners die in Mobei and the death rate far exceeds the control amount, it will be the responsibility of you as the highest commander in Mobei.

Therefore, as the head of the Ministry of Justice in Mobei, Doctor Sun also had his difficulties. Building the state capital was a must, and reclaiming wasteland and farming were also essential. However, the standard of food was like this.

Even though Doctor Sun had already approached Mr. Li of the Ministry of Works and Minister Zhang of the Ministry of Revenue, and proposed that the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Revenue could also improve the food for the prisoners. They didn't ask for the same food as the common people, but at least they could give them four black steamed buns a day.

However, the two people who usually fight each other said in unison that they could do nothing to help in this matter.

After all, they can only eat three in Shangjing City, so why should it become four when they arrive in Mobei? If the people above find out, it may be easily misinterpreted. They dare not do that.

Moreover, although only one black bun was added, the base number was too large, and the additional cost was also very high. Therefore, both Lord Li and Minister Zhang avoided such thankless tasks.

At most, I would scold them less when they were doing their work during the day, but as for other things, I really couldn’t do it, really couldn’t do it.

Lord Li and Minister Zhang are not from the Ministry of War, so they don't have to consider these things. However, Doctor Sun can't do that. He can't let more prisoners get sick, nor can he turn a blind eye and let the prisoners die of illness or starvation.