May 24, 2023 08:58:56
Source: Heilongjiang Daily
Author: Zhang Haiying, Cui Lidong, Ding Yan
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□Text/photo by our reporter Zhang Haiying, Cui Lidong, Ding Yan
Bean soaking, grinding, congealing, squeezing water… The world‘s top mineral water meets local mineral soybeans. After the traditional craftsmanship, a unique delicacy-mineral tofu was born.
Fresh, tender and smooth, the reason why Wudalianchi mineral spring tofu is so popular is that mineral water and mineral spring soybeans are the foundation of deliciousness and nutrition.
There is a poem that goes: “A small road is nostalgia, a wisp of smoke is nostalgia…” For wanderers in Wudalianchi, a piece of tofu is nostalgia.
“A piece of tofu is so delicious that you will not be afraid of it anywhere.” This is the business philosophy of a food company in Wudalianchi Scenic Area.
Behind the simple concept is the superiority of high-quality Wudalianchi mineral spring resources as the basis and confidence, and it contains the belief and expectation of Wudalianchi mineral spring gourmet specialties.
The ingenuity and delicacy of mineral spring tofu
The water tofu is tender and smooth, while the dry tofu is chewy, and it tastes full of beans. This is Li Ermang, chairman of Li Ermang Mineral Puree Food Co., Ltd. in Wudalianchi Scenic Area,’s evaluation of his own products, and it is also the standard answer to “why are soy products from Wudalianchi mineral springs delicious”.
“A piece of tofu is so delicious that you don’t have to be afraid of going anywhere” was put forward by Li Ermang. Li Ermang Company was established in 2014 and is located in Longquan Village, Wudalianchi Scenic Area. It produces more than ten types of bean products, mainly frozen tofu with mineral spring puree and freeze-dried mineral spring tofu, especially frozen tofu with mineral spring puree, with an annual output of 1,500 tons. accounted for more than half of the total output.
Although mineral spring puree frozen tofu is made by freezing fresh tofu with mineral spring puree, it is by no means frozen. Mineral puree fresh tofu is rich in a variety of minerals and trace elements. In order to prevent the loss of nutrients and ensure the taste, Li Ermang built 16 new quick-freezing refrigerators. The “handling” is just right, which not only ensures the original taste and taste, but also allows the minerals and trace elements to be retained to the maximum extent.
Li Ermang’s frozen tofu has neither dregs nor astringency, and it will not disperse after a long time of cooking. This kind of quality and taste has won the favor of many diners and restaurant owners.
All of his soybean products are exported, and he has established 18 sales offices in 18 provinces across the country, covering more than 10,000 hot pot restaurants in more than 400 cities.
Mineral spring tofu goes to the world
In the early morning, two tons of Li Ermang brand mineral spring frozen tofu were shipped from Qingdao Port, making a “first visit” to Georgia.
Georgia is the fifth foreign market opened by Li Ermang.
Since April 2017, Li Ermang Mineral Spring Frozen Tofu has been placed on the tables of residents of the United States, Australia, South Korea, Canada and other countries. About 150 tons of mineral spring frozen tofu are exported abroad across the ocean every year.
Mineral spring frozen tofu has doubled its value after 38 days of sea voyage and landed in the port of Los Angeles. In American supermarkets, a 400-gram bag of frozen tofu sells for $4, and a bag of 400 grams of mineral spring freeze-dried tofu sells for $10.
In November 2022, Li Ermang obtained the export record certificate of mineral spring puree frozen tofu, which means that Wudalianchi mineral spring soy products have a passport to the world.
An authentic mineral tofu needs to go through multiple processes such as chopping beans, soaking beans, refining, squeezing, boiling, congealing, and squeezing water. Under the meticulous process, the ingenuity of the craftsman is everywhere.
“Three parts are handcrafted and seven parts are water.” Li Ermang said that tofu making skills are of course important. Without the blessing of Wudalianchi mineral water, Wudalianchi tofu would be “tofu tied with a horse’s tail—it can’t be lifted.” It is the Wudalianchi mineral water that made him and all the artisans who make mineral tofu perfect.
Innovation and Inheritance of Tofu “Three Character Classics”
While inheriting the tradition, the production techniques of Wudalianchi mineral spring bean products are also advancing with the times and constantly innovating.
It is the common goal of all people in the industry to make mineral soy products more varied and more delicious.
In the bean product industry in Wudalianchi City, there are still many people working hard like Li Ermang. The most famous one is “King Donkey” tofu.
In the late 1980s, Wang Wentang, who drove a donkey cart through the streets to sell his own tofu, made Wudalianchi mineral spring tofu famous. Lao Wang has high craftsmanship, good tofu, honest and open-minded, and is deeply loved by the people.
In 2008, Wang Wentang died of illness, leaving behind the “three-character scripture” for making tofu: select bean extract, wash the bean, soak the bean accurately, change the water frequently, grind the bean evenly, cook the bean slowly, filter the water finely, rinse the water quickly, and order the pulp steadily.
His son Wang Rongsheng inherited his father’s business and carried forward the tofu “industry” left by his father. In more than ten years, it has opened a bean product processing factory, three tofu gourmet stores, and a tofu specialty store. Its “Donkey Cart” bean product trademark has become a well-known trademark in Heilongjiang Province.
Wang Maolu Tofu Gourmet Restaurant has made tofu dishes to the extreme. His “Mineral Spring Tofu Banquet” has more than 100 dishes, which are widely loved by diners. Catering to the trend of light food and snack food, Wang Rongsheng’s various flavors of vegetarian meat and mineral spring tofu have become Internet celebrity products. The tofu gourmet shop has also won the titles of “China’s Rural Tourism Gold Medal Farmhouse” and “China’s Rural Tourism Model Household”, and “Wang Donkey” has become an online celebrity check-in place for tourists.
Recently, Wang Rongsheng applied for the municipal-level intangible cultural heritage project of Heihe City with traditional skills of mineral spring tofu.
The “mineral spring” industry is booming
Compared with “Li Ermang” and “Wang Donkey”, Wang Xiudong’s name cannot tell a story, nor can he imagine his legend, but he did create a legend.
Abandoning traditional concepts and techniques, after three years of technological research, Wang Xiudong, general manager of Mingshan Bean Products Company in Wudalianchi Scenic Area, has innovatively developed a series of soybean bean kernel foods, which can “reduce one thing and reduce one thing” without “ordering tofu with brine”.
The processing of traditional soybean products must rely on brine, but Wang Xiudong does not use it. The new technology he developed uses the bean kernels of peeled soybeans as raw materials, innovatively uses patented technology, and does not need refining and cooking in processing and production. The soy products produced by it have good taste and strong toughness, and the nutritional content of soybeans will not be lost during the production process. It subverts people’s traditional perception of tofu and is a new type of soy product.
At present, Wang Xiudong’s “Shanquan” brand series of mineral spring bean kernel food, bean kernel oil, new bean curd sticks, bean kernel soy milk special beans, fungus kernel vegetarian noodles and other new soy products have been launched on the market. This year, the production plan is 3,000 tons. The target market is group meals , chain catering, distribution industry and international market.
Relying on the “Mineral Spring Tofu” signboard, under the leadership of leading enterprises, the scale of the bean product industry in Wudalianchi City is growing continuously. The number of enterprises has grown to more than 30, and there are nearly 100 individual tofu workshops and business households. The total annual output of bean products is nearly 10,000 tons. Wudalianchi Mineral Spring Tofu was rated as “Chinese Specialty Food” and obtained the national green product label certification.
On the basis of actively consolidating the development achievements of Wudalianchi mineral water and “mineral tofu”, Wudalianchi City and Wudalianchi Scenic Area also actively support the development of other “mineral spring” brand industries, and strive to make the “mineral spring” brand industry bigger and stronger. A batch of “mineral spring” brand products such as mineral fish, mineral spring duck eggs, mineral spring vinegar, mineral spring wine, and mineral spring cosmetics emerged at the historic moment, and the industry developed vigorously.
After years of hard work, Wudalianchi mineral water, Wudalianchi soybeans, and Wudalianchi mineral fish have successively obtained national geographical indication product certification.
At present, the annual output value of Wudalianchi mineral spring specialty products has reached more than 400 million yuan, and a new path has been developed to promote farmers’ production and income and boost rural revitalization through mineral spring characteristic industries.
①Tender and smooth water tofu.
②Li Ermang (left) leads a shift in the production workshop.
③ Wudalianchi Soybean
④ A corner of the “Wang Donkey” mineral spring tofu gourmet shop.