After Zhu Yuanzhang ascended the throne, he once used this dish to entertain his fellow Huzhou natives. After eating, they exclaimed that this dish was indeed delicious and brought it back to Huzhou.
Afterward, through various workshops’ improvements over generations, it formed the current characteristic Huzhou dish—Maodoufu."
Upon hearing the waiter’s introduction, everyone was surprised that a small Maodoufu was actually invented by Ming Tai Zu Zhu Yuanzhang.
Of course, it’s hard to say whether such a legend is true or not.
But it is certain that Ming Tai Zu Zhu Yuanzhang was indeed a Huzhou native.
Moreover, Zhu Yuanzhang was indeed a very frugal emperor, having gone from being a beggar monk to an emperor.
So he was very thrifty and understood the hardships of the people, making it reasonable for him to have invented Maodoufu, such a dish.
Listening to the story of Zhu Yuanzhang inventing Maodoufu made everyone even more curious about its taste.
Thus, they all started to taste this special dish with their chopsticks.
The next moment, the group showed expressions of surprise.
"Hmm, delicious, it’s so fresh and tender, it’s amazing!"
"Is this tofu? It’s even tastier than rare delicacies!"
"Although it smells bad, it tastes incredibly fragrant."
Everyone couldn’t help but praise this small Maodoufu.
Lin Yang and Li Xiaopeng were extremely happy while eating, which also made Chen Xinyue beside them a bit intrigued.
"Really? Is this smelly thing that good?"
Lin Yang nodded with a smile: "Absolutely delicious, no question about it."
Seeing his confident expression, Chen Xinyue, who originally couldn’t accept this dish, tried a small piece of Maodoufu with half-belief.
Looking at her cautious expression, Lin Yang and Li Xiaopeng found it amusing.
And after she chewed it a couple of times, her big eyes also brightened up: "Hmm, it is really delicious."
This small Maodoufu is unexpectedly delicious.
After the dishes of Wenzheng bamboo shoots and Huzhou Maodoufu received everyone’s praise, they looked forward to the next dishes even more.
The atmosphere at the table became particularly lively.
Lin Yang and his group were originally traveling around the country to enjoy local food and scenery while competing in fishing.
Now having the opportunity to taste such an authentic Huzhou meal was certainly in line with their tastes.
One by one, characteristic Huzhou dishes were presented on the table, each very delicious, making everyone eat with great enjoyment while not forgetting to compare with each other.
Yue’er most liked the first dish of Wenzheng bamboo shoots, which was extremely tender yet light, and no matter how much you ate, you wouldn’t gain weight.
Lin Yang and Li Xiaopeng, surprisingly, both favored Maodoufu.
From this, it can be seen that both of them have a taste for strong flavors, with similar preferences.
Speaking of similar preferences, one must mention another flagship dish of Huzhou cuisine and one of its most famous dishes.
Stinky Gu fish.
Previously, when Maodoufu was served, Li Xiaopeng guessed from the taste that it was Stinky Gu fish, as Stinky Gu fish is very famous in Huzhou cuisine.
Eating Huzhou cuisine without having Stinky Gu fish? Impossible.
Of course, back when they were in Xiangnan, they also had Stinky Gu fish, but that version was made in the Xiangnan style, essentially mimicking the Huzhou method, but it wasn’t as authentic as the Huzhou preparation.
And as a flagship dish in Huzhou cuisine, Stinky Gu fish was arranged to be served at a significant moment when everyone expected it highly.
The Stinky Gu fish was relatively large, weighing about two to three pounds, which is considered big among Stinky Gu fish.
Moreover, the waiter introduced that it was a wild Stinky Gu fish, which was something that even wealthy people find difficult to buy.
This large and wild fresh Stinky Gu fish gave everyone the pleasure of tasting this delicious flavor.
Speaking of which, how to make Stinky Gu fish, there is a story too.
It’s said that over 200 years ago, fish vendors along the Yangtze River would catch Gu fish during the winter.
When they couldn’t sell them all locally, or because there were too many local Gu fish, the price was naturally low.
To sell at higher prices, the vendors would place the fish in wooden barrels to be sold in the Huzhou mountains.
The journey to Huzhou took seven to eight days, so to prevent the fish from spoiling, the vendors thought of a way.
They layered fish in the barrels, sprinkling them with light saltwater to preserve them.
Using this method, even if it took seven to eight days for the fish to reach Huzhou, they wouldn’t spoil, only emitting a peculiar odor – the stinky smell of stinky salmon.
But after washing off the exterior impurities, the locals would pan-fry this Gu fish in hot oil, simmering it, and then the stench would disappear, turning amazingly fragrant.
Since then, Stinky Gu fish has become a well-known dish in Huzhou, spreading throughout the country.
Therefore, to know authentic Stinky Gu fish, you must pre-ferment it.
Usually, the method now doesn’t use wooden barrels for fermentation. Instead, they use cling film or special fermentation boxes to control it.
The fermentation time can be slightly shorter, but it still needs at least two to three days.
So, to let Lin Yang and the others taste this deliciousness, this fish had been prepared several days in advance.
Such careful preparation for one fish made everyone savor it even more, each taking little bites, showing extremely satisfied expressions.
This wasn’t just for show; it was genuinely delicious.
The fish meat, pickled and fermented, didn’t lose freshness but instead had a unique aroma.