Chapter 45: Konjac Flour and Konjac Tofu
Today, Mu Tong planned to make konjac powder and konjac tofu.
Since they had brought back quite a haul from yesterday’s hunt and needed to assist the shaman by recording the steps for making konjac powder and tofu, A Yu and Duo Ji would not be going out hunting or gathering today.
After finishing breakfast, the three of them busied themselves with their tasks.
Mu Tong took out the konjac slices that had been soaking in clean water for several days. She placed them in a stone pot to dry, layering them three or four times. After partially drying, she spread the slices on a large, flat bamboo sieve to air-dry completely. Once fully dried, the konjac could be ground into powder for making tofu.
Of course, these konjac slices wouldn’t dry quickly. After laying out all the sliced and semi-dried konjac, Mu Tong and Duo Ji stepped outside.
Mu Tong intended to find a large piece of granite to carve out a big water basin and craft other bowls and basins. Most importantly, she wanted to make a stone mortar—a pounding and grinding bowl—to crush the dried konjac slices into powder. For the final sifting, she planned to use the finest bamboo sieve from their supplies, which should be suitable for sieving konjac powder.
After finding a suitable granite rock, she carved out two large water basins and several sizable stone mortars. Making more mortars meant several people could grind the konjac powder simultaneously, greatly speeding up the process.
Seeing Mu Tong digging water basins and carving stone mortars, A Yu and Duo Ji enthusiastically joined in. The two brothers were clever and handy, and by watching and learning, they produced water basins and stone mortars that were quite well-made.
Mu Tong also crafted a few stone spoons and stools. Glancing at their simple stone table at home, she couldn’t resist making a new one: an irregular oval stone tabletop resembling a cloud, supported by a smaller stone pillar underneath, surrounded by several irregular oval-shaped stone stools. This set was so artistic it could fetch a good price even in modern times.
Pleased with her handiwork, Mu Tong examined it thoughtfully before waving for the two brothers to help carry it home.
Once they had moved all the newly made stone utensils back to the courtyard, Mu Tong looked at the original stone table there. With a few strokes of her knife, she transformed the ugly stone slab into a small, charming stone tea table, placing it in the grass hut’s living room.
After lunch, Mu Tong checked the konjac slices drying in the yard; they seemed nearly dry. The sun was strong these days, making drying much easier. Judging by the current state, the konjac slices should be ready for grinding into powder by evening.
In the afternoon, the three of them donned grass hats woven by Mu Tong and went out again.
This time, they gathered three large baskets of various wild vegetables and purple rice fruits, along with plenty of vine branches, reed stalks, and some shaved large wooden planks.
Mu Tong planned to make a door with these vine branches, reed stalks, and wooden planks. The current hut had only a grass curtain as a door, which anyone could lift and enter—far too insecure.
Though every night the valley entrance was barricaded with wooden fences and heavy stones, guarded by warriors to prevent wild beasts from entering, Mu Tong still felt uneasy with just a grass curtain as their door. All the huts in the tribe had similar curtains, but she wanted more privacy.
Her greatest fear was that if she and Shen Kai were intimate and someone suddenly came in, it would be unbearably embarrassing.
She began by driving two large wooden stakes into the ground on either side of the entrance, then secured a horizontal crossbeam atop with granite nails to form the doorframe.
For the door itself, she joined several sturdy wooden planks with mortise and tenon joints, assembling a door roughly the size of the frame. She reinforced it with upper and lower frames.
Next, she fixed the door panel to one side of the frame using stone and wooden nails and wooden joints. Inside, she installed a horizontal latch and a vertical bolt. On the outside, she nailed two stone rings for hanging a lock. Thus, a simple wooden door was complete.
This way, during the day they could lock the door with a padlock on the stone rings; at night, they could secure it with the latch and bolt from inside. Whether going out or resting, this was far safer than the usual grass curtain.
Seeing the leftover wooden planks, Mu Tong instructed A Yu to reinforce and raise the fence around the yard. She hung the replaced grass curtain on her bedroom door, greatly enhancing privacy.
After tidying the wild fruits and vegetables, Mu Tong returned to the yard to check on the drying konjac slices. They were nearly dry. She called A Yu and Duo Ji over and brought out the stone mortars they had made, ready to grind the konjac slices.
Grinding the dried konjac into powder required no special skill, just sufficient strength and some technique.
Under Mu Tong’s demonstration, A Yu and Duo Ji quickly grasped the method.
They placed the ground konjac powder into a large stone basin. Mu Tong took out the chosen bamboo sieve and began sifting the powder. The filtered konjac powder was ready for making konjac tofu and other konjac products.
The two brothers had only ground half of the konjac; the rest would be ground later after everyone else arrived, so Mu Tong could demonstrate the process to the group.
With konjac powder ready, Mu Tong began making konjac tofu.
She took a measured amount of powder into a stone basin, added water, and stirred the mixture well before putting it over the fire to cook. She stirred continuously to prevent lumps, cooking it until thickened. After pouring the mixture into a mold and letting it cool, it set into a jelly-like form—konjac tofu was complete.
When eaten, it could be sliced or shredded, then stir-fried, used in hot pot, or cooked with duck—all delicious.
Another way to eat it was as a porridge.
Mu Tong planned to use the konjac tofu that evening to cook braised duck—the two wild duck-like birds A Yu had hunted yesterday. Konjac braised duck was considered a specialty in Mu Tong’s homeland, known for its wonderful flavor.
Seeing Duo Ji eyeing the food hungrily, Mu Tong made some konjac powder paste by mixing it with hot water, creating a texture similar to lotus root starch paste. She sweetened it with honey and fruit juice, producing a large bowl of fragrant and delicious konjac porridge, even better than lotus root paste.
She scooped a bowl with a small stone spoon for Duo Ji and gave the rest to A Yu.
Duo Ji took a spoonful of the konjac porridge, sticking out his tongue in delight: “It’s delicious! Sweet, with a hint of fruity fragrance and a slight tang.”
A Yu smiled broadly and scooped a spoonful to feed Mu Tong. She shook her head but finally took a bite under his insistence, then declared she wouldn’t eat any more. She wasn’t very fond of it before—mainly because there were so many other tasty things—but would eat it occasionally.
Seeing Mu Tong refuse, A Yu silently finished the remaining porridge in just a few spoonfuls.
Mu Tong paid no mind to the two brothers and took out the wild ducks she had prepared yesterday, then started cooking the konjac braised duck.
That evening, as the hunters and gatherers returned to the tribe, everyone gathered in A Yu’s courtyard after dinner. They began learning about the new tools and techniques introduced that day: how to grind stone floors, build wooden doors, craft stone tables and stools; how to make konjac powder and tofu; and how to cook konjac braised duck...
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P.S.: A sieve is a circular household tool woven from bamboo strips, featuring holes that allow small particles to pass through. Items without holes are not called “sieves” but “winnowing baskets” or “baskets.” Some regions refer to them as “round baskets” due to their shape.
A mortar, also written as “dui wo,” is an ancient rice-pounding tool made from wood, stone, or iron. In the Sichuan region and nearby areas, it is commonly called “dui wo.”