Once the chili peppers and beef were fragrant, the wok was hot enough. She added a suitable amount of water based on the amount of tofu she’d prepared, then put the lid on the pot.
This was a brief intermission in the cooking process. Usually, at this point, Jiang Qiuqiu would open the comnt feed and chat with her fans.
[I feel like the dish could be done right here. I’m not a fan of tofu, but I bet those bits of Bibi Beast at would be amazing stir-fried by themselves!]
[ too—]
"It is really delicious, but today it’s just a side ingredient."
"If any fans really want to try it, you can make it yourselves. When you’re cooking at ho, you can cut the Bibi Beast at into bigger pieces. It’ll taste even better that way."
[Nah, I don’t want to cook. Firing up the stove makes my hands hurt.]
[Actually, now that I think about it, tofu with little bits of at isn’t bad. You get to eat both—]
[You guys give up way too easily! If you want to eat it, can’t you show a little more determination?]
[You have to contribute to the cause of good food! Why back down so quickly?]
Huh! Just as an active voice erged from the usually chill crowd of fans, and soone was about to cheer them on, that person started spamming the chat with their VIP account—
[Juju, look at ! Look at ! I really want to eat diced Bibi Beast at! Forget it for today, but how about stir-frying so Bibi Beast at next ti!]
[Juju, look at ! Make stir-fried Bibi Beast at next ti!]
’Oh, so *that’s* the kind of "contribution" they ant!’
—That’s a cause I can get behind!
— too!
—Sa here!
And so, the comnt feed was instantly flooded with a sea of: [Juju, look at ! Look at ! Forget it for today, but how about stir-frying so Bibi Beast at next ti!]
They filled the screen, and so people even started spamming crying-hysterically sticker packs.
Sa old antics, sa ridiculous vibe.
Jiang Qiuqiu burst out laughing with a "Pfft!" She pointed at the comnt feed, her expression a mix of playfulness and mock seriousness. "Okay, okay, how can you be so fickle? We’re still in the middle of making the tofu!"
As it happened, the water in the pot began to boil. Jiang Qiuqiu imdiately lifted the lid and started adding seasonings. The standard salt and soy sauce were essential. When making Mapo Tofu, Jiang Qiuqiu also liked to add a little sugar, which she found brought out the umami flavor of the at to its fullest.
Once the flavor was adjusted, the square pieces of tofu were tossed into the pot of slightly yellowish broth.
She turned the heat to dium-high, covered the pot, and waited for the magic to happen in the confined space. The tofu’s ’pure white’ body would soon be stained by the flavorful sauce. Nestled beside the at, the absorbent tofu would quickly take on its savory flavor.
BUBBLE BUBBLE. The water ca to a boil again. By now, the Mapo Tofu had beco flavorful.
But to achieve the thick, delicious sauce perfect for pouring over rice, one step was still missing: thickening it with a slurry. Jiang Qiuqiu’s thickening technique involved three stages—first white, then translucent, then thick—and her hands moved in a fluid, continuous sequence.
She didn’t speak during this part, but the stream was anything but dull.
Usually, during long, silent cooking segnts like this, people would leave the stream running in the background, enjoying the aromas while doing other things.
But today, an unusually large number of people were actively comnting.
[Usually, I’d just be slling the aromas while doing my howork right now, but for so reason... I’ve just been silently watching, and now it’s almost ti to plate?]
[Yes, yes, too! For so reason, the stream feels so much more captivating today. What’s going on? Ahhh orz, is it just the novelty because I haven’t watched one of Juju’s streams in a while, or is it because—]
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