Chapter 42 Sprouting Soybeans

Wang Xiaozhi and the others proved with their hearty appetites that Xie Waniniang was definitely not exaggerating.

Wang Xiaozhi even learned a few tricks from Xie Waniniang, who kept nothing to herself, and her cooking skills improved vastly in just a few days.

Of course, that is a story for another day.

Right now, the three of them, having finished salting the mustard greens, were busy tending to the remaining chili peppers, cucumbers, celery, and green beans in the vegetable garden.

They planned to pickle these as well. The chili peppers, cucumbers, and celery, which could be eaten raw, along with the carrots they had set aside earlier, would all be pickled together in one jar. The green beans, which needed to be stir-fried before eating, would be pickled separately in another jar.

Xie Waniniang also intended to pickle the white radishes by themselves. Since she personally preferred dried radish, she wanted to fill an entire jar with just that.

When these tasks came to a temporary pause, the Chinese cabbage that Xie Waniniang planned to use for making sauerkraut had dried in the sun for long enough, so the three of them began the process of pickling the Chinese cabbage.

They washed the sun-dried Chinese cabbage thoroughly with clean water to remove surface dust and impurities, and then drained the water.

At the bottom of a large, clean, and dry earthenware vat, they sprinkled a thin layer of coarse salt, then placed a layer of cabbage, and evenly sprinkled another layer of salt over the cabbage.

Repeating this process—a layer of cabbage followed by a layer of salt—they filled the vat until all the cabbage was inside, finishing with a thicker layer of salt sprinkled right on top.

After adding the salt, they poured an appropriate amount of clean water into the vat, just enough to submerge the cabbage completely.

To prevent the cabbage from spoiling due to contact with the air, they used a clean, appropriately sized stone slab—washed and dried beforehand—to weigh the cabbage down firmly, keeping it submerged beneath the water's surface.

Finally, they covered the vat, which sat in a corner of the kitchen, with a pre-prepared woven lid, leaving it to ferment.

In the early stages of fermentation, some bubbles would form in the vat, which was completely normal.

As time passed, the cabbage would gradually soften, and its color would slowly darken.

After twenty-some days, when the sauerkraut turned a yellowish-green and a distinct sour aroma could be detected, it would be ready to eat.

Stewed sauerkraut with pork belly, stewed spareribs, stewed (or frozen) tofu—these were absolute delicacies. And then there were vermicelli noodles! Whenever potatoes and sweet potatoes became available, she would definitely make a batch of homemade vermicelli right away and enjoy them in every possible way!

Xie Waniniang thought to herself with a fierce longing, her mouth watering involuntarily.

Wang Xiaozhi had rarely seen Xie Waniniang crave anything so intensely. She smiled and patted Xie Waniniang’s shoulder, "Don't rush; it will be ready to eat in a little over twenty days."

The large vat they used for making sauerkraut had a huge capacity. Even if Xie Waniniang ate it every single day, the batch of pickled cabbage would be enough to last her until early spring next year.

Not to mention that Xie Waniniang was a young woman who believed in culinary variety. Wang Xiaozhi was certain she wouldn't eat sauerkraut every single day.

Between the dried vegetables, mushrooms, various pickles, and the winter storage vegetables sitting in the cellar, Wang Xiaozhi trusted that she would whip up all sorts of creative and delicious dishes.

Looking up at the sky and seeing that it was not yet noon, Wang Xiaozhi decided not to stay for lunch. She smiled and brushed off her clothes, "The work is done, so I'll be heading back first."

Xie Waniniang pulled her back, "Stay for lunch before you go. I made fish balls specially last night, let's have fish ball soup for lunch."

Wang Xiaozhi shook her head, "It's still quite early."

Xie Waniniang smiled, "Then let me teach you how to sprout mung beans. Many people love eating bean sprouts in winter."

Wang Xiaozhi was taken aback.

Xie Waniniang explained, "You can let people trade for them with beans. A pound of new soybeans can yield about seven or eight pounds of bean sprouts. If you trade them at a ratio of one to five, and weigh the portions a bit generously, anyone who doesn't know how to sprout beans, isn't good at it, or finds doing it too troublesome would probably be willing to trade, right?"

To put it simply, the business of sprouting beans required no startup capital and little technical skill; it was merely trading the cost of time for a modest bit of hard-earned money.

Moreover, Xie Waniniang didn't suggest that Wang Xiaozhi sell the bean sprouts for cash, but rather suggested having the villagers trade soybeans for them.

Although soybeans could also be sold for money, parting with grain versus parting with actual cash elicited a very different kind of heartache for aunts and matrons who hated to spend a single penny more than necessary.

She pulled Wang Xiaozhi over to get the soybeans, "Come, come, let's try sprouting a batch right now."

She had done this countless times back at the Xie household. To put it without exaggeration, as long as she didn't keep both eyes closed, she could definitely grow perfect bean sprouts.

"Xiaoyang, come too. From now on, all the bean sprouts in our family will be your responsibility."

Upon hearing this, Xiaoyang’s small face bloomed with a bright, joyful smile, "Alright!"

She loved helping Xie Waniniang with work, especially tasks she had never done before. Every time she learned something new, the little girl would beam with happiness for half the day.

Xie Waniniang noticed this, so whenever there was a task within Xiaoyang’s capability, she was more than happy to teach her how to do it.

After all, whether Xiaoyang would choose to do such things in the future was entirely up to her, but learning a few extra survival skills could never hurt.

Scooping out about two pounds of soybeans, they removed impurities and damaged beans, keeping only the plump, unblemished, and insect-free fresh soybeans before rinsing them thoroughly with clean water.

They found an appropriately sized, clean, oil-free wooden basin that had been scalded with hot water, laid a layer of breathable coarse cloth at the bottom, and placed the selected soybeans inside.

They added an appropriate amount of clean water to the basin, just enough to submerge the beans. Then, they covered the wooden basin with a clean, damp cloth to maintain internal humidity and hygiene.

Beans generally needed to be soaked for 8 to 12 hours—shorter in the summer and appropriately extended in the winter.

When the beans had absorbed enough water, swelled in size, and their skins cracked slightly, it meant the soaking was complete. The water could then be drained to begin sprouting.

They covered the beans again with a damp cloth to keep them moist, and placed the wooden basin in a warm, dark place for sprouting.

During the sprouting process, the temperature was best controlled between 20°C and 25°C. For an ordinary family like theirs, which couldn't afford heated floor flues or warming walls, the only place capable of maintaining this was the head of their brick kang beds.

Throughout the sprouting process, the damp cloth had to be lifted every day to rinse the beans with clean water 2 to 3 times, after which the water was drained and the damp cloth put back in place.

The purpose of rinsing was to maintain the moisture of the beans while carrying away the heat and metabolic waste generated by their respiration, preventing the sprouts from rotting.

After 2 to 3 days of this, the bean sprouts would emerge one after another. At this stage, it was necessary to continue maintaining the proper temperature and humidity while closely observing the growth of the sprouts.

When the bean sprouts reached a certain length (generally 3 to 5 centimeters for soybean sprouts and 5 to 8 centimeters for mung bean sprouts), they could be sold or cooked for family consumption.

Fearing that Wang Xiaozhi might forget the subsequent steps, Xie Waniniang specially fetched a piece of paper and, using a simple charcoal pencil she had made herself, wrote down all the key points on a small slip of paper.

"There aren't really many secrets to sprouting beans. Just don't use stale soybeans, don't be perfunctory or lazy, ensure the environment is warm, humid, and dark, keep the utensils clean and oil-free, use fresh, clean water that isn't too ice-cold, and don't let the sprouts grow too long."

Talking in centimeters to Wang Xiaozhi clearly wasn't quite appropriate, so Xie Waniniang told her that soybean sprouts should grow to about the length of a thumb, and mung bean sprouts to about the length of an index finger.