Chapter 375: Two Ways to Eat Cahkwe
Ji Yunruo picked up a piece of Cahkwe and began enjoying her breakfast.
The surface of the Cahkwe was golden and crispy. With just a gentle pull, the fluffy stick could be split down the middle into two thinner pieces.
At this point, the entire Cahkwe was coated in a golden hue, except for the cross-section where it had been joined—it revealed a slightly yellowish, soft white interior.
Taking a light bite at one end, Ji Yunruo began chewing slowly.
As her delicate teeth applied just a bit of pressure, the Cahkwe emitted a crisp crack, crispy on the outside, soft and chewy inside.
That chewiness came from the white, fluffy interior of the Cahkwe.
During the frying process, the baking soda within the dough decomposed under heat, releasing carbon dioxide. This gas rapidly expanded the dough—which had already become soft through fermentation—making its inner structure fluffy and airy.
The exterior of the Cahkwe was in direct contact with the hot oil, undergoing a series of frying reactions. It became golden and crispy, filled with a rich aroma. But the interior remained loose and untouched by oil, cooked instead by the hot air trapped in the pores, much like steaming.
So underneath the crispy outer layer, the inside texture was similar to steamed dough.
As the dough firmed up again during chewing, the texture transformed from fluffy to chewy. Paired with the crispy exterior, it created a perfectly balanced and novel mouthfeel.
The slightly alkaline taste unique to Cahkwe also started to surface during the chewing process.
This brings up one of the byproducts of baking soda decomposition:
Sodium carbonate, also known as soda ash.
Soda ash can't be used in large amounts. In cooking, it's only added sparingly. Though slightly bitter on its own, when mixed into dough it can neutralize sourness and enhance flavor and texture.
The two byproducts of heated baking soda—carbon dioxide and soda ash—work in tandem: one makes the dough fluffy, the other improves mouthfeel. That's why many flour-based foods include it.
Just one bite had Ji Yunruo completely immersed in the delicious flavor. She crunched away with "ka-cha ka-cha" sounds, and before she realized it, half the Cahkwe had already disappeared into her belly.
"Ah!" Ji Yunruo suddenly remembered—there was another way to eat Cahkwe.
Luckily, there were still two and a half sticks left on her tray. She could still try that second method: pairing Cahkwe with soy milk.
But first—what did the soy milk taste like?
Soy milk is one of the intermediate products in making tofu. After soaking soybeans and grinding them with water, the resulting liquid is pure soy milk. Tofu is made by adding a coagulant to this milk and pressing out the water.
So, since Douluo Continent already had tofu-making techniques using brine coagulants, soy milk must naturally exist as well. However, drinking soy milk by itself was uncommon.
The reason, as Qi Han had learned from a middle-aged vendor during the gourmet festival, was this:
On the Douluo Continent, soy milk was called dou hu (bean paste), because less water was added during grinding. The result was thicker, more paste-like, and because of differences in soaking and prep, it retained a strong raw beany odor—few people found it palatable to drink directly.
This raw bean odor in soybeans is what's known as dou xing—the "bean smell."
A blanching step could easily remove this odor.
So before grinding soaked soybeans into milk, just boiling them briefly to blanch would eliminate the beany taste completely—ensuring it wouldn't carry into the soy milk.
But on the Douluo Continent, the absence of this one key step left dou hu with an off-putting smell—and thus, it remained unpopular.
This was the first time Ji Yunruo had tasted a drink called soy milk. She first brought the bowl close to her nose, inhaling the rich aroma of soybeans that was completely free of any raw bean smell. Then, she cautiously took a small sip.
The soy milk hadn't been sweetened yet, so it wasn't particularly sweet. But its texture was slightly thick, and the rich soybean flavor filled her mouth and nose the moment it entered. The sensation made Ji Yunruo squint her eyes in enjoyment.
'Mmm… I should add some sugar.'
Although the unsweetened soy milk was already delicious, Ji Yunruo had a preference for sweet foods.
She picked up a small bowl beside her, scooped some snowy-white granulated sugar with a small spoon, and added it into the soy milk. Then, she stirred it slowly with the spoon.
The fine granules of sugar dissolved instantly as they touched the soy milk, disappearing completely. A gentle stir was all it took to mix it evenly—very convenient.
After adding about two spoonfuls, Ji Yunruo picked up the soy milk again and took another small sip.
'Mm! Much sweeter now.'
As the sweetness spread through her mouth and reached her heart, the rich soybean flavor seemed to become even more delicious. Taking another sip, still savoring the taste, Ji Yunruo suddenly remembered—she was supposed to be trying the second way of eating the Cahkwe stick.
She picked up the remaining half of the Cahkwe on her tray, carefully tore it into finger-length pieces, and placed them into the soy milk.
Using a pair of chopsticks, she gently pressed the pieces down, submerging them beneath the surface of the soy milk. Small bubbles began to rise from both ends of the soaked dough.
Silently counting in her heart, Ji Yunruo quickly picked up a soaked piece with her chopsticks and brought it to her mouth.
The eating guide had mentioned not to soak the Cahkwe for too long, or it would fall apart in the soy milk and the texture wouldn't be as good.
As the bubbles rose, the Cahkwe had already absorbed the rich and sweet soy milk. With a gentle bite, the soy milk burst out from the inner layers of the dough, completely overwhelming the Cahkwe's own flavor with an intense soybean aroma that filled her mouth.
After being soaked in the soy milk, the Cahkwe had become much softer. The outer skin was no longer crispy, but had gained a bit of chewiness, offering a new texture. The inner part, originally chewy, had turned tender and almost melted in her mouth. The rich soy flavor, now deeply infused, was further enhanced by the lingering aroma of the dough itself.
So delicious!
Ji Yunruo's eyes widened in delight, and a pair of black cat ears tipped with silver suddenly popped out from the top of her head.
Ugh…
Her face flushed red in an instant.
Even though she'd stayed in Han Shi long enough that her cat ears rarely showed up by accident anymore...
At that moment, it felt as if Ji Yunruo had opened the door to a whole new world. The remaining two Cahkwe didn't stand a chance—she tore them into small pieces and dipped them into the soy milk, savoring every bite.
It was clear that, between the two ways of eating Cahkwe, Ji Yunruo much preferred the second.
With the Cahkwe all gone, there was still some soy milk left in the bowl. Because it had been used to soak the Cahkwe, a few streaks of oil shimmered on the surface under the light. Yet instead of appearing greasy, it made Ji Yunruo feel an even stronger urge to drink it all down.
Rubbing her slightly full belly, Ji Yunruo picked up the bowl and downed the rest of the soy milk in one go, feeling the hint of oiliness melt into the mellow soybean flavor. Meanwhile, the soy milk itself had absorbed some of the dough's aroma, resulting in a delightful fusion of tastes.
"Hic~"
With the last drop gone, a satisfied look spread across Ji Yunruo's face.
What a wonderful breakfast!
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