Ingredients
Base
- 500 gdried mung beans
- water
To serve
- jiaoquan, fried dough rings
- shredded pickled mustard root with chilli oil
Directions
- Soak the mung beans for 12 hours, then drain them and grind them with fresh water into a coarse slurry.
- Strain the slurry through muslin. The thick starch that settles out is what mung bean noodles are made from, and the thin cloudy liquid above it is what becomes douzhi.
- Leave the strained liquid at room temperature for 1 to 2 days, until it smells distinctly sour and has separated into layers.
- This is a short lactic ferment of bean water, closer to kvass than to anything aged, and it is genuinely a by-product rather than a purpose-made drink.
- Pour off and discard the clear water sitting on top, keeping the cloudy grey liquid beneath it.
- Heat it slowly in a pan, stirring, until it is just below boiling, and hold it there for 10 minutes.
- Never let it boil hard. It separates into curds and water and cannot be brought back together again.
- Serve it hot in a bowl with fried jiaoquan rings and a small dish of shredded pickled mustard root dressed with chilli oil.
- Be warned that it is an acquired taste even in China. Beijingers treat finishing a bowl as something of a test, and the sourness is closer to that of a well-used cloth than of vinegar.
- It is a by-product of mung-bean noodle making, it reached the Qing court under the Qianlong Emperor, and it remains an old-Beijing breakfast.
Technique
- Serve it very hot. Lukewarm douzhi is considerably harder going than hot douzhi.
- The pickles and the fried rings are not garnishes. They are what make the bowl work at all.
- If it smells putrid rather than sour, throw it away and start again. Sour and sharp is right; anything worse is not.
Substitutions
- Bought douzhi, sold refrigerated in Beijing, which only needs heating.
- There is no substitute for the mung bean. It is the whole flavour.
Variations
- Drunk cold in summer, which some Beijingers prefer.
- With extra chilli oil stirred in.
- Served alongside a bowl of congee for anyone who cannot manage a full bowl.
History
A by-product of mung-bean noodle making, it reached the Qing court under the Qianlong Emperor and became an old-Beijing breakfast with fried jiaoquan rings.
Frequently asked questions
What is Douzhi?
Douzhi is a drink from China: sour grey fermented mung-bean broth, a Beijing breakfast few outsiders finish. A by-product of mung-bean noodle making, it reached the Qing court under the Qianlong Emperor and became an old-Beijing breakfast with fried jiaoquan rings.
How long does Douzhi take to make?
Douzhi takes 20 min plus 12 hr soaking and 2 days fermenting of preparation and 20 min of cooking. The recipe makes 1.5 litres. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Douzhi?
Yes, within limits. Bought douzhi, sold refrigerated in Beijing, which only needs heating. There is no substitute for the mung bean. It is the whole flavour.
What is the most important thing to get right in Douzhi?
This is a short lactic ferment of bean water, closer to kvass than to anything aged, and it is genuinely a by-product rather than a purpose-made drink.
