Stinky Tofu / Chòudòufu (臭豆腐)

Have you ever tried stinky tofu before? Based on his name, you’ll feel disgusted with his name. You’ll never imagine yourself eating something so stinky. The smell’s is like socks that never got wash for 1 month. Hahaha.. Don’t imagine that. Honestly I never taste stinky tofu before. There so many people love this food, but some of them hate this so bad because of the smells. No matter what the people think of this stinky tofu, you better taste it yourself.

As the name suggests, stinky tofu is a type of snack that is more likely to draw your attention in the streets and slap you in the nose with its foul smell. The stinkier it gets, the better. You will definitely need some courage and encouragement before taking a bite of stinky tofu.

The snack has several accolades to support its “strong odor.” Some of the taglines are: “It smells stinky but tastes fragrant.” “It’s crispy outside but tender inside.” Smelly Tofu is a unique Han Chinese traditional snack that is famous across China and other parts of the world prepared from fermented beans curd. It can be served steamed, braised, deep fried or barbecued. Because of the great diversity in its preparation, the taste, look and feel is different depending on the geographical area.

There is however one thing that is predominant no matter where it is prepared. It is smelly! The intensity of the smell is however different from region to region. The stinky tofu in Changsha, Taiwan, Zhejiang, Shanghai as well as Beijing and Wuhan are pretty popular.

HISTORY OF STINKY TOFU

During the Qing Dynasty, “Wang Zhi He” who was a scholar from Hunag Shan in Anhui Province went to Beijing to study and prepare for examination. He didn’t have money to support his living in Beijing since he came from a poor family.

Fortunately, Wang learnt how to make tofu from his father during his childhood. He rented a small room and bought some tools and began grinding beans to make tofu to sell in the streets.

In summer, sometimes the remaining tofu that were never bought easily turned moldy. Later, Wang didn’t want to throw them away so he cut them into pieces, dried and salted before keeping them in a small cylinder. He subsequently forgot about it.

After several days, he remembered and opened the cylinder only to find fermented gray tofu that bears a rich aroma. He gave it to his neighbors to taste it and he received endless praise.

Wang left school to focus on doing a stinky tofu business. The stinky Tofu gained popularity and was later served as the imperial dishes Qing Dynasty palace. The Empress Cixi later named the delicacy “imperial green cubes.”

IS IT REALLY STINKY?

Oh, yes, it absolutely stinks. Various critics and gourmets have tried to capture the smell in words, such as ‘old socks’, ‘gone off blue cheese’ and – quite simply –‘rotting garbage’. It’s incredibly potent and won’t have you licking your lips.

Even those who enjoy the flavor admit the smell is truly awful and that the attraction is in the taste. There is also a consensus amongst fans that the smellier the tofu, the tastier. Many tofu sellers gain a reputation for producing the smelliest tofu.

HOW DOES IT TASTE?

Thankfully, the taste is far less pungent than the smell, although few first timers are unlikely to be holding out their hand for a second helping. Shorter fermentation times mean some stinky tofu can actually taste a little bland. Spray some soy or chili sauce on top to mask the smell and give it some flavor. 

Like many Cantonese dishes, the texture is important and biting into stinky tofu is similar to biting into soft cheese. It should be golden and crisp on the outside from the deep frying and soft on the inside. It will also be dripping in grease and very, very hot on the inside. And you don't want to eat it cold - if you think the smell is bad hot then just try biting down on cold stinky tofu.

WHY SO STINKY?

To put it lightly, the stinky smell is ordained by fermentation of the bean curd. Digging a little deeper into the chemical composition, this is what happens. The salted bean curd goes through fermentation by the action of bacteria. This breaks down proteins under the process of proteases to produce Amino acids. Sulfur amino acids also contained in the fermented bean curd are fully hydrolyzed to produce a compound called hydrogen sulfide (H2S). This compound has a foul odor of rotten eggs. The Amino acids produced in the process has a “good and fragrant taste” while the hydrogen sulfide gives it the stinky title.

TYPES OF STINKY TOFU

There are different varieties of Smelly tofu, ranging from color, taste, texture and smell. Different areas in China have different ways of preparing the snack and that gives it the distinctive flavor, color and taste.

Changsha Stinky Tofu (Changsha Chou Doufu)

The stinky tofu in Changsha (Hunan Province) is one of the famous brands in China. It is locally referred to as Changsha Chou Doufu (臭豆腐-Chòu dòufu) but some of the natives also call it 臭杆子 (Chòu gānzi).

The color of the smelly tofu in Changsha is dark and it is notoriously known for its strong smell compared to other kinds of tofu in other provinces. One significant thing about it is that, the snack is mostly served with hot pepper. Hunan people are known for their strong love for spicy foods. Unlike other tofu-s from other parts of China, those in Changsha are not crispy. It is usually dipped in pepper soup (if you want it that way) and that makes it soft. It is said that when Chairman Mao was a student in Changsha during his youthful years, the Changsha stinky tofu was his favorite snack. According to locals, one famous saying he made about the snack is that; “It smells stinky but tastes good (fragrant).”

Taiwan Stinky tofu

The Stinky tofu in Taiwan is also known as the “blue cheese of tofu.” There are different varieties ranging from color, taste, texture and of course, the smell. Compared to Changsha tofu which is deep fried, those in Taiwan can be served steamed, braised, deep fried or barbecued.

The color is also different. The deep fried tofu looks golden and tastes crispy. It is mostly served with pickled cabbage, bamboo shoots or salty sauce. Its odor is strong enough to stage an assault on the nose. Shenkeng Laojie (Shenkeng Old Street) in the Shenkeng town at the east of Taipei is well-known for selling varieties of authentic Taiwan tofu.

Other types of Stinky Tofu

Nanjing tofu is divided into two types; soft and dry. The soft tofu is golden brown in color when fried and best served with chili sauce, garlic sesame, ginger, parsley or onion. It is crispy and smells good (but still holds on to the smelly title) compared to the dry type.

The dry type takes a bit longer to fry and it is characterized by little bubbles when ready. Unlike the soft type which is golden brown, the dry type is dark in color and comes with enticing stinky smell. It is crispy and nutty.

Beijing and Shanghai stinky tofu is generally crispy, golden brown and less stinky. They can be served with sauce, pickled cabbage or other vegetables. Mostly, other varieties of smelly tofu from different parts of China are also available in Beijing.

HOW TO MAKE STINKY TOFU?

HOW TO SERVE?

The style of cooking and serving varies by country and region. In Hong Kong, Shanghai, Taiwan and Chinatown’s around the world, it is generally deep fried in vegetable oil and served with chili and soy sauce. Other regional variations include steamed or stewed stinky tofu, sometimes served as part of a larger main dish or in a soup.

Deep fried stinky tofu is considered the classic dish. It’ll usually be served in small cubes skewered together and placed on a plastic plate, sometimes with pickles dumped on top.

HOW PEOPLE REACT? (MUST WATCH!!!)

SOURCES:

http://chinadictionary.net/stinky-tofu-chou-doufu-%E8%87%AD%E8%B1%86%E8%85%90/

http://chinadictionary.net/types-of-stinky-tofu-taiwan-changsha-smelly-tofu

https://www.tripsavvy.com/what-is-stinky-tofu-1536073