Does it smell good? Or is it the stench? It is said that stinky tofu is the cheese of Chinese people, this more stinky and more delicious Chinese snacks, although not favored by foreigners, but the Chinese people's heart is the most delicious, whether it is fried, steamed, baked, boiled, come to meet the attack of stinky tofu!

Stinky Tofu Trivia

The Origin of Stinky Tofu:

The origin of Stinky Tofu is actually a 'beautiful accident'. According to legend, during the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, a tofu merchant made a lot of tofu in order to earn more money, but the business was surprisingly poor that day. In order to prevent the tofu from spoiling, he sprinkled it with salt and seasonings out of the blue to prolong the preservation time, and the result was that the fermented tofu smelled incredibly bad but was unexpectedly delicious, and the stinky tofu was then popularized from then on.

Where does the stench come from?

The stink of stinky tofu is mainly due to the flavor produced by the fermentation of soy protein. The traditional practice is to use cheap Chinese cabbage, cabbage, mustard greens, and other vegetables that produce excessive yields, and then ferment the "vegetable stem water", plus tofu dregs that are fermented again to become what is commonly known as the "stinky brine", and then the old tofu, which has a small amount of water, is placed in the brine to break down the vegetable proteins in the tofu, and through the fermentation process, the tofu is fermented. The older the tofu, the less water it contains, is then placed in the brine to break down the plant proteins in the tofu. The longer the tofu is soaked in the brine, the more stinky the tofu becomes. Some people soak it for about three hours and some people even fish it out after the brine, and the way they do it varies from house to house, so the stink varies.

Whether it is fried, steamed, grilled, boiled, etc., the same raw stinky tofu can be used to cook, and there are also black stinky tofu or Chinese stinky tofu on the market, the difference lies in the composition of the stinky brine; Changsha, Hunan Province, China, to observe the local black stinky tofu production process, the brine is fermented with a kind of black fish and snail meat, and so on.

Revealed! Stinky tofu production process

1. Mustard is cheap, universal, year-round, and thick stalks, suitable for making stinky brine as one of the raw materials. Wash the mustard greens, a layer of mustard greens, a layer of salt, and repeat the layering.

2. Cover the salted mustard greens and place them outdoors in the sun for about three to four months, as the salt and sunlight will soften the mustard greens and make them watery.

3. After the fermentation of mustard, add water and mix, and then filter the dregs of the mustard, that is, "vegetable stem water".

4. Pour the water into a clean tank

5. Add the tofu dregs and ferment the two again, which is the key water for making stinky tofu - stinky brine.

6. Put the old tofu in the stinky brine, and let the bacteria in the brine attach to the tofu, destroying and breaking down the protein of the tofu. The soaking time will depend on how much odor you want, and then you can refrigerate it for two days before using it.

How to Eat Stinky Tofu

Taiwanese Fried Stinky Tofu:

Although stinky tofu originated in China, Taiwanese fried stinky tofu just needs one more flavor to go with it, and that's kimchi! Gao Yinghao says the traditional way of eating stinky tofu is to deep fry it, and the sweet and sour kimchi not only removes the greasiness, but also reduces the distinctive stench of stinky tofu in the mouth.

Taiwanese stinky tofu will be the whole piece of raw stinky tofu fried crispy, cut into small pieces, easy to enter, but also some stores will be cut into pieces and then deep-fried, adding crispy taste, or raw stinky tofu directly cut pieces of fried crispy, eaten with sauce, minced garlic, and then with kimchi together with the entrance.

Hong Kong-style fried stinky tofu:

Unlike the Taiwanese way of eating, Hong Kong-style fried stinky tofu is about four centimeters in size, after frying, the stinky tofu will be dug, stuffed with sweet soy sauce or other seasoning; however, after the introduction of Taiwan, the taste has become more diversified, in addition to stuffing sauce, but also stuffed with kimchi, shredded cucumber, nine layers of pagodas, or green onions, etc., it is the Taiwanese way of eating Hong Kong-style fried stinky tofu.

Stinky pot:

Stinky pot is actually stinky tofu hot pot, with stinky tofu as the main character, stinky tofu stewed with Chinese medicine or other recipes to taste, plus soup, with hot pot ingredients, duck blood, large intestine and other ingredients, made into a small hot pot.

Charcoal-grilled stinky tofu:

There are many ways to eat stinky tofu, and charcoal-grilled stinky tofu is a popular way to eat stinky tofu that started on Shinkeng Tofu Street in New Taipei City. Stinky tofu is deep-fried, then grilled over charcoal and dipped in a sauce, and in some cases served with kimchi and cilantro for flavor.

Steamed Stinky Tofu:

Steamed Stinky Tofu is a popular dish in recent years, where the whole piece of raw Stinky Tofu is drizzled with a special marinade and steamed with minced meat, and then sprinkled with garlic, cilantro, or green onions to add flavor.

Spicy Stinky Tofu:

Chinese people love to eat spicy hot pot, so also from the spicy hot pot pot base derived from spicy stinky tofu eating, raw stinky tofu in spicy soup or marinade to cook until the flavor, that is, into a spicy stinky tofu.

Fresh knowledge of stinky tofu

1. How can I tell the difference between good and bad stinky tofu?

After the brine fermentation of stinky tofu, the taste, although stinky, but should be the protein fermentation odor, not pungent or potion flavor, if the latter, may be dyed with chemicals, if the taste is almost stench should not be eaten, it may be the process of production problems.

2. The more stinky the tofu, the better it tastes?

In fact, it varies from person to person, some people have a heavier taste, they think it's stinky enough, and some people don't like the taste of stinky tofu; and the reason why there is a difference in taste, and stinky brine materials, concentration, fermentation time, etc., and as long as the process of making it is appropriate, the degree of odor will not have any impact on the human body.

3. What are the benefits of eating stinky tofu?

The main ingredient in tofu is soybeans, which have a high level of plant-based protein, and when tofu is fermented, the protein is broken down into a variety of amino acids and enzymes, which can promote digestion. However, because stinky tofu is fried at high temperatures or other heavy cooking methods, the calorie content is not low, so it is not better to eat more, and should be in moderation.