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If you like Tofu, you will love this! Recipe Coming Soon
Chou Tofu (a.k.a. Stinky Tofu)
A favorite in Mainland China, Taiwan and various areas throughout Asia, stinky tofu has its ardent fans much as the West loves its hot dogs and sausages. Decades ago, stinky tofu was a military staple for soldiers patrolling China's borders. But as China's night-market culture developed, so did stronger, spicierand more diverse flavors of stinky tofu. Stinky or stinking tofu refers to a plain tofu, which is soaked for about six hours in a briny bath, which has aged for six months. The tofu is then eaten as is, steamed, stir fried, and so forth. The bath is flavored and processed in a fashion, which sounds somewhat like the process for a Korean Kimchee; the salty bath may have cabbage, garlic and chili peppers in the mix before aging. The aging and ingredients give the bath its distinctive odor. In tofu festivals and night-market stinky tofu stands the odor permeates the air.
It can be served in a number of different ways, as fried tofu, steamed tofu, and cold stinky tofu, which is actually quite refreshing similar to, but milder than blue cheese. With its soft and dense texture, it may be served with shredded scallions in a light soy sauce. The raw tofu according to Wu Hsu Pi-ying, owner of Dai's House of Stinky Tofu in Taipei, Taiwan, is the healthiest way to try stinky tofu. "In some places, you really don't want to know how the stinky tofu is made," says Wu "long ago, some used seafood in the mix to ferment the bean curd while others used chemicals.
It can be served in a number of different ways, as fried tofu, steamed tofu, and cold stinky tofu, which is actually quite refreshing similar to, but milder than blue cheese. With its soft and dense texture, it may be served with shredded scallions in a light soy sauce. The raw tofu according to Wu Hsu Pi-ying, owner of Dai's House of Stinky Tofu in Taipei, Taiwan, is the healthiest way to try stinky tofu. "In some places, you really don't want to know how the stinky tofu is made," says Wu "long ago, some used seafood in the mix to ferment the bean curd while others used chemicals.
Today's products are vegetable and herb based, using amaranth, mustard leaf, bamboo shoots and more than 10 kinds of Chinese herbs to ferment the bean curd for six months." Dai's stinky tofu is something of a Taipei legend. Eight years ago, Taiwan's Tsinghua University's bioscience research lab examined a sample of Dai's stinky tofu and discovered more than 15 kinds of active cultures in it, just as in yogurt. "Many of our customers said their stomach problems improved aftereating our tofu. There are even doctors recommending their patients to visit us," says Wu. Fried stinky tofu is the least pungent and therefore more suitable for first-timers. The fried tofu at Dai's has extra-crispy skin and smooth tofu inside.
I ate some Stinky Tofu while in Changsha. The stink was was unbelieveable. Words cannot describe the stink! A little old lady makes the best stinky tofu in Changsha. Everyday, hundreds of people line up in front her house for the "charcoal-like" hunks of stinky tofu she cooks up, using her own secret recipe. It is good. But, I like the stinky tofu I had in Suzhou, prepared by Cheng Li and her fater, better than Changsha stinky tofu. It also stinks less, which is nice on the nose. I'm still looking for that recipe!
The Soy Daily - April 18, 2002
Stinky tofu can be found everywhere in Mainland China and Taiwan. The best places to find them are in night markets. You can easily find the stinky tofu stall by following your nose. The most common type of stinky tofu sold in night markets is the fried stinky tofu with pickled vegetables. A serving usually costs around RMB 5 (US$ 0.60).
Fermentation of stinky brine and production of Chaw-Tofu, is a Chinese
traditional fermented soybean curd in China
Fermentation of stinky brine and production of Chaw-Tofu, is a Chinese
traditional fermented soybean curd in China
JUSTIFICATION
Chaw-Tofu, also known as stinky soybean curd, is a traditional fermented food made from tofu. When the brine medium comprising several vegetables, tofu and shrimp becomes stinky, tofu squares are dipped in it for a few hours before deep-fried or steamed. This gives special odors to and produces a sponge-like structure inside the tofu through the action of microorganisms. Traditionally the stinky brine is produced from natural fermentation which takes more than six months. Moreover, it is easy to be contaminated with pathogens and maggots during the open-type fermentation.
OBJECTIVES:
This study in Taiwan was designed to improve the traditional methods to produce sanitary Chaw-Tofu. The fermenting strains for stinky brine production were screened to shorten the time for fermentation and the process was controlled to avoid undesirable contamination.
METHODS:
Samples of stinky brine produced by traditional methods were collected from different locations in Taiwan. They were transferred to sterilized brine medium and used to screen the microorganisms for production of stinky odors. Chaw-Tofu produced by the stinky brine resulted from inoculation with the selected strains was evaluated for sensory preference.
RESULTS:
The results showed that A2 group was the best for fermenting the brine medium used in this study. Isolates of A2 group were identified by the Microbial Identification System and Bacillus sphaericus and lactic acid bacteria were found dominant. The pH values were increased due to the production of ammonia during the stinky brine fermentation. The optimal percentages of shrimp and tofu in brine medium were 5 % and 30 %, respectively. One-month fermentation time was best for A2 group to produce stinky brine. Tofu immersed in two-fold dilution of stinky brine for eight hours is the best condition for Chaw-Tofu production.
SIGNIFICANCE:
The developed process of stinky brine fermentation can be used for large-scale production of sanitary Chaw-Tofu.