Chinese Cheese

In Shanghai I often didn't wear a watch. It wasn't necessary - in our neighborhood, the old French Concession area, I could tell the time of day by sight, sound, and smell.

Middle-aged and elderly people roaming the sidewalks, hitting their arms with clenched fists and occasionally stopping to rub their backs against tree trunks - 6:30 or 7am. On the street, a sea of bicycles accompanied by the tinkling of thousands of bells - 8am or 5pm (this was back when bikes still ruled Shanghai's roadways). Bicycles again, but this time, suspended from their handle bars, plastic bags sprouting bunches of greens and scallions, mounds of Mandarin oranges or apples, and a lump or two of pork - the 12 noon commute home for lunch. The hiss and spit of hot oil, quickly followed by an enveloping odor reminiscent of my gym clothes after a vigorous workout - 5:30 or 6pm, chou dofu for dinner.

Chou dofu - deep-fried fermented bean curd. When Shanghai was still made up mostly of old, thickly populated neighborhoods of low-rise apartment buildings instead of pockets of anonymous highrises, its repellent pungency permeated the streets before the evening meal. Put off by its odor - described once by Dave as something like a cross between a sweaty jock strap and well-worn tennis shoes - I never took to it. But that doesn't mean I eschew fermented soy bean products in their entirety.

I adore preserved tofu, sometimes called fermented tofu or 'Chinese cheese'. When aged in rice, with wine, in a salt brine, or with chilies, bean curd takes on an unmistakeably cheesy smell and dense, creamy texture. Tasting it side-by-side with a Danish blue cheese, one detects a few superficial similarities: saltiness, nose-pinching pungency, and smooth texture.

Unlike cheese, however, preserved tofu isn't meant to be enjoyed on its own (though I've no doubt there are preserved tofu fans out there who spoon it up plain). It's a flavoring agent, to be used and eaten in small doses with other ingredients. When dabbed onto the end of chopsticks and taken with a spoonful of bland rice porridge, tossed into a stir-fry of green vegetables, or added to a dipping sauce for soy-stewed meat and tofu, Chinese cheese's strong ammonia odor recedes, allowing its intriguing salty, zesty, and - yes - stinky qualities to shine through.

Stir-fried Spinach with Fermented Tofu

A little Chinese cheese adds savor and piquancy to stir-fried greens. Substitute choi sum or kangkung (water spinach; morning glory) for the spinach, and adjust amount of liquid and the final cooking time as needed to attain tenderness for the vegetable.

4 servings, with other dishes

2 lbs. (about 1 kilo) spinach, stems removed if you like, washed and mostly dried

peanut or other vegetable oil

2-3 Tbsp of fermented bean curd (plain or chile-preserved)

2-4 Tbsp Chinese rice wine, dry sherry, or water

ground black pepper and salt to taste

1. Heat a wok over a high flame and add the oil, swirling to coat the pan.

2. Add the bean curd, breaking it up into small pieces with the back of a spatula or spoon, and stir-fry a minute or two.

3. Add spinach and stir-fry a couple of minutes, then add liquid, lower the heat to medium, and braise till tender. Taste for salt, add ground black pepper if you wish, and serve hot.

Hot and Sour Fermented Bean Curd Dipping Sauce

Adapted from Ken Hom's Fragrant Harbor Taste. Nice eaten with with sweetish soy-braised tofu or pork, or other meat, or just mixed with plain steamed rice.

1-2 servings (it goes a long way)

3 cubes plain fermented bean curd

zest from half a lemon or 1 very finely shredded kaffir lime leaf, or a combination of the two

1 tsp lime or lemon juice

4 fresh red chile peppers - choose your chile according to your heat tolerance - seeded or not, finely chopped

1 Tbsp peanut oil

1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil

1. Mix all of the ingredients except the oils in a small dish.

2. Heat the oils together until smoking, then pour over the condiments. Serve immediately.

Comments

[bayi]

Just add a piece of fermented beancurd into a bowl of plain porridge and I am in Cloud 9!

[Bee]

What a coincidence! I published a review today and was talking about this fermented beancurd cheese flavored bun I had in a Penang restaurant--very rare combination but tastes absolutely great. The next time you guys are up there, maybe you can check it out. :)

http://www.rasamalaysia.com/2006/09/little-piece-of-shanghai-in-penang_28.html

[SYL]

Your post about chou dofu (literally translated as "stinky tofu") and fermented bean curd got me nostalgic! The smell and the crunchy exterior/soft interior the chou dofu, coupled with the red chile sauce and the sweet/sour cabbage condiment... so delicious, despite the smell! Personally, fermented bean curd is interesting but not as delicious as the stinky tofu!

[Chubbypanda]

Excellent. As follow preserved tofu fan, I crazy about the stuff. Thanks for the killer recipes. I can't wait to get home and break out the wok to try them.

- CP

[Robyn]

bayi - yes, that or preserved egg in congee -
yum!

Thanks Bee - will check it out for novelty factor alone.

SYL - I do feel a bit of a failure for never taking to chou dofu. Next time I'm in Shanghai will give it another try.

CP - good luck in the kitchen!

[Suzanne]

I was blogging today about things I don't like and your winsome article has me thinking twice...

[Burton Dale]

Ho's Trading Company puts out a most respectable Shanghai bean curd in brine. It comes in 500 gram contents in grey stone jars. It remind's me of my amah, Mai Ling, who back in 1930's before the Japanese invasion used to make a dish with presurved
doufu and congee when I was ill. It was a wonderful dish. Thank you for your bringing back such pleasant memory.

[Burton Dale]

Thank you for bringing back pleasant memory of my amah, Mai Ling, who made me fermented doufu and congee back in the early 1930's before the Japanese invaded Tiensing in 1936. It was truly a wonderful dish prepared by a wonderful person.

[Skip]

I bought some 'soy cheese' at my local asian market and tried a bit before reading this website...big mistake! I'm afraid I may never outlive the memory of that vile flavor! If it's every to be used as a condiment in my vicinity, it will certainly have to be without my knowledge!

[Michel Petit]

A personal message to Skip : if you don't like fermented taufu, why don't you try the durian fruit ? ;o)

[Niki Prachensky, [email protected]]

WE FOUND it in the market in Kyange Toung - but later saw that the descendants of the KMT Chinese produce it Chiang Mai - of a sensational soft consistence, spreadable like butter - try it on toasted rye - better than any cheese spread i have ever had, we always have a jar at home, from what i have heared its abundant in vitamin B12 - chinese Marmite/Vegemite..;-)!!

[Peter Gonsalves]

I grew up eating this with rice and veg. My mother (not chinese) born in Shanghai and Father (not chinese) in Macau. My mother use to spread it on toast when she was pregnant. I want to know how to make it..any recipe?

[beteltree]

@Peter Gonsalves Just ran into this post so I'm responding to your query several years late. Regarding making preserved bean curd, this is the only instruction I have been able to find: http://about-chinesefood.com/cookbook/homemade-flavored-fermented-bean-curd-1464/ The English is quite confusing but you can probably approximate a recipe from it. Good luck!