I Came, I Ate, I Conquered

My, how times - or my taste buds - have changed.

When I lived in Shanghai the scent of chou dofu (fermented - some would say 'rotten' - bean curd) frying in oil sent me running for cover. That was more than ten years ago. In the interim I've developed a taste for durian (as long as it's Malaysian or Balinese durian), innards, and Thai bplaa raa.

So I landed in Taipei eager to revisit this stinky Chinese specialty. I didn't have to look far. It's sold everywhere. And you can smell it a mile away.

This version was dished up by a streetside vendor at the mouth of Taipei's historic Dihua Street. Its scent was characteristically foul - I'm willing to go with the usual 'old gym shoes' descriptive, multiplied dozens of times and supplemented with a slightly stomach-churning cheesiness - but the set-up was so pretty I couldn't resist.

Verdict? Chou dofu tastes nothing like it smells. There's an initial rush of funkiness, no stronger than that of roquefort cheese, but it fades quickly. And then you're left with just the bean curd's fabulous texture: crackly from the fryer but almost grease-free outside, spongy-chewy within. The dofu is served in a pool of soy sauce and rice wine vinegar augmented with shredded garlic and ginger and accompanied by a mound of pao cai (sharp, lightly salted pickled cabbage and carrots), sliced cucumbers, and a dab of extremely spicy chili sauce.

A mouthful of dofu, a bite of cabbage, a nibble on a slice of cucumber - as tasty a Chinese snack as you could imagine. The heat balances the ever so slight funk. As I was eating, thanking whatever or whomever for endowing me with the ability to appreciate the dish's merits, I couldn't help but wonder what the best version in the city tastes like.

The only downside: linger at a chou dofu stall and your clothes will smell like it for the rest of the day. And there's no denying it - the stuff smells baaaad. Nothing like it tastes.

Chou dofu stall, corner of Dihau Jie and Nanjing Xi Lu, morning to late afternoon.

Comments

[Jaden, SteamyKitchen]

oh i lovelovelove stinkylicious tofu! everytime I go visit parents in Los Angeles, we head straight for the chou dou fu stand near their house.

I actually considered trying to make this dish...but I think my very strict homeowner's association would vote me off the "island"

[Lina]

This looks/sounds amazing. That said, I'd probably be willing to eat my shoe if you wrote about it and said it would be delicious. :)

[Anne]

Taiwan has the best chou dofu for dang sure!

[550ml jar of faith]

Oh yes! I refrained from chou do fu for a good part of my sheltered life, before realizing in my wise old age that just because it smells bad doesn't mean it can't taste out of this world! Awesome blog btw!

[Moya]

I loved this the first time I tried it in Hong Kong after relatives had been warning me about it for years, yep, the smell is bad but once you get past that, the combination of flavours and textures is such a treat. Anyone who can eat a really smelly french cheese shouldn't have any problems with stinky tofu!

[meemalee]

Rather you than me, Robyn :)

[Green]

Love the bean curd too!. One of my favorite recipe is to fry the bean curd and eat with sweet and sour source with the grind peanut and cilantro.

Thank you for sharing.

-Green
www.ahacook.com

[Rasa Malaysia]

I still haven't gotten past the smell and have never tried, nor do I have the desire to try in the near future, yet. I went to Shilin night market and left the hawker center as soon as I stepped in. LOL.

[vincent]

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[kirbie]

I love stink tofu. Probably by far my favorite item to eat when I'm in Taiwan. There is a great stand in the Tong Hua night market. I don't know exactly where it is though, but my aunt always buys some from there and told us it is pretty famous. I have definitely tasted the difference.

[bayi]

I believe you have graduated. You are as Chinese as anyone of Chinese descent. :)

[joanh]

great post.. love the description..

[Robyn]

Jaden - I've heard of Southeast Asian Americans being hassled for frying shrimp paste. Urban legend? BTW - if you're really on an island I'm coming to visit ... and staying at your place!

Lina - thanks for the compliment. Pass me your shoe the next time you're in KL. I'll hand it off to my favorite stir-fry vendor and we'll see how it goes from there.
:-)

Anne - hmmm. Maybe that's why I liked it here and not in Shanghai?

550ml jar - thanks for the compliment. I like to think I grew into chou dofu. The same way I 'grew' into roquefort cheese.

Moya - I agree (about a stinky French cheese).

Meemalee - oh, c'mon. You eat shrimp paste, don't you?

Green - you're welcome. And that sounds delicious.

Rasa - try it the next time you're in Taipei - I bet you'd like it!

Vincent - thanks for the heads up. I'll check petit chef out.

kirbie - you and me both. I'll have to be sure to get another dose or three before I leave Taiwan.

bayi - maybe ... but I'm still not eating pig brains. So maybe not. :-)

joanh - thanks!

[Didipaterno]

I first got to taste the infamous "stinky tofu" a few months back in atlanta. I'm ashamed I never got the chance to try this in my time in SEAsia (from the Philippines and Taiwan is just so close :D). And I did not find it as stinky as the hype presented. Or maybe I'm just used to these smells? :)

And in Dubai, Filipinos were infamous in apartment buildings for cooking shrimp paste and dried fish, which perfumed the entire building :) Maybe we SEAsians carry the same reputation here in North America?

[Robyn]

Didi I do think there is something to the fact that SE Asians are used to ingredients that might be described as "stinky" by others. I certainly think that had I tried chou dofu in 1990 I would have gagged. I didn't even like the smell of it in Shanghai in the late 90s. I think living in SE Asia and getting used to these flavors and smells (durian too) "normalized" them for me. Stinky tofu was just something to try, not something to overcome.
And yes --- the flavour is NOTHING like the smell! The smell is a bad advertisement. :)
Thanks for reading.

[Linda Esposito]

Hi Robyn
How are you? I am now with an organic tofu company in the Bay Area and having lots of fun. I just shared your FB link on Hodo Soy's page. I still remember the stench of "chow dou fu" at the entrance to the Admiralty station in HK and finally got the guts to try it during a midnight run to a 24 hr houseware store in Tainan with my sister, and stopped to try it. It certainly taste better than it smells!

[Robyn]

Linda, so you're with Hodo? I'd love to visit them when we're back. And I saw the link on their page. Thanks for the share!

[Didipaterno]

@Robyn: After so many years, the durian smell still makes me gag. My mama grew up in the province where it is most popular (Davao) and relatives often bring her a couple of kilos. It smells like puke! But for my parents it smells like heaven. Hehehe!

[Robyn]

Smell is so subjective, Didi (like taste, obvs). I'm trying to think of a food smell that makes me sick to my stomach. Can't come up with one.