What is the receipe for stinky tofu? it's a popular Taiwanese dish?

Answer 1

I have had several requests for instructions on how to make stinky tofu. This is an unknown topic- because the brine has to age six months and its smell is so strong, stinky tofu is not fermented at home. Here is a recipe for an unfermented but garlicky Korean dish, "Smelly Spicy Korean Tofu a.k.a. Tubu Bokkum-Bap", which may satisfy your taste for the exotic



Smelly Spicy Korean Tofu AKA Tubu Bokkum-Bap
This is a spicy hot dish of tofu and sauteed vegetables, in a hot pepper & garlic sauce, served over rice.
4 servings over rice
3 tablespoons oil
4-5 cloves of garlic, sliced thin
1 carrot, peeled and sliced
1 medium white onion, sliced
3 tablespoons kochujang (Korean red chili pepper paste)
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 2/3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 pound small broccoli flowerettes
1 pound firm tofu, drained, pressed & sliced
4 green onions
3 tablespoons water
1 tablespoons sesame oil

Saute garlic, carrots, and onion in oil for several minutes in a large pan, until the onions are just golden.
Mix kochujang, cayenne pepper, sugar, and soy sauce in a small bowl. (You can reduce or omit the cayenne out if you want this dish to be milder - though remember that the kochujang is, by itself, spicy - and if you like things really spicy, double it or even more.)
Add mixture, broccoli, green onions, and tofu to pan. Mix gently until vegetables and tofu are covered with pepper sauce.
Add water (if you didn't drain the tofu well, you may want to skip adding water) to pan and cover. Let steam for a few minutes.
Remove from heat. Add sesame oil, mix gently.
Serve hot, over rice.

Answer 2

1. Make the Brine
(Brace yourselves). Fill a large bucket with pure soy milk--not the supermarket type with sugar, calcium, and vanilla flavoring added. It must be pure soybeans and water. You can obtain it at Asian markets or make it yourself. Notice how white and pure it is? Good. Now let it sit outside for several weeks until it becomes putrid, moldy, and grey colored.
This isn't the only method to make the brine. For example, there is another method involving old wintermelon rinds that have been rotting away for over a year. Sometimes shrimp heads are also tossed in for added stink factor. Most stinky tofu vendors have their own "secret" recipe, but the rancid soy milk method is the most common currently in use in mainland China.

2. Marinate
Once your brine is prepared, add some salt to it. The amount depends on how salty you like your finished tofu to be. Get several slabs of very firm tofu and leave it in the brine for a few hours, depending on the desired "potency" of the finished tofu. Don't leave it in for more than six hours since it's actually possible to make stinky tofu too stinky.
3. Cook
Stinky tofu can be deep fried and served with hot sauce and pickled cabbage. Sometimes it is also served with pickles. Stinky tofu can also be simmered in a stew or chopped and used as normal tofu in a stir-fry.