Chou Tofu-- Do You Like Stinky Tofu?

[sbk]

Had a funny conversation with a friend of mine about chou tofu and the god awful smell, she didnt' think it was that bad and said it was quite tasty. A friend of mine used to live near a place that made the stuff in Taiwan and the smell was so horrific it just put me right off.

So, do you eat it and if so, does it still smell?

[mkawish]

sbk

If you meant 'chou tofu' which means smelly tofu (chou=smelly), then the tofu must be smelly to fit its name....

However, if you meant 'chow tofu' which stands for 'fried tofu', then it is something else altogether, Mamme.

I just venture to guess that the 'chou tofu' is really what the Chinese would call--'tofu yee' with yellowish-white mushy appearance.

Its smell is obnoxious to many non-orientals but ask any older Chinese, they love their chou tofu just as much as we Farang like our various kinds of stinky cheese.... LOL

As for the 'chow tofu' meaning 'fried tofu' which appears in a more solid but softer form, I believe it is a delight for many non-orientals alike. yum yum....

The first kind is mostly used to eat with boiled rice in the morning, sometimes with salty eggs. Whereas the second more popular kind is used in different Chinese cooking as well as in different soup. But definitely not used in Shark Fin soup though....! Yakky....

[tutsiwarrior]

is ' stinky tofu' a chinese thing?...I'm a bit of a tofu enthusiast and I've never seen none in local markets in SE Asia...does one haveta go to a special chinese market to find the stuff? how is it usually prepared?

was at the local market today where the vendors sell the goods fresh, still warm in the usual small blocks with firm texture good for curries and stir fries...VND5000 for 2 x 250gram blocks...I love handling the nice fresh warm tofu and the vendors used to eye me with suspicion but not anymore...

'yew gonna buy that tofu, mister?'

[sbk]

I do mean fermented bean curd, or chou dofu as it was called in taiwan, stinky tofu for sure.

[tutsiwarrior]

I do mean fermented bean curd, or chou dofu as it was called in taiwan, stinky tofu for sure.

yeah, but...how d'ye cook it?

let's say that one had a magnificent medium cauliflower and wuz considering the possibilities...

[Pdaz]

It's really popular in Hong Kong.. 'Chow' is the Cantonese word for stinky (Think it's the same in the Hokkien/Fujian dialect too) Anyhow you can see it being cooked at vairous Dai Pai Dong (foodstalls) all over HK and Kowloon.. Usually you can smell it before you see it. If you can get over the smell it tastes great.. But hey I love Durian too so maybe ignore my recomendation

[timmyp]

I just stumbled across this post. Where can I buy this stuff??? There's is a fermented tofu in Okinawa, called tofu-you and sometimes "beni-tofu" ('beni" means 'red'). I love this stuff. Very stinky, like a funky cheese. Would love to buy some, perhaps the same as the chou tofu you're describing? Here's a link to Japanese WIkipedia.

http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%B1%86%E8%85%90%E3%82%88%E3%81%86

Sorry, no matching Wikipedia article in English, but you can see the photo. Japanese Wikipedia has a separate article for chou tofu, but it's not clear whether it's actually different from tofu-yo in Okinawa...

I love fermented food... kimchi, sauerkraut, weird cheeses, natto.

Where can I buy chou tofu? It's a common food here? Just found the Wikipedia article on chou-tofu in Thai.

Looks like they aptly call it

เต้าหู้เหม็น

tawhuu men

[Goinghomesoon]

I like the taste but not the fresh-horse-poop smell. I'm partial to durian and blue cheese too, I guess I'm drawn to strong flavours.

[sbk]

I've never smelled chou tofu in Thailand, sorry timmyp!

[THAM]

The Cantonese takes Chou Tofu with Porridge or sometimes cooks it with some vegetables. Yes, it's fermented beancurd and you can find it at Chinatown and it's packed in small squarish bottles with simple lables. I will cannot figure why it's squarish. Perhaps to contain the 'squarish' tofu. Saw it at Hideaway (Dacheeso) Restaurant in Chiangmai. Can't remember the price, though.

[timmyp]

Sorry resurrect this thread, but I found the answer to my question about Chou Tofu (stinky tofu) and wanted to share.

The stinky tofu that was discussed is for sale at many normal food stores in Thailand. It can usually be found in the Chinese food section, often near where various spices and curry pastes are located. If there is English, it probably reads something like, "Preserved Bean Curd" or "Fermented Chilli Bean Curd" or something like that. The Thai often isn't เต้าหู้หเมน but instead เตาหู้ยี้

So you don't have to make a special trip to Chinatown or an import market to find it.

I just moved to Thailand a few months ago, and have discovered two things new to me: fermented Thai rice ข้าวหมาก and fermented fish (with rice mixed in). Not sure what the fermented fish is called, but I think it's different from Plaa Raa (discussed below). This fermented fish comes in a square shape, and looks like a cube of tofu. The ingredients say that it's mixed in with rice. I guess it's all ground together like a sausage? Tastes pretty good, rather tame for a fermented food. I could have sworn that the label said ปลาหเมน Plaa Men. No internet searches turned up for "plaa men", though.

Forgive me, those who are already aware of these dishes, but if you aren't already hip to them and you like funky-ass fermented foods, then check them out. Both are at just about every Thai grocery store, and often have English labeling. Just check the cooler, usually in the section with Thai sausages

I recently heard about ปลารา Plaa Raa (moldy fish) and am now on the look out for that... please let me know if you have any insight to other funky fermented delights.

.

[yekuti]

It smells awful, but it tastes nice! I've already had quite a lot of Chou Tofu,haha~

U guys should have tasted it!

Edited July 29, 2011 by yekuti

[tampasailor]

Proibably pairs well with Durion and my socks~!

[nalaknarak]

I've never had it before. I'll be sure to try it!