On 8/16/2015 at 1:53 PM, SusieQ said:I'd love to try the fried tofu puffs and the spicy fermented tofu. The stuffed tofu looks intriguing, too. What is it usually stuffed with? Oh yeah, I"ll take some smoked tofu, too. What about the stinky tofu? Is it an acquired taste? Is it really all that stinky? That 100-layer tofu cake is really beautiful.
The stuffed tofu is usually stuffed with ground pork mixed with some kind of green vegetable. It varies.
Stinky tofu stinks, yes. When I lived in Hunan province, the town had only one street where it was permitted. You could smell the street blocks away. Stinky tofu is banned on SHanghai's metro system.
The taste is rich and creamy and bears no resemblance to the smell - a bit like durian or some cheeses. I took to it immediately. Getting it past my nose and into my mouth was an effort the first time, but once there I was hooked.
There are different varieties. The one pictured is Changsha Stinky Tofu and that is what I first ate - in 1996 in Changsha, in what I was told was Chairman Mao's favourite tofu stinky shop. But then Changsha also had Mao's favourite DVD store etc.
Here, I buy it on the street from this woman.
Here is the tofu cooking (and draining)
