FU RU - Fermented Tofu/doufu

[chappie]

When I get the chance I will take photos of the brands I bought, plus the one Willie brought back from Guilin. On a sidenote, I really enjoyed shopping for them — and just about anything at a large asian supermarket — because I was able to get five or so brands for, oh, about 8 bucks total. Everything seems so much cheaper than American-brand products.

[infernooo]

Hi everyone,

Just curious - are we talking about the red preserved tofu in a glass jar? If not, which type? I wouldn't mind some pictures so I could pick some up and try out some of these ideas....

Thanks!

[hzrt8w]

Just curious - are we talking about the red preserved tofu in a glass jar? If not, which type? I wouldn't mind some pictures so I could pick some up and try out some of these ideas....

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No. The preceding posts were talking about the regular fermented tofu, as described in this page:

Fermented Bean Curd, or Preserved Bean Curd

The red preserved tofu you described is of a different variety. It tastes different. I hope to have another illustrated page to discuss it in a few days.

[infernooo]

As said by some other readers before, foo yu is good as a chicken marinade or condiment for roast chickens and plain rice and jook.  Also good is to use it to stir-fry certain vegetables.  I use it to stir-fry bitter melons and "budda's feasts" (vegetable combination with fu jook, cellophane noodles and such). 

I don't think I am alone on this, but I sometimes use foo yu instead of butter to spread on my toasts or plain bread.  I figured if the Frenches can love eating blue cheese by itself, I can eat foo yu just as it is.

If you are into grilling or barbecuing chickens, in addition to using foo yu as a marinade you can also use it to make your basting mixture:  some foo yu, some honey/sugar, some soy sauce.  Use it to bast your grilled chicken.

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Thank you Ah Leung!

I recently bought some fermented tofu (I will take a photo of the jar, I believe it is just tofu, salt, chilli and perhaps some rice wine or water), and spread it on bread. WOW is all I can say! I will never be going back to vegemite.

Some people wonder how the hell us aussies like vegemite, and I could say exactly the same thing about foo yu, but after having tried it, I can tell you this, it has the most amazing flavour and it is my new favourite spread on plain bread and biscuits ("crackers" as you yanks call them ). I imagine it would go very nicely with some plain rice or congee.

[mudbug]

Some of my family's favourite fu yu dishes are simple stir fried green beans, spinach, ong choy, pea greens, zucchini, etc. A little garlic and crushed chilis add some zest.

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Exactly. You've never had better green beans or ong choy in your life!

Just make sure you get a good tasting brand. There are many that are terrible! But if you find good ones, it's heaven to the palatte.

[phage]

I live in America and have tried different kinds of fermented tofu. I go through it much too fast so I bought several jars.... One of the jars was a ceramic pot called: Shanghai Beancurd in Brine, 16 pieces, 17.6 oz, made in China. I opened it up and this was so funky far beyond the regular fermented tofu I've had, as limberger is to creamcheese. In fact in seems rotten. Perhaps it's been in the store for years and IS rotten. Has anyone tried this brand - how fermented can this stuff get and still not kill me. Should I call in the guys in the decontamination suits, or is this "uber-fermented tofu?"

[jokhm]

anyone ever find any of the stuff packed in chili-tea oil?? I had some brought in from some hunan county and it was so much better than any of the others I tried before. Very interesting and slightly alcoholic taste.. excellent. But now I have no idea where to get more... ! I'm not sure if there is much consistency on what is mass produced... I do remember in Montreal seeing a few specific brands, but there are still many unknown ones floating around some of the chinese markets there. No idea where to start

[LorettaD]

I love the little cubes of fermented furu - sometimes called su fu. It's stinky fermented doufu (tofu). I like to east it with rice accompanying my meal.

What are some other recipes to use it to cook with meat, vegetables, etc.?????

I need details, please!

I once had some vegetable in Chinatown, NY with this, and it tasted wonderful, but I had problems duplicated good results.

HELP!

THANKS!!!!

-Loretta Donnelly

www.internalgardens.com

[Dejah]

I love the little cubes of fermented furu - sometimes called su fu.  It's stinky fermented doufu (tofu).  I like to east it with rice accompanying my meal.

What are some other recipes to use it to cook with meat, vegetables, etc.?????

HELP! 

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Mmmmmm...Fu yu! Lovely, salty, velvety, but not stinky. It is great with just rice, especially fan jeu.

I stir-fry green beans with fu yu. When the beans are nearly cooked, mash 3 or 4 cubes of fu yu into the beans, mix well. This is my kids's favourite way to eat green beans.

Fu yu is good stir-fried with tender greens: spinach, ong choy, even pea shoots would be good.

[annachan]

My favorite is to stir fry ong choy with fu yu. It's supposed to be really good in mutton stew.

Another favorite of mine is just adding a cube to my plain porridge.

[Dejah]

My favorite is to stir fry ong choy with fu yu. It's supposed to be really good in mutton stew.

Another favorite of mine is just adding a cube to my plain porridge.

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As in oatmeal porridge?

I like it in congee, plain or otherwise.

hzrt8w has a pictorial using fu yu and bitter melon.

Whenever we have roast chicken, my husband always requests a cube or two of fu yu to eat with his chicken. I don't think it's the Scottish/English way. I think he's gone overboard on fitting into my Chinese family!

[mizducky]

My favorite is to stir fry ong choy with fu yu. It's supposed to be really good in mutton stew.

Another favorite of mine is just adding a cube to my plain porridge.

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As in oatmeal porridge?

I like it in congee, plain or otherwise.

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Heh. Not only do I love fu yu in traditional congee, but I often make what I think of as a mongrel congee in which I substitute rolled oats for the rice (my doctors want me to get more fiber in my diet), and I'll garnish that with fu yu also.

Last night I tried an especially out-there experiment--I mashed a couple of cubes of chili-flavored fu yu into some sour cream, and used it as a dip with raw vegetables. The dip wound up tasting just like a US-style blue cheese dip! I suppose, if matching a Chinese food product with dairy just seems way too weird, a similar effect could be had by mixing the fu yu into some mashed soft/silken tofu.

Do people have certain brands of fu yu that they prefer? Here in the States, I often see several different brands in the better-stocked Asian markets, with slightly different labelings and ingredients/flavorings, so I've sort of been sampling at random.

[hzrt8w]

Last night I tried an especially out-there experiment--I mashed a couple of cubes of chili-flavored fu yu into some sour cream, and used it as a dip with raw vegetables. The dip wound up tasting just like a US-style blue cheese dip! I suppose, if matching a Chinese food product with dairy just seems way too weird, a similar effect could be had by mixing the fu yu into some mashed soft/silken tofu.

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Fu yu is similar to soft cheese (except much saltier). I think one can substitute it for soft cheese as a non-dairy substitute in some use.

I sometimes spread a cube of fu yu (instead of butter) on a bread toast.

[Dejah]

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I sometimes spread a cube of fu yu (instead of butter) on a bread toast.

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Now THAT'Seven too weird for me, and I love to try new things.

[hzrt8w]

You can use fu yu to make the following recipes:

Stir-fried Bitter Melons with Foo Yu

Steamed Chicken with Black Mushrooms

Stir-fried Mustard Greens (Gai Choy) with Salted Fish (咸鱼抄芥菜)

Hairy Melon Stir-fried with Mung Bean Threads (蝦米粉絲炒毛瓜)

Stir-Fried Water Spinach (Ong Choy) with Beef and Shrimp Sauce (蝦醬通菜炒牛肉)

Bell Peppers Stuffed with Dace Fish Cake (鯪魚球釀青椒) (Use fu yu as a dip)

Edited November 25, 2006 by hzrt8w (log)

[annachan]

My favorite is to stir fry ong choy with fu yu. It's supposed to be really good in mutton stew.

Another favorite of mine is just adding a cube to my plain porridge.

←

As in oatmeal porridge?

I like it in congee, plain or otherwise.

hzrt8w has a pictorial using fu yu and bitter melon.

Whenever we have roast chicken, my husband always requests a cube or two of fu yu to eat with his chicken. I don't think it's the Scottish/English way. I think he's gone overboard on fitting into my Chinese family!

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I meant congee. But oatmeal porridge works too. I love beef or bovril in my oatmeal....

[Dejah]

Now that you mentioned beef or bovril in your oatmeal porridge, I do recall my mom making savory porridge for my breakfast when we lived in HK. My dad had sent oatmeal from Canada. Funny how I have forgotten about that. Thanks for jogging my memory!

[peony]

fu yu is one of the chief seasoning in a vegetarian dish - Lo Hon Chai -roughly translate, 18 Buddha vegetarian dish.

[peony]

There is also nam yu, you can make cookies with this red fermented beancurd....are you game to bake cookies with this ?

[Dejah]

There is also nam yu, you can make cookies with this red fermented beancurd....are you game to bake cookies with this ?

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NOW you're talking! Gai jie bang (little chicken cookies)! I love these - salty, sweet, soft, chewy, SO DELICIOUS!

Do you have a recipe to make these? I have to rely on my sister to bring them from Vancouver every summer.

[hzrt8w]

NOW you're talking! Gai jie bang (little chicken cookies)! I love these - salty, sweet, soft, chewy, SO DELICIOUS!

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Is Gai Jie Bang made with Nam Yu? I only know of the Dan San (Deep-Fried twisted wheat/egg dough) [Gosh... so much work to translate it to English] that uses Nam Yu for flavoring. What else is Nam Yu used in baking items?

[Dejah]

NOW you're talking! Gai jie bang (little chicken cookies)! I love these - salty, sweet, soft, chewy, SO DELICIOUS!

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Is Gai Jie Bang made with Nam Yu? What else is Nam Yu used in baking items?

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Yes. Gai jie bang is made with nam yu, pork and some pieces of nuts or sesame seeds. I love them!

Not sure about other baking items, but you know the Chinese can be very inventive.

[peony]

I do have the recipe for kampar chicken biscuit - kai zai bing.

I would have to dig out from my collections of cookbk.

wld try the recipe first too ...

the ingredients I roughly recall is candied winter melons, nam yu, maltose n 5-spice powder. no pork but used lard....

[peony]

some people use nam yu for hum chee bing ...

[Pan]

What are in hum chee bing? I have very slight knowledge of Mandarin and virtually no knowledge of other dialects of Chinese.