FU RU - Fermented Tofu/doufu

[Tepee]

Haam(salty) Chin(fry) Paeng(biscuit/cake) is the way I 'spell' it It's found at the yau char kwai (chinese crullers) stall. Recipe here. You can usually find it with red bean paste filling (sometimes lotus paste too) as well as the most basic form mentioned by peony...with nam yu.

Edit: Michael! I found a pic...in the blog I did. It's the one to the left of the stick crullers.

Edited November 29, 2006 by Tepee (log)

[Dejah]

Haam(salty) Chin(fry) Paeng(biscuit/cake) is the way I 'spell' it  Edit: Michael! I found a pic...in the blog I did. It's the one to the left of the stick crullers.

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Tepee! You just dragged me into re-reading your blog yet again! I've got exams to prepare, don't you know.

[hzrt8w]

Haam(salty) Chin(fry) Paeng(biscuit/cake) is the way I 'spell' it  It's found at the yau char kwai (chinese crullers) stall. Recipe here. You can usually find it with red bean paste filling (sometimes lotus paste too) as well as the most basic form mentioned by peony...with nam yu.

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Michael: think of Haam Chin Paeng like a strawberry-jam filled round shape donut, except the filling is replaced by red bean paste and the dough is on the savory side.

[Pan]

Thanks for the explanations, everyone. Yeah, I'm familiar with the round fried things.

[chappie]

A year later.

Willie returned from Guilin again for a visit with two jars of the really strong, salty, good stuff. His girlfriend over there swears the Guilin locally produced variety is the best around, and I wish I could import it here. I eat it with lots of non-asian dishes as well (including breakfast burritos with egg, roasted tomato relish and smoked jack cheese).

Again, the brands I've purchased here tend to have an off, chemical taste.

[takadi]

Does anyone know how to make this stuff at home?

[phage]

A year later. . . . . . . . . . .

Again, the brands I've purchased here tend to have an off, chemical taste.

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I've begin to notice this in the past year or two - before that the fermented tofu seemed "normal" - good or less good, but all within a spectrum. Recently the stuff seems to be strange. Wish we had a government that was willing to analyze this stuff, and see what is really in it. One brand particularly, was marked way down, was quite flavorful (lots of MSG, perhaps?) but left me feeling slightly poisoned.

The brand I've found that seems (so far) to be dependably consistent is AFC - comes with a red and white label - the lid says AFC in a oval, all in red. It's made by Koon Yick Foods Co. in Shenzhen. I'm not saying its the best in the world - but it's not bad - and it has been reliable. I've got this in several Asian stores on the West Coast of the U.S.

I'd been trying different brands, looking for something extra good or interesting, but too many disappointments - I'll stick with AFC I guess, unless someone can convince me otherwise....

[Ce'nedra]

I LOOOOVEEE THIS STUFF!

At home, we tend to place a couple of cubes (with the lip-smacking liquid) in a small dish and mash it up with some sugar.

There -perfect dip with some stir fries.

Edit: I always remember how Jackie Chan referred to it as "Chinese cheese" in some old movie of his

Edited May 10, 2008 by Ce'nedra (log)

[dmreed]

Mapo Dofu with Fermented Bean Curd!

I had recalled seeing such a recipe but I could not find it again. I asked on another forum for a recipe with no results. But I finally found a recipe at http://avenuefood.com/2007/10/03/mapo-dofu.aspx.

I have not yet tried it but I may try it today!

Also I have not found a restaurant here in San Diego which cooks dishes with do fu ru, they all say it stinks too much and would drive other customers away!

If anyone can suggest a restaurant in San Diego which makes dishes using do fu ru, please let me know.

[dmreed]

Mapo Dofu with Fermented Bean Curd!

I had recalled seeing such a recipe but I could not find it again. I asked on another forum for a recipe with no results. But I finally found a recipe at http://avenuefood.com/2007/10/03/mapo-dofu.aspx.

I have not yet tried it but I may try it today!

Also I have not found a restaurant here in San Diego which cooks dishes with do fu ru, they all say it stinks too much and would drive other customers away! 

If anyone can suggest a restaurant in San Diego which makes dishes using do fu ru, please let me know.

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further investigation shows that this is not particularly "authentic" so if anyone knows of an "authentic" recipe, please let me know.

BTW I just made the recipe tonight and I really like addition of the funyu!

[dmreed]

Does char siu use red fermented bean curd?

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Nope.

Is that how it got its red color originally?

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You don't want to know... Food coloring.

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I have seen fu ru used in the marinade in many Chinese cookbooks...here is a link (not a Chinese link):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Char_siu

BTW I am making char siu tonight and I will be using fu ru in the marinade!

[v. gautam]

I have read that the red coloring in fermented tofu traditionally was derived from RED YEAST RICE, or RED LEES of rice:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_yeast_rice

The rice by itself is supposed to have health-giving properties, but not when substituted by artificial dyes that are forbidden in food, the various Sudan Reds being an example.

Takadi asked how to make fu-ru at home; the wikipedia article http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pickled_tofu

offers some pointers about what cultures to get, in pure form if possible.

Here's a website to making one's own: http://chinesefood.about.com/gi/dynamic/of...7Edna/koji.html

Masayoshi Saito, Eizo Tatsumi and Li Li-te. [2003] Food Science and Technology Division, JIRCAS China Agricultural University

(source of starter & other advice).

Florence Lin's version, relying on Mother Nature. Not sure I would trust Mother Nature all that much with Sister Botulin and thingies around !!:

http://www.recipezaar.com/Fu-Ju-Fermented-...ean-Curd-206890

Edited August 19, 2009 by v. gautam (log)

[v. gautam]

Here is a recipe saying his mother made it at home, & not very restaurant-style either:

http://www.bigoven.com/7688-Pork-with-Ferm...urd-recipe.html

Here's one using both fu-ru AND red wine lees!! Double trouble!!

http://www.bigoven.com/37718-Steamed-Pork-...yle-recipe.html

Another authentic recipe by a native, non-deracinated Teochew:

http://wokkingmum.blogspot.com/2008/01/tof...-bean-curd.html

A Vietnamese variant:

http://www.globalgourmet.com/food/cookbook...er-spinach.html

American Zen !!:

http://crystalbyblog.blogspot.com/2009/02/...ncurd-soup.html

More:

http://eatingasia.typepad.com/eatingasia/2...ese_cheese.html

http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/67/P...Bean75078.shtml

Edited August 19, 2009 by v. gautam (log)

[v. gautam]

Found one more in a Khmer website that could be modified in interesting ways:

http://www.khmerkromrecipes.com/

In the vegetarian section, "Hot preserved bean cur with boiled (sweet) potato leaves": a stand-alone fu-ru relish with simply blanched sweet potato leaves, could be adapted to water ipomea or chard : fresh lime juice, sugar, chopped thai chilies and hot preserved bean curd [you may change that to plain red curd] are mashed together. Served with hot rice alongside the steamed or blanched greens. Even broccoli or choi sum if you wish! Or a combination platter of blanched greens, like asparagus, plus a few more, cauliflower, carrots, red cabbage, savoy cabbage, Chinese eggplant, ridged gourd (peeled) etc.

[Beebs]

What's the best way to take these things out of the jar without completely munching them up? I've tried chopsticks, spoons, forks...they always end up breaking into bits. Is there a trick to this? I want to be able to take out a whole, unbroken cube.

[Ce'nedra]

Hmm I'm afraid I can't help you there as our family always serves fu ru mashed up in some form or another.

I've seen it served in a duck hot pot (along with blood jelly and other bits) the other day at my aunt's. Really interesting -she told me it could also be served with goat. Anyone heard of this style of hot pot?

[BonVivant]

i had the cubes in a small bowl along with hotpot. in Guiyang there were also other bits in the same bowl such as soy beans, sorry forgot what other bits were. and in Jinghong it was just a bowl of the pure unadulterated fermented cubes. not sure how it's supposed to be eaten but i think most likely one just plucks a small bit at a time in between as an enhancer. (a photo i manage to salvage.)

[Beebs]

I've had it in both goat and lamb hotpots, with Chinese lettuce (the stuff that looks like romaine). The sauce had the fu ru in it, but I've not had it as a condiment to the hotpot. The fu ru & goat/lamb go really well together, although I prefer lamb (goat is a bit tough and stringy).

The past couple days I've been stir-frying baby bok choy with fu ru, garlic and ginger.