History

Stinky tofu came to Taipei with mainland refugees in 1949, particularly Hunan and Anhui provincial varieties. The fermentation process uses a brine of pickled vegetables, milk and amaranth left to age for two weeks or longer. Shenkeng Old Street in southeast Taipei is the tofu capital, with Dai's House of Unique Stink running the strongest version. Tien Hsiang at Linjiang Night Market is Bib Gourmand-listed for its classic deep-fried version.

Common allergens: Soy

Make it at home

Yield Serves 2 as a snackHands-on 15 minTotal 30 minDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 400g pre-fermented stinky tofu (sold at Asian stores)
  • Vegetable oil, for deep frying (1 litre)
  • 100g shredded white cabbage
  • 30ml rice vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon caster sugar
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 30ml dark soy sauce
  • 30g sugar
  • 1 tablespoon chilli sauce or doubanjiang
  • Coriander leaves, to serve

Method

  1. Make the pickled cabbage: combine cabbage with rice vinegar, sugar and garlic; rest 20 minutes.
  2. Make the sauce: combine soy sauce, sugar, chilli sauce and 60ml water; bring to a boil, simmer 2 minutes.
  3. Heat oil to 180C. Cut tofu into 4cm cubes.
  4. Deep-fry tofu cubes 4 to 5 minutes until golden brown and puffed, working in batches.
  5. Drain on paper towels, transfer to a plate, top with pickled cabbage and sauce.
  6. Garnish with coriander. Serve immediately.

Tip from the editors. Pre-fermented stinky tofu is the only viable shortcut; fermenting at home takes 2 weeks of brine prep. Buy from Chinese specialty stores.

This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.

Where to eat stinky tofu

Stinky tofu in Taipei

More cities are in research. Want stinky tofu covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.

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