Street Snack · Fermented Fried Tofu

Shaoxing Choudoufu (绍兴臭豆腐) — Fermented Stinky Tofu

📷 Closely related photo — Photo: The original uploader was Richy at Chinese Wikipedia. / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0

The brine is built on fermented amaranth stalks, themselves a pungent Shaoxing pickle — and the smell of the tofu is famously much stronger than its actual taste.

Firm tofu is soaked for days in a fermented brine, traditionally made from fermented amaranth stems or bamboo shoots, until it darkens and develops its pungent smell, then it's deep-fried until crisp outside and soft within.

Why it's made this way: Shaoxing has long been a center for fermented foods thanks to its mold-friendly climate and its famous rice wine and soy sauce industries.