Chinese Night Market Stinky Tofu

Ingredients

• 500 g firm tofu, pressed dry before fermentation and frying
• For the fermentation brine
• 1 litre water
• 100 g mixed vegetables, roughly chopped
• 50 g dried shrimp
• 50 g meat scraps, as the entry specifies
• 30 g salt
• For frying
• 1 litre neutral oil, for deep-frying
• To serve
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp pickled chilli, drained
• 2 spring onions, finely sliced

Method

1. 1
   Cut the firm tofu into even blocks of approximately 5 cm. Wrap in a clean cloth and press under a weighted board for at least two hours. The tofu is ready to proceed when the cloth shows no further moisture and the surface feels dry and firm to the touch.
2. 2
   Combine the water, chopped vegetables, dried shrimp, meat scraps, and salt in a non-reactive container to form the fermentation brine. Submerge the pressed tofu blocks fully, cover, and leave to ferment at cool room temperature for a minimum of several days and up to several weeks. This step — and this step alone — determines depth of flavour: the brine is where the dish lives or dies. The tofu is ready when it is uniformly and deeply pungent throughout and has taken on a grey-green cast.
3. 3
   Remove the fermented tofu from the brine and pat each block thoroughly dry with a cloth. Any residual surface moisture at this stage will cause dangerous oil splatter in the fryer.
4. 4
   Heat the neutral oil in a deep vessel to 180 °C and above. Lower the tofu blocks into the oil in batches without crowding. Fry until each block is golden, the skin visibly crisp, and the blocks have puffed — the exterior should be an even deep gold and hollow-sounding when tapped.
5. 5
   Lift the tofu immediately onto a rack. Serve at once with soy sauce, sesame oil, pickled chilli, and sliced spring onion alongside. The crispy shell softens within minutes; the dish does not wait.