Fermented Tofu

This is sort of the tofu equivalent of aged soft cheese (think Roquefort or blue cheese) and is used throughout China and Southeast Asia as an ingredient and as a table condiment. Your average Asian market will have a slew of brands and varieties. If you like pungent dairy cheese you'll probably like this stuff too.

Blocks of tofu, usually about 1-1/2 inch in the longest dimension, are fermented by a special process (traditionally under straw) and then packed in liquid with flavoring ingredients.

More on Varieties of Tofu.

Fermented bean curd is used as a table condiment, particularly for flavoring rice porridge at breakfast, and is often used as a flavoring ingredient in many kinds of dishes, especially vegetarian. The photo above shows four common varieties. They are all quite salty, and differences in flavor are subtle, except, of course, the one with chili.

• White:

    (Left) - Taiwan - Soybean, Salt, Water, Ethyl Alcohol, Calcium Sulfate, Sesame Oil.

• White w/Chili:

    (Bottom) - Taiwan - Beancurd, Water, Salt, Chili, Sesame Oil.

• Red:

    (Top) - Taiwan - Soybean, Calcium Sulfate, Water, Red Yeast Rice, Glutinous Rice, Salt, Wine.

• Red - Fake:

    (Right) - China - Water, Soybean, Cooking Wine, Salt, Sugar, FD&C Red #40 (E129), Spice.

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