How to make fried stinky tofu

People eat a lot of food in their lifetime. Only delicious food that is cooked with care will make people linger. So, let me introduce to you how to make fried stinky tofu.

1. Cut the tofu into small cubes 1-1.5 cm thick (don’t cut it too thin, or it will be too dry after frying)

2. If the cut tofu slices have too much water, it is best to lay them flat on a cutting board and let them dry for a while.

3. Take a container and put two pieces of stinky tofu in it. It can be any brand. I use the specialty stinky tofu from Kedong in Northeast China. Each piece in the box is individually vacuum-packed.

4. Add 3-4 spoons of warm water, crush and stir to make stinky tofu juice

5. Put the tofu cubes into a clean container and pour the prepared stinky tofu juice into the tofu. I put the tofu cubes directly into the stinky tofu juice and mix them evenly. However, be sure to mix gently so as not to break the tofu cubes. Marinate the tofu cubes for 20 minutes before frying. The longer the marinating time, the stronger the flavor. You can put them in a container with a sealed lid in the refrigerator to marinate for a longer storage time.

6. Before frying the stinky tofu, prepare the sauce for frying the stinky tofu: Put sesame paste, garlic chili sauce, and stinky tofu into a bowl and crush them. If it is too dry, add an appropriate amount of warm water to make a thicker paste, then add chili oil and mix well to make a thin paste.

7. Before frying the stinky tofu, you should also prepare the dipping sauce for the fried stinky tofu: peel the fried (or roasted or fried) peanuts and put them on the chopping board, then add the cooked sesame seeds.

8. Use a rolling pin to knead the mixture into powder. It doesn’t matter if there are some small particles.

9. Put the peanut sesame powder into the plate

10. Add cumin powder and chili powder and mix well.

11. Heat vegetable oil in a clean pot (to the point where dense bubbles will appear around the stinky tofu). Put the marinated stinky tofu into the pot and fry them over medium-low heat until both sides are golden brown. When the outer shell is crispy, remove from the pot and drain the oil. Put less oil in the pan and fry it in several times, because the oil used to fry the stinky tofu has a smell and cannot be used for other things. Putting too much oil will be wasted. Don't fry it in oil, as the fried stinky tofu won't be crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.

12. Use chopsticks to pierce the fried stinky tofu onto two bamboo sticks while it is still hot, and then brush both sides with the sauce you prepared earlier; if you want to eat it at home, you don’t need to pierce it with bamboo sticks, just fry it directly, spread the sauce on each piece, and put it on a plate

13. Then dip both sides of the dipping sauce plate in peanut, sesame and cumin mixed powder and you can start eating.

Although there are many steps to make deep-fried stinky tofu, it is not difficult at all as long as you master it carefully. Of course, cooking also depends on talent, and if you are gifted, you will definitely be able to cook the best in no time. Of course, if you want to achieve perfection, you need to practice more.