Huogongdian stinky tofu making technique

Hunan
🎧  Listen to Introduction

Changsha Huogongdian stinky tofu is the most distinctive traditional food in Hunan. It is a soy product made of white tofu, which is soaked in special brine, deep-fried and eaten with a dip. It is square in shape and black in color, named after its stinky taste, which is a special case in Chinese food culture. In the unity of opposites of "black" and "white", "stinky" and "fragrant", "burnt" and "tender", "hard" and "soft", it goes from extreme to positive, pushing the aesthetic taste of Chinese food in pursuit of color, fragrance and taste to the extreme. Since the first inheritor Jiang Bingkun brought it to Huogongdian in 1908, it has a history of more than 110 years. Its skills include 5 steps and more than 30 processes of brine making, blank making, soaking, frying and soup making. The best time to make brine is in winter. Fresh winter bamboo shoots, mushrooms, perilla, Liuyang fermented black beans, etc. are boiled in winter water, and then fermented in a pond after adding Qu wine. Northeast soybeans are used to make white tofu with a length, width and thickness of 5cm. For soaking, the white tofu is soaked in brine for 2 to 6 hours. Tea oil is the best choice for frying, which can enhance its fragrance. The soup is made with peppers, garlic and other ingredients, which is the most fresh and fragrant. Dipping it in water and eating it will give you a lingering aftertaste.

Intangible culture related to the heritage

China tourist attractions related to the heritage