Game for Stinky Food?

Thanks for dropping by, i am curious to know if stinky stuff appeals :) By stinky I mean strong smelling food that some people love but others can't even stand a whiff of it.  Any within your palate?? I am sure some of them would come to mind by now.  I always wonder how they ended up as something edible.  It amazes me how the penchant for stinky stuff is something universal as one can find so many types of stinky food across the globe.  Back home, durians the king of fruits would be on top on list.     There would be other seafood based ones like the belacan (dried prawn paste), cencaluk (shrimp sauce) and salted fish etc.  The Asians (Chinese/Korean/Japanese) would have fermented stuff like tofu, eggs and beans albeit fermented/preserve in their own unique ways.  In the west cheese and fermented fish like those in Sweden or Norway would come to mind.  

Come to think of it, I am quite a 'stinky' person too, I have quite a few favourites, i adore durians and i love the Chinese fermented yellow beans and tofu (aka fu-yee in cantonese).   They are really good as seasoning.  It gives such an exotic flavour to food.  The fermented tofu that i am talking about here is not the one made popular in Hong Kong, which are mostly eaten deep-fried and dipped in sauce.  Now, that one is stinky brought to the next level...this one is a no-no for me :)  The one that i am talking about is little cubes of tofu that is soaked in brine and bottled. When mashed it has a creamy texture.

So, allow me to share this chicken dish that is made with a tiny bit of stinky stuff.  Give it a try, it's not that stinky. Actually it smells and taste good with a combination of some chinese wine, soy sauce and honey to give it a nice blend of flavours. Enough to say little one had 2 bowls of rice with this :)

Recipe

Source : Christine's Recipe (with changes to liking)

Ingredients

600 gm chicken pieces

1 piece fermented beancurd, mashed into paste (chili fermented)

1 tsp Shaoxing wine

1 tbsp honey

3 slices ginger

Seasoning

1 Tbsp light soy sauce

1 tsp dark sauce

1 tsp sugar

100 ml water

Steps

1. Heat oil over medium heat. 
2. Add ginger and fermented beancurd paste, saute to fragrant. 
3. Add chicken. Stir to combine and cook until both sides are light brown. 
4. Pour in wine and quickly stir to combine. Add seasoning. 
5. When it boils, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until chicken is cooked and sauce thickens. 
6. Stir in honey (use enough to liking).
7. Enjoy!

Posted in: Chinese Dishes