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COMPASS MAGAZINE, March 2007

	Stinky Tofu By Niang Chen, James Su and Jenny Translated by Ann Lee Da Peng Stinky Tofu 54, ShenYang Rd, Sec. 1, Beitun District (04) 2292-7197 Hours: 3 am-11 am Da Peng Stinky Tofu has been around for 30 years now. In his earlier days of business, owner Mr. Liu would stop anywhere he could park his cart to do business. Since settling at the current ShenYang Road location, Mrs. Liu has taken over the cooking--something she has been doing for 24 years now. There is no fancy technique for preparing stinky tofu; if you want a crispier taste, simply fry it twice, then poke a small hole in the middle to add soy sauce, sesame oil, vinegar and some garlic or chili sauce. This dish is not complete without pickled vegetables on the side, as well as a sprinkling of cucumber strips on top. The simple yet old-style flavor of Da Peng Stinky Tofu has generated a lot of nostalgic memories for patrons, including a female customer who, according to Mrs. Liu, recently returned to Taiwan after years of travelling and enjoyed eight or nine plates the last time she visited the eatery. This is a family-run business and now you can also see them on SongZhu Road (near HouZhuang Road). Apart from the Stinky Tofu (NT$35), you can also order Pig's Blood & Intestine Soup (NT$35), another old-time favorite among Taiwanese.
	Tofu Chen 210, ReHe Rd., Sec. 2 (corner of Taichung Folk Park & LuShun / ReHe Road); 0915-046-395 Hours: 2:30-9:30 pm (closed Mondays) With 40 years of experience in the tofu business, Tofu Chen has established quite the reputation for its tasty stinky tofu. Cabbage leaves used to make the pickled vegetables (served as side dish) for this stinky tofu dish are marinated and left to ferment naturally, so that they are healthier, tastier and more hygenic. Owner Mr. Liu loves to talk about all the details of his food preparation, noting that he keeps only three day's worth of stock in storage to maintain food freshness. He rinses the tofu before frying it and stresses that he doesn't overheat or use leftover cooking oil to fry his tofu. Because of this, the stinky tofu is crispy on the outside and soft and juicy on the inside. He also emphasized that the flavors of his tofu are accented by the addition of special Chinese medicinal sauces and his proprietary-recipe pickled vegetables. He chooses the mostly-white portions of the cabbage when picking it and dices this into small strips that can fully absorb the sauce, a process which takes 48 hours. The resulting pickled vegetables have a stimulating sweet-and-sour taste resembling green mangos--a perfect complement to the flavors of crispy tofu. All tofu here is fried when you order it, which takes a short five to six minutes. Mr. Liu sells these in boxes of six for NT$30. This vegetarian treat retains its flavor, even if it's cold. When the day's tofu runs out, the owner packs up and heads home. Visit on the 12th day of each month and get a free refreshment or fruit, or sweets for the kids, with your purchase.
	Yi Xin Vegetarian Foods (Thin Noodles/Stinky Tofu) 2, Lane 461, FuXing Rd. (04) 2452-5389 Hours: 5 pm-1 am (closed Tuesdays) This vegetarian delicacies outlet has been voted as one of Taichung's most popular dining options by the media several times. After 11 years in existence, they still have unbelievably good business despite only offering two three items to their customers. In addition to maintaining a clean layout, this vendor also pays close attention to heat control during cooking, frying tofu to the point where it becomes golden-crispy on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside. After adding their specially-made sauce into a small hole in the center of the tofu, they top off the flavors with a dash of Taiwanese-style kimchi (spicy, pickled vegetable) and cucumber slices. This delicious traditional snack will only cost you NT$35 and pickled vegetables may also be offered separately for NT$30. This place is located in the Feng Chia Night Market on FuXing Road, opposite a Nike shoe store (Ou-Pao).
	Grandma Liang's Stinky Tofu 121, XiangShang Rd., Sec. 1 (corner of XiangShang and MeiCun roads) (04) 0935-706266 (for advance orders) Hours: 4:30 pm-12:30 am Grandma Liang started out selling stinky tofu by pushing a vendor cart along the streets of various neighborhoods. Now, however, she has her family's second generation running a small store, for a total of 50 years in the business. Grandma Liang's Stinky Tofu is a registered trademark and a very old but well-known place in Taichung, to the point where customers sometimes have to line up with number tags, waiting to be called. The female owner says that the family decided to enter the stinky tofu business because they had their own bean curd factory. The advantage of having their own tofu source allowed them to maintain a quality product, although today they authorize a professional tofu manufacturer to do the job. Grandma Liang's Stinky Tofu is unique from competitors' because of its production process. Because they soak their tofu with vegetables, vegetarians can also consider the food here an option. You should definitely try the sauces that come with the stinky tofu, though; they are boiled for two hours over low heat without any preservatives. You can taste pickled cabbage and cucumber slices in every piece of tofu. In fact, the final product is so good that even Japanese and other foreign customers offer praise. To avoid waiting in line, call to order in advance. One box of Grandma Liang's Stinky Tofu is NT$35, and they also sell Seasoned Soya Beans for NT$30 per box, and Radish and Fish Ball Soup for NT$15.