tofu misozuke

November 3, 2016 6:36 PM

I am just so in love with tofu misozuke that I thought I would share a recipe with y'all since they say it's hard to find, even in Japan. Think: tofu with bite like “Roquefort at the limit of ripeness”

Maybe it's from Fukuoka, my local smoked tofu misozuke makers say it's from Kumamoto.

posted by aniola (33 comments total)

Tomorrow I will be making this in Portland, Oregon.
posted by aniola at 6:38 PM on November 3, 2016

Think: tofu with bite like “Roquefort at the limit of ripeness”


I think I might like to try that, as it sounds like "tofu with a tolerable amount of funkiness."

This would distinguish it somewhat from Shanghai-style stinky tofu, which is "tofu that you can smell down the street."
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 6:47 PM on November 3, 2016 [1 favorite]

or Taiwanese stinky tofu, which is "tofu that smells so much like a broken public toilet in summer that I literally found myself thinking, at one point, 'oh thank god, motorcycle exhaust'"
posted by DoctorFedora at 6:49 PM on November 3, 2016 [23 favorites]

I thought I loved all forms of tofu until I tried stinky tofu.

I'm not sure how I feel about this. I love tofu. I love cheese. I'm not sure I'd love tofu that tastes like cheese, though, for some reason.
posted by soren_lorensen at 6:53 PM on November 3, 2016 [1 favorite]

I'm actually pretty positive on tofu overall! I've actually stumbled across kind of a clever recipe for a caprese salad that uses silken tofu in place of mozzarella cheese, and that seemed like a much smarter use of tofu-as-replacement.

Tofu is as poor a "replacement for meat" as the beans it's made from, and the frustration I've seen that it's bad at being meat seems to be based on a pretty fundamental misunderstanding.

Incidentally, Okinawa also has at least one notable fermented tofu dish, called tofuyo. It is, by accounts, nowhere near as, erm, acquired a taste overall as Chinese stinky tofu.
posted by DoctorFedora at 7:00 PM on November 3, 2016 [2 favorites]

How does the tofu's "cheesiness" compare with other cheese substitutes?
posted by Joe in Australia at 7:59 PM on November 3, 2016

So along the tofu as cheese vein, one day my wife said she was going to make homemade pizza. First she said she was going to use a tortilla instead of regular pizza crust and I shrugged, no big deal. Then she said that she would use tofu instead of cheese and I shrugged, because I am easy going and willing to see how things turn out. Next she decided to substitute tomato sauce for cho-gochujang. At this point I realized that what was being cooked was nothing like pizza at all, not even pizza adjacent. It was all right, but none of the substituted ingredients (aside from probably the tortilla) were anything like what they were replacing. It was basically the real life version of a negative comment on recipes.com.
posted by Literaryhero at 8:09 PM on November 3, 2016 [32 favorites]

Is anyone else getting an error trying to link to the main link?
posted by drlith at 8:16 PM on November 3, 2016 [1 favorite]

aniola between last quonsmas and this recipe (I am a vegan who enjoys cooking and yet had no idea about this!) you are basically my favorite mefite now
posted by Gymnopedist at 8:16 PM on November 3, 2016 [1 favorite]

I'm also getting an error. This site refers to Rau Om, so I think it may be the same recipe. Can someone confirm?
posted by anshuman at 8:22 PM on November 3, 2016

How is this different from tofu curd that you can find in jars in Asian groceries?
posted by casarkos at 8:22 PM on November 3, 2016

Joe in Australia: in my opinion, this is THE BEST. Super creamy, flavorful, etc.
posted by aniola at 8:23 PM on November 3, 2016

Here is Wikipedia's list of fermented soy products.
posted by aniola at 8:25 PM on November 3, 2016 [1 favorite]

Here's more than you ever wanted to read about the types and geographical origins of fermented tofu.

I've had 豆腐よう "fermented tofu" at Kajitsu in NYC. You are given a little golden knife and you slice it and just eat it. I had to ask the server, do I need to eat it with rice? And they indicated that no, you can have it just like that. It has the smooth texture of cheese, but tastes of a stronger, more flavorful version of natto (Japanese fermented soybeans), which is more readily available at supermarkets.
posted by polymodus at 8:31 PM on November 3, 2016 [2 favorites]

I can't see anything but the main page on this site safari/chrome.
posted by unliteral at 8:32 PM on November 3, 2016

There is, at least for the moment, a google cache or two.
posted by cowcowgrasstree at 8:39 PM on November 3, 2016

BTW, if you like tofu and want to press the water out of it as per the recipe, a tofu press takes a lot of the hassle out of the process. TofuXpress is a really nice one.
posted by kozad at 9:09 PM on November 3, 2016 [1 favorite]

Thanks cowcowgrasstree. As one who one who delights in all manifestations of the Terpsichorean Muse, I like the sound of this tofu.
posted by unliteral at 9:09 PM on November 3, 2016 [1 favorite]

(looks like their website is back up)
posted by aniola at 9:26 PM on November 3, 2016

or Taiwanese stinky tofu, which is "tofu that smells so much like a broken public toilet in summer that I literally found myself thinking, at one point, 'oh thank god, motorcycle exhaust'"

The thing with Taiwanese stinky tofu is there are two preparations: fried and steamed. The fried variety smells funky, but it's not that bad and tastes pretty good. The steamed one on the other hand...is basically room clearing stuff (for those who haven't grown up with it anyways). I couldn't even bring myself in close enough proximity to try it, and I'll try most foods.
posted by juv3nal at 9:43 PM on November 3, 2016 [1 favorite]

So it's a creamy / gooey ripe Brie / Camembert texture with a blue / green vein funk? Or is it some other funk, like durian?
posted by obiwanwasabi at 10:02 PM on November 3, 2016

Ain't no funk like durian funk 'cause durian funk don't quit.
posted by kinnakeet at 10:31 PM on November 3, 2016 [3 favorites]

It's a creamy melt-in-your-mouth texture with no mold veins. In the comments they say: Tofu misozuke from soft tofu is more like fresh cheese while tofu misozuke from firm tofu has a stronger and bolder flavor. Creaminess is the same for both when each is allowed to ripen fully.
posted by aniola at 10:32 PM on November 3, 2016 [1 favorite]

Yeah this sounds like tofuyo, which is from Okinawa but it sounds much like the Tawianese tofu listed upthread. It's fermented with awamori, a kind of strong vodka-like drink, and yeast. It's fermented for months and the end result is a creamy paste that is richest tasting thing you've ever had. Can't decide if I like it or not; it's more of an experience.
posted by zardoz at 3:23 AM on November 4, 2016 [1 favorite]

There was a great vegan pub in Toronto who served a fermented tofu wedge as part of their pickles/olive etc plate. It was an incredible cheese-like product. Recently at a local farmer's market here in Kingston, a pair of local Asian food producers have started sellling this as "tofu cheese," and it bathed in chili oil and it is delicious.
posted by Kitteh at 4:53 AM on November 4, 2016 [4 favorites]

I'm confused about whether this is fermented or not. The author says "This is a curing process, not a fermentation", so I'm inclined to go with "not fermented". But a lot of folks refer to this colloquially as "fermented" and the process sounds a bit like lactobacillus fermentation. Only the resulting taste is not referred to as sour (or fizzy or alcoholic) so.. not fermented?

(For anyone wondering about the hair I'm splitting; fermentation is the process of encouraging particular yeast and bacteria to grow in food that then changes the food. Typically producing lactic acid or alcohol. Fermentation is fundamentally a process of living organisms. Miso is itself a fermented product, but is the tofu being fermented by the bacteria living in the miso?)
posted by Nelson at 7:44 AM on November 4, 2016 [2 favorites]

I found out about this a few years ago but have yet to try it myself because I am so skittish about home fermentation. If it's not a flavor I'm already familiar with, how will I know I did it correctly? I really want to try some made by someone else first.
posted by tofu_crouton at 8:46 AM on November 4, 2016

The author also says "It’s not unreasonable to think that the presence of Aspergillus oryzae [in the miso] also conditions the environment to prevent growth by other competing microorganisms."

Which seems more like the miso's bacteria is preventing unwanted yeast and bacteria in the food while the marination/curing happens.

Also, and I'm not experienced in this, but since alcohol is typically added to the marinade, I'm guessing that alcohol is not produced by fermentation.
posted by aniola at 9:46 AM on November 4, 2016

This sounds delicious and easy, thank you!
posted by Room 641-A at 2:16 PM on November 4, 2016

My mother-in-law in Kagoshima makes this and it's delicious.
posted by Ice Cream Socialist at 4:31 PM on November 4, 2016

My friend says he thinks this using the Aspergillus oryzae still counts as fermentation.
posted by aniola at 7:55 PM on November 4, 2016

He says misozuke is a fermentation method that his grandmother used. That you can use on pretty much anything. And that it smells a lot.
posted by aniola at 7:57 PM on November 4, 2016

I had a hard time finding yellow miso until I read that it's the same a barley miso. It's been fermenting since 11/8 and doesn't smell stinky at all. I'm super excited, and will probably taste it at the two-month mark but this thread will be closed.
posted by Room 641-A at 1:12 PM on November 23, 2016