Su-Fu
Su-fu
[common or accepted name], toufu-ru, toufu-ju, furu, rufu,
tou-ru [Mandarin], fuyu, funan [Cantonese], su-
fu, tou-sufu [Shanghi], tahuri [Philippines], chao
[Vietnam], taokoan, takoa [Indonesia]. It is obvious to
see that su-fu goes by many names. Sufu originated in China and is also
prepared in other Asian countries where variations of the product can be
found. I shall relate to the culture-product as sufu from here
on. Sufu is mostly sold
in the west, more common under the name, Preserved Bean-curd. The
product is commonly available from Asian grocery outlets. Strangely enough,
sufu virtually means spoiled tofu, due to the strong flavour and
pungent aroma. Sufu resembles the dairy equivalent in cheese,
Parmesan or Camembert and is sometimes referred to
as Chinese cheese. Vegans may find this amazing culture-food quite
useful as an important digestible source of protein, rich in enzymes and amino
acids. Sufu may satisfy cravings for cheese for individuals following a vegan
diet. Recent studies has
shown that the peptides in sufu are made up of 10 amino acids or less
Sufu is
prepared from approx. 2 cm [1 inch] cubes of tofu, which are initially
sterilized by steaming or blanching. The cubes are cooled and inoculated with
spores of the Mucor racemosus, Rhizopus spp. or
Actinomucor elegans mold. Su-fu can also br prepared
with the use of tempeh mold Rhizopus
oligosporus. The inoculated cubes of tofu are skewered with thin long
strips of bamboo and placed in a sealed cedar wood box and fermented at
approx. 30° C [86° F] for 3 days, or until the tofu is completely covered by a
white mycelium of mold. The molded tofu is placed in jars, and then filled
with brine. The brine may consist of approx. 12 % salt solution, rice wine or
approx. 10% alcohol.
Depending on the
variety of sufu, spices such as chili including sesame seed oil may be
included to flavour the product. The sufu is aged between some months to some
years before consumed. The aging process matures the sufu rendering the
initial firm fresh tofu, into a soft, butter-like consistency. This makes sufu
a highly digestible source of protein, due to the free amino acids converted
by protease enzyme activity during the ripening process. There is also a red
coloured variety of sufu prepared with the addition of Red Fermented Rice
[ange-kakin in China]. Red fermented rice added in powdered form to
the brine, produces a sufu with a natural red-colour due to strong red
pigments of red fermented rice.
