臭豆腐 (NT$70) — Taipei stinky tofu!
Taipei night market 臭豆腐 (stinky tofu) at NT$70 — fermented tofu deep-fried crispy, served with pickled cabbage and sweet-chilli sauce. Acquired taste, deeply addictive.
Taipei night market dinner stop with BB — 臭豆腐 (stinky tofu) at NT$70. The most divisive Taiwanese street food and one you either love or never order again.
We ordered:
- 臭豆腐 (deep-fried stinky tofu with pickled cabbage) — NT$70
The smell hits before the plate does. Properly fermented stinky tofu has that pungent funky aroma that tourists either find unbearable or addictive. After three or four bites you stop smelling it altogether — the body adapts and the flavour underneath comes through cleanly.
This stall’s version had the right format. Cubed tofu fermented in a vegetable-and-shrimp brine for days, then deep-fried until the outside cracked into a crispy golden shell while the inside stayed soft and pillowy. Three or four large cubes served on the plate, topped with a generous mound of pickled cabbage (the cooling, slightly sour vegetable that’s the proper pairing).
Sweet chilli sauce on the side or drizzled across the top. Garlic-soy dip for those who want extra depth. The eating ritual is bite-pickled-cabbage-then-bite-tofu — the pickle cuts through the funk and resets the palate between mouthfuls.
The crispy shell is the test. Bad stinky tofu goes greasy in the fry; good stinky tofu stays crackling-crisp with the interior melting. The tofu inside was the proper texture — soft, almost custardy, with the fermented depth coming through against the crispy exterior.
NT$70 (~SGD $3.20) is street pricing. The Shilin and Raohe night markets price stinky tofu at this range across all stalls.
Some foods are worth the cultural plunge. Stinky tofu is one of them.
Overall: 4.3 / 5. 😋👍🏼 Acquired but excellent — keep ordering it every Taipei trip.
