A deep white porcelain bowl holds tofu cubes coated in reddish-brown chili sauce, with dried red chilies, Sichuan peppercorns and star anise nestled among the cubes, with wooden chopsticks resting beside the bowl.
Furu is tofu that is pressed, grown with mold, then salted and jarred in a brine of rice wine, liquor, chili or red yeast rice, and eaten as a condiment with congee, rice and steamed buns and used in braises. Li Rihua’s Ming-period Penglong Yehua describes people in Yi county, Anhui making it in summer and autumn, and Li Huanan’s Qing-period Xingyuan Lu contains a recipe; neither original text was consulted here, and no year is given. The Wang Zhihe craft of Beijing is a national intangible cultural heritage item of the 2nd batch (2008); its founding in 1669 and shop opening in 1678 are dates given by the business itself, with the 1669 account coming from legend.
What
Furu is tofu that is pressed into cubes, grown with mold, then salted and left to ripen in a brine. The brine takes rice wine, liquor, chili or red yeast rice, which gives white, red and other kinds. It is salty, savory and soft, eaten as a condiment with congee, rice and steamed buns and used in braises.1,4,5,6
When
The Ming-period Penglong Yehua by Li Rihua describes people in Yi county, Anhui making furu in summer and autumn, and the Qing-period Xingyuan Lu by Li Huanan contains a recipe; neither original text was consulted here, no year is given, and the listed sources contain no earlier text. Tofu’s Han origins and the refinement of furu making in the Qing are general background. The founding of Wang Zhihe in Beijing in 1669 and its shop opening in 1678 are dates given by the business itself; the 1669 account comes from legend and is unverified.1,2,3
Where
Furu is made in many places. Suzhou’s is delicate and yellowish white, Beijing’s is red and sweeter, Guangdong has red nanru and white kinds, Sichuan, Yunnan and Guizhou make spicier ones, Shaoxing’s is wine-scented, and Hunan has its own styles; in the Ming period it also reached Japan’s Ryukyu islands. The national heritage listing is for the Wang Zhihe craft of Haidian District, Beijing.1,2
How
The tofu is pressed dry and cut, left to grow mold, then salted and jarred in a brine to ripen. One home recipe boils the tofu for 5 minutes, presses it dry, cuts it into cubes and leaves them loosely covered for 3 days until yellow and orange mold shows, then jars them in a wine brine for at least 3 months; another uses a bought starter culture, ferments the cubes for 3 to 5 days at 20 to 30 degrees Celsius until furry, dips them in liquor, coats them with salt and chili, and jars them for at least 2 weeks. Red furu uses red yeast rice.1,5,6
Why
The Wang Zhihe story and its year come from legend: a batch of unsold tofu was starting to spoil, so he salted it by his hometown method and found it strong-smelling but delicious.2,3
Impact and influence
The Wang Zhihe craft is listed as a national intangible cultural heritage item of the 2nd batch in 2008 (no. VIII-157). Furu reached Japan’s Ryukyu islands in the Ming period.1,2
Legend has it that Wang Zhihe was a scholar from Anhui who failed the examination in Beijing in 1669 and stayed on, selling tofu to live. Unsold tofu began to spoil, so he salted it by his hometown method and found it strong-smelling but delicious, and he opened a shop in 1678. Chinese Wikipedia says this year comes from legend and is not verified, and it records another account, from a county gazetteer, that makes him a man of Wuqing.
Told in: Told in the history the Wang Zhihe house gives of itself and in the national heritage entry, both in Beijing; Chinese Wikipedia says the 1669 account comes from legend and is not verified.
This is a simplified home version, not the traditional restaurant method.
Making furu at home takes patience and care, because one stage lets the tofu grow mold. This is my home version, with amounts and times following a named author’s recipe on a recipe blog that molds the tofu in the air and ages it in a wine brine: the tofu is boiled, pressed dry, cubed, left out for 3 days, then jarred in a salted brine with Shaoxing wine for at least 3 months. Another named author’s method, which uses a bought starter culture and gives a Sichuan flavor, is in the tips. Furu is very salty, so a small piece goes a long way.
Ingredients
Medium-firm tofu 700 g
Salt (for the boiling water) 1 tablespoon, in the water for boiling the tofu
Water (for the brine) 360 ml (1.5 cups)
Salt (for the brine) 3 tablespoons
Sugar 1 tablespoon
Dried chilies 2, seeded and finely chopped, optional
Sichuan peppercorns 1/2 teaspoon, optional
Star anise 1, optional
Shaoxing rice wine 120 ml (1/2 cup)
Steps
Bring a pot of water with 1 tablespoon of salt to a boil, with enough water to cover the tofu, add the tofu and simmer 5 minutes.
Lay the tofu on a few paper towels, cover it with more towels and weigh it down with something heavy. Change the towels when they are soaked and repeat until the tofu is as dry as you can get it.
Cut the pressed tofu into cubes and set them on fresh paper towel on a plate, not touching. Cover loosely with a plastic bag so dust does not settle on them and leave them in a warm, dark place for 3 days.
On day 3 check the cubes: they should show yellow and orange mold and smell somewhat pungent. If not, cover them and wait another day. If there is a lot of black or green mold, the recipe says the batch has failed and should be restarted. If you have any doubt, do not eat it, throw it out and start again.
Make the brine: boil the water, 3 tablespoons of salt, the sugar, Sichuan peppercorns and star anise (but not the chilies) for a couple of minutes, let it cool completely, stir in the Shaoxing wine, then strain out the spices.
With clean, dry chopsticks, put half the cubes in one jar for the plain version. Roll the other half in the chopped chili to coat it and put those in a second jar for the spicy version. Pour in enough brine to cover the tofu and close the lids.
Keep the jars in a warm, dark place for at least 3 months; the recipe’s author found the tofu not ready at one month, and the flavor keeps developing. Take out one cube at a time with clean, dry chopsticks, and once opened keep the jar in the dark or in the refrigerator.
Tips
Both named recipes warn that mold can go wrong: one says a lot of black or green mold means the batch has failed, the other says natural molding can grow harmful molds, which is why it uses a bought starter. My rule at home is that if I have any doubt I throw the whole batch out and do not try to eat it.
The other recipe uses a bought starter culture: the cubes are dipped in starter water and left 3 to 5 days at 20 to 30 degrees Celsius until furry, then each is dipped in liquor, coated with salt, chili flakes and Sichuan pepper powder, jarred for at least 2 weeks, then refrigerated, where it keeps up to 6 months. Its author also notes that furu is high in sodium and should be eaten in moderation.
