Fermentation?

I have to admit, I have always been a bit weary of anything that is fermented. Somehow I can't shake the image of mold or that musty smell that organisms secrete when they anaerobically metabolise. So, when Frank told me he was cooking dinner for me and he was going to use fermented bean curd, I got a little nervous. Luckily, he made this really good dish with on choy, a green Chinese vegetable that kind of looks like watercress with longer stems, and fermented bean curd. Here's what he did:


1. Heat olive oil in a frying pan or wok (a wok is probably better to use since the veggies will fall back into the center of the wok by themselves) and add 3 cloves of garlic to the hot oil. I prefer my garlic minced, but if you like to bite down on pieces of garlic, definitely feel free to slice it or throw it in whole.

2. Add on choy to the oil. (Before adding the veggie, make sure it is washed and cut into thirds lengthwise.) If there is a lot of veggie and a little pan, cook the stuff in batches.

3. Stir the on choy, it will shrink down a lot. Like, a lot a lot. Add a little water or veggie broth to create a "sauce."

4. Add a few tablespoons of fermented bean curd. This measurement is so imprecise, because it really depends on how much you like the taste of the bean curd. I liked it, but definitely err on the side of caution in the first batch. It's easy to add and hard to remove a flavor! Also, don't be scared by the smell of the bean curd- it tastes better than it smells, i promise!

Note: We used veggie broth when we cooked this dish, but the sauce ended up looking kind of gray after we added the bean curd. So, I think it might be a better idea to add water, instead of broth, to keep the broth a nice tan color. If the sauce seems too water, just mix the water with 1/2 tbsp of corn starch, and then add to the pan. Also, I feel like chicken broth could be substituted too, if you like that flavor.

P.S. Thanks for dinner, Frank!