Can pregnant women eat stinky tofu?

Stinky tofu is a special snack that has been popular for a long time. It is of course famous for its unique stinky smell. Stinky tofu is divided into many types according to different production methods in different places, such as Beijing stinky tofu, Nanjing stinky tofu, Shaoxing stinky tofu, etc. Among them, Shaoxing stinky tofu is the most famous, with excellent production method and unique taste. It smells very stinky but tastes very fragrant.

Stinky tofu is made by frying, so pregnant women should not eat it. Fried foods are not easy to digest and contain a lot of heavy metals. However, eating a small amount will not have much impact. After all, when you are pregnant, you may want to eat certain things very much.

Production process of stinky tofu:

Beijing stinky tofu

Stinky tofu is made from high-quality soybeans that are high in protein. It is made through multiple processes including soaking the beans, grinding, filtering the pulp, adding brine, early fermentation, pickling, filling with soup, and late fermentation.

(1) Making tofu: Soak soybeans in water, wash with clean water, replace with 20-25 kg of clean water, grind into a thin paste with a stone mill, add the same amount of warm water as the paste, mix well, put into a cloth bag, squeeze out the milk, add boiling water into the bean dregs, mix well and squeeze again, so that the bean dregs do not get on your hands. When the soy milk has been squeezed out, skim off the foam, put the milk into a pot and boil it over high heat, pour it into a jar, add gypsum juice, and stir with a wooden stick. After stirring for about 15-20 turns, you can drip a little water. If it mixes with the milk, it means that the gypsum juice is not enough and you need to add some more gypsum juice and stir again. If the water dropped in is not mixed with the pulp, it will become tofu pudding after about 20 minutes. Scoop the tofu pudding into a wooden box, cover it with a wooden board, press it with heavy stones, and squeeze out the moisture to make tofu.

To make stinky tofu, the tofu must be of special quality, pressed harder than the tofu we usually eat, but softer than dried tofu.

(2) Fermentation: Place the prepared tofu on the shelves one by one. The wooden shelves can hold more than ten layers of tofu and allow ventilation in the middle. Apply salt and add mold (dissolve the fungus in water and dip your fingers in it and flick it on the tofu). Place it in a ventilated room without direct sunlight for two to three days. In summer, the temperature in the room can be around 32 degrees. The tofu will grow an inch-long white hair, which is mold.

(3) Post-fermentation processing: Put alum into a bucket, pour in boiling water and stir with a stick, put in tofu and soak for about 2 hours, then take out the tofu and cool it. Then soak the tofu in the brine for about 3 to 5 hours in spring and autumn, about 2 hours in summer, and about 6 to 10 hours in winter. After soaking, take out, wash it lightly with cold boiled water, and drain the water.

(4) Further processing according to the tastes and characteristics of different regions.

Through the production of Beijing stinky tofu, everyone can understand the production of stinky tofu. Although the whole process is still relatively troublesome, it is still worth it for the sake of delicious food. The stinky tofu you make at home is clean and hygienic, and it is safer to eat. Pregnant women should eat less or no stinky tofu. There are no taboos for other groups of people and they can eat it.