A couple of years ago, I was traveling in Malaysia for a business trip. One fine evening, my colleagues and I decided to explore the narrow streets of Kuala Lumpur and try the famous street-side food festival called “Pasar Malam,” which literally translates to Night Market. The passage between the stalls was heavenly, with tasty delights on both sides. If you ever get a chance to travel to Southeast Asia, always explore the night food market.
These markets are usually set up in the evening and offer a wide range of goods and services, including food, clothing, toys, souvenirs, and other items. The atmosphere at a Pasar Malam is lively and festive, with vendors shouting out their wares and shoppers haggling over prices. Visitors can try a variety of local delicacies and snacks, listen to live music, and soak up the vibrant energy of the market. Pasar Malams are a great way to experience the local culture and connect with the community, and they offer a unique shopping experience that is not to be missed.
The Pasar Malams in Malaysia or Singapore has some local delights like the famous Ramly Burgers, Murtabak, Laksa Char Kuey Teow, Satay, and a lot more. Okay, so let’s get back to the icing on the Pasar Malam. None of us were locals in the group and hence were still exploring the market to pick our favorites, and that’s when it hit me like a punch from a seasoned boxer. The smell was familiar; I had encountered it somewhere in the back of my memory lane, so it took some time to identify. It was the smell of a sewer. It’s not uncommon in India to have street-side stalls besides public drainage systems, but I wasn’t expecting that in Kuala Lumpur. As I started moving into the market, the smell kept getting stronger, and this time it took a new form: a mix of sewer meets damp socks meets rotten milk. I’m not exaggerating; my intentions are still to keep it appetizing for you, and maybe I’m not doing a great job here, but this is the best I can do.
Well, when we reached the eye of the storm, we were quite used to the stench. It was the famous stinky tofu which I always wanted to try. It was the first time I was a bit scared to try some food, and I have had balut on the recent trip to the Philippines, which deserves a separate lamenting of its own. So, I took the lead and convinced my colleagues to try this once-in-a-lifetime experience. I wasn’t standing on solid ground after I made them try the Balut in the Philippines; alas, they wanted me to walk the talk and to follow the lead if I survived the first five minutes. I rolled up my sleeves and went for it.
Before I can give my review of the tofu, I must give you a brief description of this food. It’s crispy on the outside, soft and gooey on the inside, with a taste that’s both savoury and slightly sour with a distinct earthy and musky undertone. The fermentation process gives it a complex flavour profile, with depth and richness. Some people also describe it as having a “mushroomy” flavor, which pairs well with the crispy texture of the exterior. Overall, the taste of stinky tofu is an acquired one, but for those who appreciate bold and intense flavours, it can be a real treat.
I went for the fried option; the tofu was deep-fried and served with pickled Julienne of carrots and radish and sweet syrup to add some sweetness to the savory and sour taste of the tofu. When I took the first bite, it felt as if someone had opened the gates of the sewer into the Yamuna, but instead of Yamuna, it was my mouth. My first reaction was to spit it out, but I kept chewing while maintaining a poker face, as if I was admiring the hidden notes of a classic opera. After the first few seconds, the reek started fading away and the texture and taste kicked in. Trust me, it was awesome. The crispy exterior and the smooth interior with that savory and sour umami taste were one of the most unique tastes I have ever had. I went for another bite, and this time, the smell didn’t bother me. As if our souls were one, as the Sufi saint Bule Shah would say, “ranjha ranjha kardi hun main aape ranjha hoyi.” Now, I was part of the smell, and the aura of stinky tofu had engulfed me completely. I kept going for seconds. Seeing my enthusiasm, others jumped in as well. Mostly failed, some survived, and only a few could fathom the complex flavor profile of this unique beauty. I have a theory when it comes to food: “if a food has passed the test of time and is being accepted by a population, it has to be good.” Some food is comfort food, which is easy to adapt to, like French fries, and some are very complex, which has to be tried and acquired before it can be enjoyed, like the smelly French cheese from Normandy. Stinky tofu would sit at the extreme end of the spectrum of the acquired taste, and it would sit there as an undefeated champion for quite some time until I find another one to match its mettle. When Chiang kai-shek escaped the PRC to establish Taiwan, he took a part of China in the form of culture, tradition and pre communist ideology and another thing he took along was stinky tofu, which later became the most favourite snack of the country. Today Taiwan has the best stinky tofu in the world with fried, steamed, braised options. It must have been a tough journey to escape China and to start a nation from scratch, such endeavours need perseverance, strength and undying spirit which is equally displayed in the character of stinky tofu which was the survival food for them during those times. Like Taiwan stands as a tiger in front of the mighty dragon, even stinky tofu stands undefeated in front of the ever evolving fast food market. When we had stinky tofu in the Pasar malam in Kuala lumpur we actually tasted the soft diplomacy of Taiwan.