Commissioned by Cosmopolitan Hong Kong on a feature reinventing Chinese preserved tofu (腐乳), in collaboration with Hugo from Fuzizoue (金譽手藝腐乳). Do you know that the weather and season influences the tastes of preserved tofu? Winter preserved tofu has a milder taste and softer texture with a strong soybean taste, summer preserved tofu has a strong alcoholic taste and taste sharper in general. 

In the feature, we explored the possibilities of this humble Chinese ingredient in a Chinese cheese board with winter preserved tofu and summer preserved tofu fruits like figs, apple and grapes. 

Other modern interpretation, preserved tofu marinated pork jowl with apple chips and fried eggplants with preserved tofu sauce. 

Excerpt from Cosmopolitan article: 

"腐乳嚐味法

很少人知道腐乳在不同季節釀造，其實有不同口感，Hugo就替大家補補腐乳冷知識：
1.冬、夏各異，春秋大同：其實腐乳在不同時期發酵是會有不同口感的。如夏天製的腐乳因濕度與溫度較高，口感會較強烈，米酒味更濃；冬天製的腐乳則味道綿蜜，豆味濃郁而香；至於介乎二者之間的春秋兩季，期間發酵的腐乳口味會是前兩者的平衡，比較溫和。在坊間買到的腐乳不會標明其季節性，唯只有手工腐乳方能有上述所說的口感差異。
2.腐乳的原配：腐乳入口之前，可先加砂糖，砂糖的甜是為中和腐乳的鹹。
3.黑腐乳放心食：由於腐乳汁變少，令到上面的腐乳粒露出一部分，造成氧化變灰或黑，屬正常現象，可照食無誤。
4.健康無添加：很多人以為腐乳是不健康的食物，錯晒！其實天然製的腐乳含豐富維他命B雜、氨基酸，以及鈣、磷、鐵等礦物質，易被人體吸收，不用擔心。"

Below Photo Credits: Cosmopolitan Hong Kong