Stinky tofu

Stinky tofu coming out of the fryer at the Xincheng Night Market in Taiwan, with a tub of raw blocks waiting beside the basket. The smell comes from soaking the tofu in a fermented brine, and you will usually notice it long before you spot the stall. Fried hard, the cubes turn crisp and golden outside while the middle stays soft and hot. They are handed over in a paper bowl with a splash of sauce and a heap of pickled cabbage, whose sour crunch is what makes the whole thing work. Eat it fast: it loses its crust as it sits.