Taiwanese-style crispy chicken wings (with bones) at Mian, 48 Pan Hoi Street, Quarry Bay. 02OCT13   [17OCT13 48HRS] (Photo by Nora Tam/South China Morning Post via Getty Images)
Food - Drink
The Unique Ingredient That Elevates Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken
By TALIN VARTANIAN
Taiwanese popcorn chicken is a delicious but lesser-known variety of fried chicken that is enveloped in a crispy coating and flavored with Thai basil, rice wine, oyster sauce, paprika, salt, and peppercorns. If you really want to kick up the umami flavor of this chicken dish, try marinating the meat using a secret ingredient.
Fermented bean curd, also known as fermented tofu or tofu cheese, is made by processing tofu, salt, rice wine, and other ingredients into seasoning cubes with a runny, soft consistency. Fermented bean curd can be spicy, tangy, or sweet, but is always powerfully salty, which is too much on its own, but a game-changer for marinades.
One or two cubes of fermented tofu will add a pop of complex savory flavor to your Taiwanese fried chicken, but you can start with just one cube to see how it tastes. Wok and Kin suggests using white fermented bean curd instead of the stronger red-colored cubes, and mash it into a paste before adding it to your chicken marinade.