Intense, salty and highly distinctive, fermented tofu is not to be trifled with

The fermented tofu blocks known in Cantonese as fu yu and naam yu are two of the most distinctive and unusual seasonings used in southern Chinese cookery. Some people call them "Chinese cheese" because of the smell and the rich, funky flavour. Real cheese, however, is made from milk and/or cream while fu yu and naam yu are made from soybeans.

Both fu yu and naam yu are smooth, intense and salty. They're sold (usually in jars) with some of the brine solution in which they were fermented: fu yu is a creamy off-white while naam yu has a reddish tinge that comes from red rice wine lees. Both can be flavoured with flecks of dried chillies.

The easiest way to eat fu yu is to serve a small block of it with steamed white rice, the blandness of which will balance the fermented tofu's saltiness. Fu yu and naam yu can be served with (or cooked with) meats such as mutton or pork, because the strong flavours of the meat will stand up to the intensity of the tofu. The Cantonese winter claypot dish of mutton (or lamb) with dried beancurd sheets, mushrooms and bamboo shoots is traditionally served with a small dish of mashed fu yu, which you can stir into the sauce or dab onto the chunks of meat before eating them.

My mother makes a delicious fried pork rib dish with naam yu. She mashes a couple of blocks of the tofu and mixes it with soy sauce, a splash of rice wine, sliced garlic and fresh red chillies, then mixes the paste with ribs that have been cut through the bone into 2cm pieces. Marinate the ribs for a couple of hours (or longer), then dredge them in starch - preferably water chestnut flour (which gives a fantastic crunch) or cornstarch mixed with flour in equal proportions. Deep fry the ribs, drain on paper towels and serve with steamed white rice and stir-fried vegetables.