In a cast-iron skillet, add following spices: 1/4 tsp of black peppercorn, 1/4 tsp of white peppercorn, 1/4 tsp of fennel seeds, 2 pieces of clove, 1 piece of bay leaf, 1 piece of star anise, 1 small stick of cinnamon, 1/2 of a black cardamon, 1 slice of dried sand ginger. Toast them on low heat for 2-3 minutes.
Blend the spices as fine as possible. The tofu is going to be so soft. If the spicy mix is rough, it will ruin the texture.
Mix the spice powder with 1/2 cup of chili powder, and 2 tbsp of salt.
Boil the glass jars for 5 minutes to kill the bacteria. Put them into a 180 F oven upside down for 15 minutes. Just to dry them completely. Take them out and you are ready to put the tofu in.
Take 1 piece of the tofu. Remove any attaching lotus leaves. Gently put it into the spice mix. Coat all the surface evenly. Lightly shake off any excess spices. Put it in the jar.
We will heat some oil. Any vegetable oil will work. I am using peanut oil. Do not let the temperature go above the smoke point. Or else it will develop some burn oil flavor which can affect the final taste.
Peanut oil smoke point is 450 F. I am just gonna let it go up to 380 F. Heating the oil is to help to remove the raw oil taste. Turn off the heat. Cover the lid. Let it cool down to room temperature.
Pour the room temperature oil into the jar. I put a spoon in between so the oil doesn’t hit the tofu directly or else the impact force will break the tofu.
Make sure all the tofu is covered by the oil. You do want to leave about 1/2 inch of space between the oil and the top of the jar because it could overflow as the days go by.
Wait for another week and you can enjoy some nice delicious Chinese fermented tofu. Store it in the fridge. It will last for about 6 months.