Tastes As Great As Its Name

Stinky tofu and blood soup
(Lee’s Garden, Alhambra CA; Dynasty Plaza, Rowland Heights CA)

Stinky tofu, no further description needed

Think of the gleeful cries of joy when you tell the kids to get in the Wagon Queen Family Truckster for a road trip to get some stinky tofu just like momma used to make. I know, the wave of excitement is indescribable, after all, who wouldn’t want to try the Taiwanese taste treat without having to fly there? If this sounds like you, then I have the answer to your culinary prayers at Lee’s Garden in Alhambra, California. Lee’s Garden is in a storefront of a strip mall that you might drive past several times without realizing it’s there. Hui, a friend who turns us on to some amazing and unusual Chinese cuisine told us about the place and mentioned that they had other food unusual to our Western sensibilities that we might enjoy. The sign is slightly smaller than its next door neighbor, Dr. Lee’s Family Dentistry – I’m not sure if there is a link between the two but I feel not knowing in this case makes me a happier person. Inside is a testament to simplicity – no cork sculptures or laminated panels on the wall here, just tables, chairs and a hand-written menu on a big whiteboard that changes daily. We knew we wanted an order of the stinky tofu (which was listed on the menu as “fried odor bean curd”, a delectable title to be sure), but when I saw pork blood soup and chitterlings with garlic sauce I was sold.

Hui escorts us to Lees Garden in Alhambra

The soup was brought out first, a stark contrast to my premonition of a dark red cauldron of bubbling brew. The broth was relatively clear, allowing a look at the various ingredients including lemon grass, chunks of coagulated pig’s blood and the extra added bonus of chitterlings. The blood didn’t really have the usual metallic taste – it was smoother, like a sweet blood Jell-O, which tasted good with the broth. The chitterlings added more texture than flavor, making it a nice, well rounded soup choice. The chitterling appetizer had a firmer texture than the pig guts in the soup, with garlic and chilies being the predominant flavors. I imagine the intestines were cleaned well, since there was no insidious aftertaste or bad intestine juju vibe sneaking in from underneath. Both were good enough to finish off and still leave room for the pièce de résistance, the stinky tofu.

An epic battle between man and stinky tofu

The tofu was an adventure for the senses. Bringing one of the spongy cubes up to my mouth exposed me to a whiff of the pungent, funky odor that gives the dish its name. The tofu was served with a brown, spicy sauce to the side, but I wanted to try it naked. A little sauce snuck its way into the first bite, and as soon as it hit the tongue, a wide range of things started happening. The tofu was hell hot, and quick reflexes prevented me from burning my tongue. The frying at high temperature locked in the funk, which was released on the first bite, wending its way up into my nasal passages from the back of my mouth. The spice from the brown sauce acted as a tease and a diversion, but the strong smell of the tofu itself demanded the most attention. It is such a curious dish that you find yourself eating it slowly to get all the different subtleties of flavor and aroma.

Frying the funk in the window of Dynasty Plaza

For a crispier stinky tofu with a bit more crunch to it, one need not search any further than Rowland Heights, California. You should be able to find Dynasty Plaza easily by smell; the clouds of seemingly toxic vapors will hit you well before you spot the tiny two-table restaurant tucked in a paved courtyard. Stinky tofu is their forte; there’s hours of entertainment value to be had by watching the spongy cakes of funk floating on a sea of hot oil like odiferous little pillows in the front window. Once you’ve witnessed the chef frying up the stinky tofu, you’ll never go back to watching the donuts come tubing down Cholesterol River at the Krispy Kreme. A small basket containing three of the stink bombs (each about the size of a small bar of soap) will set you back about five bucks; it is accompanied by what looks and tastes like kimchi and a dab of tasty red chili paste. Although the tofu at Lee’s Garden has a bit more funkiness to it, Dynasty Plaza’s are spongier (they’re filled with tiny air pockets, probably a side effect of the fermentation process) with a wonderful crispiness on the outside. They are fermented for about a week (which is typical of stinky tofu), but the proprietor explained that they’ve had to tone down the stinkiness by request of the Board of Health in recent times (who must think the name is just a catch phrase).

On the whole, my food adventures at Lee’s Garden and Dynasty Plaza were a success, and I was happy to be able to take in three new tastes (and smells). Stinky tofu is not a dish for the faint of heart or an acute sense of smell, but it can be had for much less than the price of a ticket to Taiwan. Trust me, I can smell a good deal from a mile away, and the thought of passing up this opportunity just plain stinks

Lee’s Garden
1428 S. Atlantic Blvd
Alhambra, CA 91803
GPS coordinates: 34° 4’37.73″N 118° 8’1.18″W

Dynasty Plaza
Eastwood Village Shopping Center
18414 Colima Road, #S-2
Rowland Heights, CA 91748
GPS coordinates: 33°59’10.56″N 117°54’10.97″W

See images of stinky tofu, blood soup and chitterlings from Lee’s Garden and Dynasty Plaza

See video of Val eating stinky tofu, pork blood soup and chitlins at Lee’s Garden in Alhambra, CA: