Several times I have purchased dried bean curd in sheets from chinese
grocery stores. I use it in homemade hot and sour soup. After a very
short period of time (less than 6 months) it seems to acquire a stale,
almost rancid odor. I am not sure if it comes from the store like
this or not. I am able to remove this odor/flavor after soaking in
warm water and making several water chages, but is this normal? I
have several questions. Does dried bean curd have a very short shelf
life, or does it normaly need to be soaked to remove the "off" flavor?
I don't think it sits for a long time in the high volume chinese
grocery. If you know, I'd sure love to hear about your experience.

wrote:
: Several times I have purchased dried bean curd in sheets from chinese
: grocery stores. I use it in homemade hot and sour soup. After a very
: short period of time (less than 6 months) it seems to acquire a stale,
: almost rancid odor.

Yes, I can't keep it for long, either. It begins to smell like
paint to me, and then I toss it. But we use it so often that I don't
usually have this problem. Right now I have the leftovers of a
daikon/dried-bean-curd/soybean stew in the refrigerator.
--thelma