Furu

Furu (Fermented Milk Curd, Northern-Style)

Furu is China's traditional fermented milk curd, a salty-savory condiment with a flavor often compared to a soft, creamy cheese crossed with aged miso. Northern-style furu uses rice wine and mild spices, giving a smooth, mellow profile that pairs beautifully with congee, steamed buns, or plain rice.

Prep

45 min

Cook

30 min

Total

75 min

Serves

About 350 g (12 oz) finished furu

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •1000 ml (4¼ cups) whole milk, cow's milk, not ultra-high-temperature if possible; raw or pasteurized both work
• •30 ml (2 tbsp) rice vinegar or white vinegar, for curdling; lemon juice also works
• •20 g (4 tsp) salt, non-iodized preferred
• •45 ml (3 tbsp) Shaoxing rice wine, or any Chinese rice wine (huangjiu); not Japanese sake
• •5 g (1 tsp) fresh ginger juice, grate 10 g ginger and squeeze
• •10 g (2 tsp) ground dried red chili (optional), adjust to taste; northern style usually keeps it mild
• •1 g (¼ tsp) ground Sichuan pepper (optional), for northern style
• •2 g (½ tsp) starter culture or aged furu, a small piece of mature furu, or ¼ tsp dried Geotrichum candidum/Rhizopus mix; without starter, fermentation will be unreliable

Steps

1. 1 Pour the milk into a heavy-bottomed pot and heat slowly over medium heat to about 82 °C (180 °F), stirring occasionally to prevent scorching. Do not let it boil vigorously.
2. 2 Remove from the heat and let the milk cool to roughly 70 °C (158 °F). Stir in the rice vinegar slowly in a thin stream. The milk will separate into white curds and yellowish whey. Let it stand, covered, for 15 minutes.
3. 3 Line a fine-mesh sieve or colander with cheesecloth (muslin) and set it over a bowl. Pour the curds and whey through to drain. Gather the corners of the cloth and gently press (do not squeeze hard) until most of the whey has drained, about 10-15 minutes. You should have roughly 200 g of soft curds.
4. 4 Transfer the curds to a clean bowl. Add the salt, Shaoxing wine, ginger juice, chili, Sichuan pepper (if using), and the starter culture. Mash thoroughly with a spoon or your (clean) hands until smooth and evenly seasoned.
5. 5 Pack the seasoned curd tightly into small sterilized glass jars (about 150-180 ml each), leaving 1 cm (½ in) of headspace. Smooth the top and pour a thin film (about ½ tsp) of rice wine or clear spirits over the surface to discourage unwanted mold.
6. 6 Cover the jars loosely (set the lid on top but do not seal tightly) and place them in a cool, dark spot at 18-22 °C (64-72 °F). Ferment for 5 to 10 days. By day 5 you should see a faint bloom of white or pale-yellow mold and a noticeable savory, cheesy aroma. If any mold appears black, pink, or fuzzy and aggressive, discard the batch.
7. 7 Once fermented to your liking, seal the jars and store in the refrigerator. Furu will keep for 3-4 months refrigerated. The flavor deepens noticeably after 1-2 weeks of cold aging. Serve 1-2 teaspoons as a condiment with congee, mantou, steamed vegetables, or rice.
8. 8 Food safety note: This recipe relies on controlled fermentation rather than a thermal kill step. Use clean equipment throughout, source milk that has been properly refrigerated, and discard the batch if it ever smells foul (rotten, ammonia-like) rather than pleasantly savory and tangy. Pregnant people, young children, the elderly, and immunocompromised individuals should avoid homemade fermented dairy products.