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 Douhua in sugar syrup | |
| Alternative names | Doufuhua, doufunao, laodoufu, tofu pudding, soybean pudding |
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| Type | Snack |
| Place of origin | China |
| Region or state | East Asia andSoutheast Asia |
| Main ingredients | Tofu |
| tofu pudding | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Chinese | 豆腐花 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | bean curd flower | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Alternative Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 豆花 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 豆花 | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Second alternative Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 豆腐腦 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 豆腐脑 | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Douhua[a] is a Chinese sweet or savoury snack made with silkentofu. It is also referred to asdoufuhua ortau foo fah,[b]doufunao[c] in northern China,[2]tofu pudding,[3] andsoybean pudding.[4]
The earliest records of douhua date from theHan dynasty; it was called豆腐脑dòufunǎo, or "tofu brains", because of its softness.[5] In the next 2000 years, it gradually spread throughout China.[6]Ming dynasty scholars credited Han PrinceLiu An with inventing tofu and douhua as foods soft enough for his ailing mother to eat.[5]
During theSecond Sino-Japanese War,Sichuan became the political, economical, and military center ofFree China. The boss of a famous Douhua restaurant, Liu Xilu, learnt the methods of making beancurd from others and innovated on them until he finally came up with his own "secret recipe", which greatly improved its taste.[citation needed]
| Douhua | 豆花 | Taiwan,Sichuan,Yunnan,Guizhou,Hunan,Jiangxi,Fujian,Singapore; in northern China,douhua refers exclusively to sweet variants | In Fujian, brown sugar is added to sweet Douhua, while salted Douhua is flavored with dried radish, fried garlic, cilantro, dried shrimps, etc. In Taiwan, beans such asmung bean,red beans, and peeled peanuts are usually added, as well as soy milk, fruit, ortaro balls. |
| Doufuhua | 豆腐花 | Southern China,Hong Kong,Macau,Malaysia,Singapore | In Hong Kong and Macau,brown sugar, sweet-scentedosmanthus syrup, and ginger juice are usually added to Douhua. Chili oil or powder is normally added to it in southwest China. |
| Doufunao | 豆腐脑 | North China,Hubei,Anhui,Jiangsu,Henan,Shanghai,Zhejiang | Northerndoufunao (lit. "tofu brains") are often seasoned with "saltedstew", and Henan people usually eat it with local snacks. Tofu brains in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai are generally salty tofu brains like the northern ones. People in Hubei and Anhui also call it as tofu brain, but tofu brain in Hubei is generally added with white sugar, which is the sweet version. |
| Laodoufu | 老豆腐 | Tianjin | InTianjin cuisine, Northern-style savoury "tofu brain" is a common breakfast item known aslaodoufu (old tofu). |
| Doufusheng | 豆腐生 | Taizhou, Zhejiang | Sweet Douhua there is topped with syrup and some sweet-scented osmanthus; the salty one is topped with mustard tuber, seaweed, spring onion, etc. |
| Nendoufu | 嫩豆腐 | Hubei | In Hubei, people call spicy Douhua "silk tofu." |
Variants ofdouhua can be broadly divided into three groups: savoury (鹹), spicy (辣), and sweet (甜). Traditionally, sweetdouhua was mainly distributed inSouth China and Hong Kong, and was introduced to Taiwan and Southeast Asia; saltydouhua was mainly distributed in northern China, and spicydouhua was mainly distributed in southwest China.[7]
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In Northern China, Douhua is often eaten withsoy sauce, resulting in a savoury flavor. Each region may differ in seasonings. Inland cities add chopped meat,pickles orzha cai, and mushrooms, while coastal cities add seaweed and small shrimp. Tofu brains can be found at breakfast stands along the streets in the morning, usually with eggs oryoutiao (fried dough sticks).[8]
InSichuan and neighboringShaanxi,doufunao is often flavored with chilli oil andSichuan peppers to make it spicy. It is served bycarrying pole or bicycle vendors with several condiments such as chili oil, soy sauce, scallions, and nuts.
InHubei,Hunan andJiangxi, sugar is added directly to the tofu curd without adding any other condiments. This way of eating best retains the original flavor of tofu curd (bean curd).
In southern China, Douhua is often eaten with sweet flavoring. Southern China often refers to Douhua as tofu pudding. It is served with sweet ginger or clear syrup. In summer, people eat cold Douhua to relieve themselves of the heat. In winter, people add hot sweet water and beans into Douhua to dispel cold. Hong Kong people addsesame paste into Douhua.
Taiwanese and Cantonesedouhua are a symbol of southern Chinese cuisine, and often served as a part ofyum cha.[9] Known astofu fa, it can also be found sold in small stores on the side of popular hiking trails and beaches in Hong Kong.[10]
In Southeast Asia,douhua is almost always sweet, although condiments vary widely.
In thePhilippines, it is more commonly known astaho. It is a fresh silken tofu served in sweet brown syrup and sago pearls. It is usually peddled byhawkers in the mornings, by door-to-door or in public plazas, or outside churches. In some regional variations, taho is often served with sugarcane syrup, ube syrup or strawberry syrup.
In Java, it is known askembang tahu,ꦮꦺꦢꦁꦠꦲꦸwedang tahu "hot tofu soup" ortahwa derived fromHokkientau hwe. They are usually sold byhawkers. It is served warm or cold with palm sugar syrup that has been flavored with pandan leaves and ginger.[citation needed]
InMalaysia andSingapore, it is more commonly known by its namestau hua ortau huay inHokkien; andtau fu fa inCantonese,[1] with the latter being more common in Malaysia. InPenang, the common term istau hua, due toHokkien being its dominant local Chinese language. InKelantan, the dish is known aspati soya (lit. 'soy essence').[citation needed]
It is usually served either with a clear sweet syrup alone, withginkgo seeds suspended in the syrup, or in a sugar syrup infused withpandan. Alternatively, it can also be served withgula melaka syrup.
InThailand, it is known by its ChineseHokkien nametaohuai (เต้าฮวย). It is usually served cold with milk and fruit salad, which is known astaohuai nom sot (เต้าฮวยนมสด, literally "douhua in fresh milk") ortaohuai fruit salad (เต้าฮวยฟรุตสลัด), or served hot with ginger syrup, which is known astaohuai nam khing (เต้าฮวยน้ำขิง).
InVietnam, it is known astàu hủ nước đường,tàu hủ hoa ortào phớ,đậu hủ,tàu hủ. It varies in three regions in Vietnam:
Vietnamese sweet tofu is generally the same, sometimes it will changes based on summer or winter seasons.
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Douhua is rich in nutrients, containsiron,calcium,phosphorus,magnesium and othertrace elements necessary for the human body. It also containssugar,vegetable oil, and high-qualityprotein. The digestion and absorption rate of tofu is more than 95%.
In addition to its function of increasing nutrition and helping digestion, tofu is also beneficial to the growth and development of teeth and bones. It can increase iron element in people's blood in thehematopoietic function; tofu does not containcholesterol, which is very beneficial to people withhypertension,high blood lipids,hypercholesterolemia,arteriosclerosis, andcoronary artery disease. It is a valuablefood supplement for children and the elders.[11]
Tofu is rich inphytoestrogens as well, which has an effect on preventing and inhibitingosteoporosis,breast cancer,prostate cancer, andblood cancer. Thesterols andstigmasterol in tofu are both effective ingredients for suppressing cancer.[12]
The dessert is also sold in North AmericanAsian supermarkets in plastic containers.
Like all tofu, douhua must have acoagulant, oftengluconolactone for smoothness as compared with other coagulants.
Tofu pudding made from agarwood, edible gum, and seaweed extracts is more like soy milk-flavored jelly pudding. Because it melts into liquid soy milk when heated, it can only be eaten at room temperature, but the success rate of making it is extremely high. It is high and easy, so it is widely used.
Tofu pudding was featured on theNetflix TV series,Street Food, in theChiayi, Taiwan episode.[13]
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