Douhua is a Chinese dessert made from silky tofu, served hot or cold in sweet or savory forms. It is popular in Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, and other countries, with various toppings and accompaniments. Making it at home can be challenging, but involves coagulating soy milk with gypsum powder and cornstarch.
Douhua, also known as dòufuhua or tou foo fa, is a Chinese dessert made from silky tofu. It is a form of tofu pudding made by coagulating soy milk into soft curds. The word itself translates as “softer than tofu.” The dish is served hot or cold and comes in both sweet and savory forms. It is typically served hot with a little sweet ginger syrup.
Delicate jellied tofu takes center stage in this dish, and many bicycle or stick vendors serve it with an array of toppings. Foot vendors usually have poles slung across their shoulders, supporting two large baskets. One contains very hot and silky tofu and the other is filled with a variety of accompaniments and bowls. This dessert is very popular in Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. It is also found in Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines, the way it is consumed varies from country to country.
In Vietnam, it can be served with spicy ginger, jasmine or coconut water. It can be mixed with black sesame paste in its Cantonese form. Douhua made in Sichuan comes with nuts and Sichuan pepper, and can also be eaten with rice. The most interesting version of douhua is found in Taiwan, where it is served with sugar syrup and topped with red adzuki beans, green mung beans, crunchy dry soybeans, and jellies. Tapioca pearls, green onions, oatmeal and peanuts are some of the other toppings used by the vendors.
In winter, douhua is served hot to warm the bones, while in summer, it is served cold with ice to provide some relief from the heat. Savory versions of douhua can come with a variety of exotic ingredients. Su rou douhau contains pieces of breaded, crispy and fried pork, while san zi douhou is served with strips of fried dough. Niu rou douhua contains hot stewed beef. Some dispensers may add a little lemon to give it a tangy flavor.
Making this dish at home can be quite challenging for a variety of reasons. The texture of the tofu should be soft and smooth, similar to puddings, and unless each step is followed correctly, the tofu comes out watery. Some prefer to make it from scratch using soy, but other cooks can use sweetened soy milk to shorten the process. If made from scratch, soybeans are soaked in water for a couple of hours, liquefied, and strained with a fine cloth. The resulting soy milk is cooked until bubbly, preferably in a clay pot, which regulates the heat and keeps the milk from burning easily.
Gypsum powder is dissolved in hot water and a little cornstarch is added to the resulting paste. The powder acts as a coagulating agent, while the cornstarch thickens the mixture. The boiling soy milk is taken off the stove and the paste is lightly stirred into it. It is then set aside to coagulate and the dish is left undisturbed to allow the milk to develop into a smooth, pudding-like consistency. The longer it is allowed to set, the firmer it becomes and is served hot or cold with sweet ginger syrup.
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