Douhua

Douhua

The famous Shanshui dau fu fa (山水豆腐花), i.e. beancurd jelly with sugar syrup on top, is sold on Lamma Island, Hong Kong.
Alternative names	Doufuhua, tofu pudding, soybean pudding
Type	Snack
Place of origin	China
Main ingredients	Tofu
Media: Douhua

Douhua
Chinese	豆(腐)花
Literal meaning	bean curd flower
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin dòufuhuā or dòuhuā Wu Romanization [dɤɯ (vʊ) hu] Yue: Cantonese Jyutping dau6 (fu6) faa1 Southern Min Hokkien POJ tāu-(hū)=hue
Tofu pudding
Traditional Chinese	豆腐腦
Simplified Chinese	豆腐脑
Literal meaning	bean curd brain
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin dòufunǎo Yue: Cantonese Jyutping dau6 fu6 nou5 Southern Min Hokkien POJ tāu-hū-náu

Douhua (Chinese: 豆花, dòuhuā) or doufuhua (Chinese: 豆腐花, dòufuhuā) is a Chinese snack made with very soft tofu. It is also referred to as tofu pudding and soybean pudding.

History

Tofu is thought to have originated in ancient China during the Western Han Dynasty. Chinese people have developed and enriched the recipes for tofu dishes on the basis of their own tastes, such as mapo tofu, stinky tofu, pickled tofu and uncongealed tofu pudding, etc.

Unpackaged

Northern Chinese cuisine

In northern China, douhua is often eaten with soy sauce, thus resulting in a savory flavor. Northern Chinese often refer to douhua as doufunao (Chinese: 豆腐脑; pinyin: dòufu nǎo; lit. 'tofu brains (often shortened to "豆脑 dòu nǎo').

Sichuan cuisine

Douhua in Sichuan is often made without any sugar at all, then served by carrying pole or bicycle vendors with a number of condiments such as chili oil, soy sauce, Sichuan pepper, scallions, and nuts, and is sometimes eaten along with white rice as well.

Hubei cuisine

Douhua is served only with sugar in Hubei. It is referred to as either doufunao (Chinese: 豆腐腦) or doufuhua (Chinese: 豆腐花).

Taiwanese cuisine

Douhua in ginger syrup from Taiwan

In Taiwanese cuisine, douhua is served with sweet toppings like cooked peanuts, adzuki beans, cooked oatmeal, tapioca, mung beans, and a syrup flavored with ginger or almond. During the summer, douhua is served with crushed ice; in the winter, it is served warm.

Cantonese cuisine

A bowl of Douhua in Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery in Sha Tin, Hong Kong

A Douhua stall in Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery in Sha Tin, Hong Kong

In Cantonese cuisine it is served with sweet ginger or clear syrup, and sometimes as a mixture with black bean paste, and sometimes also with coconut milk. Traditionally it is made with a wooden bucket, which is sold as dau fu fa in wooden bucket (木桶豆腐花) as part of dim sum cuisine.

Malaysian and Singaporean cuisine

Douhua in sugar syrup sold in West Coast, Singapore

In Singapore and Malaysia it is more commonly known by its names tow huay or tau huay in Min Nan, or by the Cantonese name (tau fu fa) with the Cantonese variation being more common in Malaysia, in fact it is almost exclusively known as tau fu fa there while tau huey is generally associated with Singapore. In Penang, the common term is tau hua due to the Hokkien roots of the local Chinese dialect.

It is usually served either with a clear sweet syrup alone, with ginkgo seeds suspended in the syrup, or in a sugar syrup infused with pandan. In Malaysia, however, the most popular kind is served in hot and sweet chilli water, with some customers preferring to buy only the chilli water as it is believed to contain medicinal properties. Again, the exception is in Penang where the sugar syrup is used, with white or brown sugar variations available. The same syrup is used to flavour soy bean milk drinks, known locally as tau chui in the Hokkien tongue or tau jeong sui in the Cantonese tongue, usually sold by the same purveyors, with the option to add grass jelly to the drink.

Philippine cuisine

In the Philippines it is known as tahô and sold by hawkers in the mornings, usually door-to-door or outside churches. It is served warm with a dark brown, molasses-like syrup called arnibal and sago or tapioca balls.

Indonesian cuisine

Tahwa, Indonesian version of douhua, with ginger syrup and peanut

In Indonesia it is known as Kembang tahu (tofu flower) or in Java as Tahwa atau Wedang Tahu (Wedang means hot water with ginger, Tahu means tofu) and is usually sold by hawkers. It is served warm or cold with palm sugar syrup that has been flavored with pandan leaves and ginger.

The hawker usually sells it in the morning using a bicycle vendor. They sell it soaked with warm and sweet ginger syrup and add one or two spoons of coconut milk. People may ask for brewed peanut and mung bean paste. Sometimes, the costumer may only buy the sweet brewed peanut as Kuah Kacang and consume it with cakwe.

Thai cuisine

In Thailand it is known by its Min Nan name taohuai (เต้าฮวย). It is usually served cold with milk and fruit salad, which is known as taohuai nom sot (เต้าฮวยนมสด, literally "douhua in fresh milk") or taohuai fruit salad (เต้าฮวยฟรุตสลัด), or served hot with ginger syrup, which is known as taohuai nam khing (เต้าฮวยน้ำขิง).

Vietnamese cuisine

In Vietnam, it is known as tàu hũ nước đường, tàu hũ hoa or tào phớ, đậu hủ, tàu hủ. It varies in three regions in Vietnam:

Northern region- it is served with sugar, cactus seeds. It is enjoyed as warm in winter and cold with ice in summer.

Central region- it is cooked with spicy ginger. Sugar is added. Douhua pieces are usually unshaped because of their softness.

Southern region- it is served warm with lychee and coconut water. Ginger is optional. Douhua pieces are more firm than those in the North and the Central.

Packaged

The dessert is also sold in North American Asian supermarkets in plastic containers.

See also

• Tofu
• Tahô
• List of tofu dishes
• Food portal