Douhua

Douhua(Chinese:豆花;pinyin:dòuhuā;Pe̍h-ōe-jī:tāu-hoe) is a Chinese sweet or savoury snack made with silkentofu. It is also referred to asdoufuhua(Chinese:豆腐花;pinyin:dòufuhuā),tofu pudding,soybean puddingor, particularly in northern China,tofu brains(Chinese:豆腐脑;pinyin:dòufunǎo).
Tofu is thought to have originated in ancient China during theHan Dynasty.Liu An, the grandson ofEmperor Gaozu of Han, was ambitious and wanted to invent something to make people live forever. Even though he failed to make the magic pill, he used soybean and bittern to finally get niveous and tender tofu, which was surprisingly tasty. People named it "tofu brains" because of its softness. Tofu brains then became a popular snack duringHan Dynasty.In the next 2000 years, it gradually spread throughout China.
During theSecond Sino-Japanese War,Sichuanbecame 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.
Variants ofdouhuacan be broadly divided into three groups: savoury (鹹), spicy (辣) and sweet (甜). Traditionally, sweet foods were mainly distributed inSouth Chinaand Hong Kong, and were introduced to Taiwan and Southeast Asia; salty foods were mainly distributed in northern China, and spicy foods were mainly distributed in southwest China.
In Northern China, Douhua is often eaten withsoy sauce, thus resulting in a savory flavor. Northern Chinese often refer todouhuaas tofu brains. Each region may differ in seasonings. Inland cities add chopped meat,picklesorzha 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). Other times it is hard to find outside of a restaurant.
InSichuanand neighboringShaanxi,doufunaois often flavored with chilli oil andSichuan peppersto make it spicy.  It is served bycarrying poleor bicycle vendors with several condiments such as chili oil, soy sauce, scallions, and nuts.
InHubei,HunanandJiangxi, 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 pasteinto Douhua.
Taiwanese and Cantonesedouhuaare a symbol of southern Chinese cuisine, and often served as a part ofyum cha.Known astofu fa, it can also be found sold in small stores on the side of popular hiking trails and beaches in Hong Kong.
In Southeast Asia,douhuais 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 byhawkersin 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.
InIndonesia, it is known asKembang tahuor in Java asTahwaderived from the ChineseHokkienname Tau Hwe, orWedang Tahu(ꦮꦺꦢꦁꦠꦲꦸ) (Wedang means hot beverage and Tahu means tofu in Javanese) and is usually sold byhawkers. It is served warm or cold with palm sugar syrup that has been flavored with pandan leaves and ginger.
InMalaysiaandSingapore, it is more commonly known by its namestau huaortau huayinHokkien, or by theCantonesename (tau fu fa), with the Cantonese variation being more common in Malaysia. InPenang, the common term istau hua, due toHokkienbeing its dominant local Chinese language. InKelantan, the dish is known aspati soya(lit.'soy essence').
It is usually served either with a clear sweet syrup alone, withginkgoseeds suspended in the syrup, or in a sugar syrup infused withpandan. Alternatively, it can also be served with palm syrup (Gula Melaka).
InThailand, it is known by its ChineseHokkiennametaohuai(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 hoaortào 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.
Douhua is rich in nutrients, containsiron,calcium,phosphorus,magnesiumand othertrace elementsnecessary 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 thehematopoieticfunction; tofu does not containcholesterol, which is very beneficial to people withhypertension,high blood lipids,hypercholesterolemia,arteriosclerosis, andcoronary artery disease. It is a valuablefood supplementfor children and the elders.
Tofu is rich inphytoestrogensas well, which has an effect on preventing and inhibitingosteoporosis,breast cancer,prostate cancer, andblood cancer. Thesterolsandstigmasterolin tofu are both effective ingredients for suppressing cancer.
The dessert is also sold in North AmericanAsian supermarketsin plastic containers.
Like all tofu, douhua must have acoagulant, oftengluconolactonefor 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, Taiwanepisode.