Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Douhua

Dòuhuā or dòufǔhuā is a made with an extra soft form of tofu. It is also referred to as tofu pudding.

Unpackaged


Northern Chinese cuisine


In , ''douhua'' is often eaten with soy sauce, thus resulting in a savory flavor. Northern Chinese often refer to ''douhua'' as ''doufunao'' . In Sichuan cuisine however, ''douhua'' is often eaten with chili and spicy condiments.

Taiwanese cuisine


In Taiwanese cuisine, douhua is served with sweet toppings like cooked peanuts, azuki 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.

Hong Kong cuisine


In Hong Kong cuisine it is served with sweet ginger or clear syrup, and sometimes as a mixture with black sesame paste, and sometimes also with coconut milk. Traditionally it is made with wooden bucket, which is sold as ''dau fu fa in wooden bucket'' as part of dim sum cuisine.

Malaysian and Singaporean cuisine


In and it is more commonly known by its names ''tow huay'' or ''tau huay'' in Min Nan, or by the Cantonese name with the Cantonese variation being more common in Malaysia, in fact it is almost exclusively known as ''tau 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 . In Malaysia, however, the most popular kind is served in hot and sweet ginger water, with some customers preferring to buy only the ginger 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 drinks, known locally as ''tau chui'' in the Hokkien tongue, usually sold by the same purveyors, with the option to add grass jelly to the drink.

Japanese cuisine


In Japan, this style of ''douhua'' is known as ''annin dofu''.

Philippines cuisine


In the Philippines it is known as ''taho'' and sold by in the mornings. It is served warm with a dark brown syrup and sago or tapioca balls.

Indonesian cuisine


In the Indonesia it is known as ''Kembang Tahu'' and sold by in the evening. It is served warm with a dark brown syrup with ginger.

Packaged


The dessert is also sold as a packaged cold dessert at Asian supermarkets.

''Douhua'' in popular culture


In the famous Singaporean Sitcom, Phua Chu Kang, one of the workers, King Kong is known to love ''douhua'' very much, and is often shown to be fat and lazy and always on "Tau-Huey Breaks" and looking forward to it. He is also shown to be always eating it during breaks and cheating another worker, Ah Goon, into paying for it.

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