Douhua

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Chinese dessert made with tender tofu

title: "Douhua" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["cantonese-cuisine", "chinese-desserts", "hong-kong-desserts", "sichuan-cuisine", "singaporean-cuisine", "taiwanese-cuisine", "tofu-dishes"] description: "Chinese dessert made with tender tofu" topic_path: "geography/china" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douhua" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Chinese dessert made with tender tofu ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox food"]

Field	Value
name	Douhua
image	David enjoying Dòuhuā.jpg
caption	Douhua in sugar syrup
alternate_name	Doufuhua, doufunao, laodoufu, tofu pudding, soybean pudding
country	China
region	East Asia and Southeast Asia
type	Snack
main_ingredient	Tofu
::

Douhua is a Chinese sweet or savoury snack made with silken tofu. It is also referred to as doufuhua or tau foo fah, doufunao in northern China, tofu pudding, and soybean pudding.

History

The earliest records of douhua date from the Han dynasty; it was called 豆腐脑 dòufunǎo, or "tofu brains", because of its softness. In the next 2000 years, it gradually spread throughout China. Ming dynasty scholars credited Han Prince Liu An with inventing tofu and douhua as foods soft enough for his ailing mother to eat.

During the Second Sino-Japanese War, Sichuan became the political, economical, and military center of Free 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.

Names

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Nendoufu	嫩豆腐	Hubei	In Hubei, people call spicy Douhua "silk tofu".
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Regional variants

Variants of douhua can be broadly divided into three groups: savoury (鹹), spicy (辣), and sweet (甜). Traditionally, sweet douhua was mainly distributed in South China and Hong Kong, and was introduced to Taiwan and Southeast Asia; salty douhua was mainly distributed in northern China, and spicy douhua was mainly distributed in southwest China.

Savoury

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9e/Doufunao_at_Xixinlitun_Breakfast_(20220324073656).jpg" caption="Beijing style salty ''doufunao''"] ::

In Northern China, Douhua is often eaten with soy sauce, resulting in a savoury flavor. Each region may differ in seasonings. Inland cities add chopped meat, pickles or zha 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 or youtiao (fried dough sticks).

Spicy

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b4/Tofu_brains_doufunao.jpg" caption="Sichuan style spicy ''doufunao''"] ::

In Sichuan and neighboring Shaanxi, doufunao is often flavored with chilli oil and Sichuan peppers to make it spicy. It is served by carrying pole or bicycle vendors with several condiments such as chili oil, soy sauce, scallions, and nuts.

Sweet

In Hubei, Hunan and Jiangxi, 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).[[File:Douhua dessert.jpg|thumb|Sweet douhua sold in dessert shop]]

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 add sesame paste into Douhua.

Taiwanese and Cantonese douhua are a symbol of southern Chinese cuisine, and often served as a part of yum cha. Known as tofu fa, it can also be found sold in small stores on the side of popular hiking trails and beaches in Hong Kong.

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b5/豆花+芋圆+珍珠+芋泥.jpg" caption="There are special bean curd dessert shops in the south. This bean curd contains: bean curd, milk, pearls, taro paste, and taro balls."] ::

In Southeast Asia, douhua is almost always sweet, although condiments vary widely.

Filipino cuisine

Main article: Taho

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7d/Taho2.jpg" caption="Taho, the Philippine version of douhua, served in a small plastic cup"] ::

In the Philippines, it is more commonly known as taho. It is a fresh silken tofu served in sweet brown syrup and sago pearls. It is usually peddled by hawkers 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.

Indonesian cuisine

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/20/Tahwa.jpg" caption="Tahwa, served with sweet ginger palm sugar syrup and peanut"] ::

In Java, it is known as kembang tahu, ꦮꦺꦢꦁꦠꦲꦸ wedang tahu "hot tofu soup" or tahwa derived from Hokkien tau hwe. They are usually sold by hawkers. It is served warm or cold with palm sugar syrup that has been flavored with pandan leaves and ginger.

Malaysian and Singaporean cuisine

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/27/Tau_foo_fah_being_sold,_Malaysia.jpg" caption="''Tau fu fa'' doused in palm sugar syrup"] ::

In Malaysia and Singapore, it is more commonly known by its names tau hua or tau huay in Hokkien; and tau fu fa in Cantonese, with the latter being more common in Malaysia. In Penang, the common term is tau hua, due to Hokkien being its dominant local Chinese language. In Kelantan, the dish is known as pati soya ().

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. Alternatively, it can also be served with gula melaka syrup.

Thai cuisine

In Thailand, it is known by its Chinese Hokkien 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

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f7/Tào_phớ.jpg" caption="A bowl of Hanoi tào phớ"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0d/Soft_tofu_vendor.jpg" caption="A woman selling tào phớ"] ::

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

Northern region – served with jasmine infused sugary water. It is enjoyed as warm in winter and cold with ice in summer.
Central region – cooked with spicy ginger. Sugar is added. Douhua pieces are usually unshaped because of their softness.
Southern region – same with Central region. Often served warm with sugar water, ginger is added. Coconut milk or tapioca pearls are optional.

Vietnamese sweet tofu is generally the same, sometimes it will changes based on summer or winter seasons.

Nutritional value and health benefits

Douhua is rich in nutrients, contains iron, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and other trace elements necessary for the human body. It also contains sugar, vegetable oil, and high-quality protein. 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 the hematopoietic function; tofu does not contain cholesterol, which is very beneficial to people with hypertension, high blood lipids, hypercholesterolemia, arteriosclerosis, and coronary artery disease. It is a valuable food supplement for children and the elders.

Tofu is rich in phytoestrogens as well, which has an effect on preventing and inhibiting osteoporosis, breast cancer, prostate cancer, and blood cancer. The sterols and stigmasterol in tofu are both effective ingredients for suppressing cancer.

Packaged

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

Requirements

Like all tofu, douhua must have a coagulant, often gluconolactone 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.

In popular culture

Tofu pudding was featured on the Netflix TV series, Street Food, in the Chiayi, Taiwan episode.

Notes

References

(2022). "「豆腐花」". Hong Kong Lexicography Limited.
(31 August 2012). "(豆腐脑 dòufu nǎo)".
(21 June 2019). "Tofu Pudding (Douhua)".
(11 June 2015). "SOYBEAN PUDDING WITH GINGER SYRUP (DOUHUA)".
"豆花的饮食文化：历史由来".
匿名. (29 September 2015). "豆腐脑的来历".
https://www.theworldofchinese.com/2017/12/flavor-wars/
"豆腐脑市场价格多少钱一碗单卖豆腐脑生意怎么样 - 致富热".
"Tofu hwa (soybean pudding) is my favourite way of chilling with tofu". SBS Food.
"Where to find the best tofu fa outside of Hong Kong Island". Time Out Hong Kong.
(2017-09-27). "Tofu: Health benefits, uses, and possible risks".
Zhang, qinqin. (30 March 2015). "早晨喝豆腐脑的营养更高".
(22 May 2019). "Taiwan Culture and Cuisine Shine on New Netflix Series "Street Food"". Commonwealth Magazin Group.

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