Douhua (豆花)

Douhua — literally "bean flower" — is a dish of extraordinary simplicity that showcases the delicate texture of just-set silken tofu. While the sweet Cantonese version serves it with syrup, the Sichuan and Chongqing style is resolutely savoury: the silken curd is ladled into a bowl and dressed with chilli oil, preserved vegetables, sesame paste, and the numbing tingle of Sichuan pepper. It is both street food and daily home cooking, eaten at breakfast or as a light meal at any hour.

Serves: 4

Ingredients

For the tofu (from scratch):

• 300g (10 oz) dried yellow soybeans, soaked overnight and rinsed
• 1.5 litres (6 cups) fresh water
• 4g (0.15 oz) food-grade gypsum (calcium sulphate) dissolved in 4 tbsp warm water — OR use 600g (1.3 lb) fresh silken tofu if shortcutting

For the savoury dressing (per bowl):

• 1 tbsp (15ml) Sichuan chilli oil (hong you)
• 0.5 tsp ground roasted Sichuan pepper
• 1 tsp light soy sauce
• 0.5 tsp sesame paste thinned with a little warm water
• 1 tsp finely diced ya cai (Yibin preserved mustard greens) or zha cai
• 0.5 tsp chopped spring onion
• Pinch of toasted white sesame seeds

Instructions

1. If making from scratch: Blend soaked soybeans with 1.5 litres water in batches until smooth. Strain through a fine cloth or nut milk bag — squeeze firmly to extract all the milk. Discard the solids.
2. Bring the soy milk to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently to prevent scorching. Boil gently for 8–10 minutes. Remove any skin that forms.
3. Remove from heat and let the temperature fall to 80°C (175°F). Pour the gypsum solution into a large bowl. Pour the hot soy milk over it in a steady stream from a height to encourage mixing. Do not stir. Cover and leave undisturbed for 15–20 minutes until set into a silky, tender curd.
4. If using store-bought silken tofu: warm it gently in hot water for 5 minutes, then break it into rough pieces into serving bowls.
5. Ladle the soft curd into deep bowls using a wide spoon, keeping the texture intact.
6. Drizzle each bowl with chilli oil, soy sauce, sesame paste, Sichuan pepper, ya cai, and spring onion. Finish with sesame seeds.

Cook's Notes: Gypsum powder (石膏, shi gao) for food use is available at Chinese grocers. The from-scratch version has an incomparable freshness that store-bought silken tofu approximates but cannot match.