Tofu Pudding Rice

Tofu Pudding Rice

　　Tofu pudding rice, as the name suggests, consists of tofu pudding and rice. It is the favorite breakfast of people in Fuling and can only be found along the reservoir area’s riverbanks—exclusively in Fuling.

Before the highway was built, the Yangtze River served as a major transportation route, bustling with boats. In winter, many restaurants sprang up like mushrooms along the riverbanks, and their main offering was tofu pudding rice. Whether for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, tofu pudding rice could bring warmth to travelers.

To make tofu pudding, it’s best to use fresh soybeans, which are soaked overnight before being ground with a stone mill. But who has the time to grind them with a stone mill these days? Everyone uses machines now. After grinding the beans, the soy milk is filtered through fine gauze—the leftover residue can be fed to pigs, while the milk is poured into a large pot and boiled to make soybean milk. Then, a coagulant is added to form curds, and out comes a pot of snow-white tofu pudding.

At restaurants on the streets of Fuling, any place with a big iron pot at the entrance is a tofu pudding rice eatery. The seasonings for tofu pudding rice are very fragrant. Just pick up a tender piece of tofu pudding with chopsticks, mix it with the seasonings, and put it in your mouth—the aroma will overflow from the corners of your lips.