tofu pudding

tofu pudding

　　tofu pudding

　　Liu’s Tofu Pudding is a legacy of the Liu family, known for making tofu pudding through generations. Originally, they operated their shop beneath the Yin-Yang Boundary building, but after the building collapsed, they relocated to the west side of the corridor in the front hall of the Old City God Temple. Liu’s kitchen also features a large copper pot. Like Zeng’s Sweet Rice Wine, their business model is to cook one pot and sell it all, keeping the seating area packed. From the afternoon until evening, they operate from a street cart, allowing customers to sample the pudding right at the cart—a unique experience. The ingredients Liu uses for their tofu pudding are meticulously selected: the soybeans and the “Er-Jing-Tiao” chili peppers with fishhook-shaped tips come from Muma Mountain, the Sichuan peppercorns are sourced from Fulin (now Hanyuan County), the water comes from Caijiashan Pond, the cooking oil is filtered in a clarification vat, and the starch is made from white peas. As a result, the tofu pudding is snow-white, with each piece seamlessly connected without any soybean whey showing in the gaps. Topped with a ring of bright red cooked oil, a spoonful of golden crispy beans, a few slices of green scallions as vibrant as jade, the first bite delivers a burst of sour, salty, numbing, spicy, savory, crispy, and crunchy flavors—delighting the palate.