Shuanghe Tofu Pudding

Shuanghe Tofu Pudding

　　Shuanghe Tofu Pudding is a specialty snack from Shuanghe, Yibin, Sichuan.

　　Introduction Shuanghe Tofu Pudding is a common and delicious home-cooked dish in the rural areas of Sichuan. As a local specialty snack from Yibin, it is widely renowned and considered exceptional.

　　Production Method Soak soybeans in water to soften them, then grind them with water into a slurry. In some places, dry beans are first ground into powder and then mixed with water to make the slurry, which saves time but yields much less pulp. 　　

　　The ground slurry is filtered through cheesecloth to remove the bean dregs (heating before filtering increases the yield), and the filtered slurry is boiled in a pot—this is the soymilk we often drink in the morning. 　　

　　After the soymilk is boiled, let it cool slightly, then add a certain concentration of brine or gypsum water, stirring quickly. When the slurry begins to form curds, press it using a flat object such as a steamer tray, thin wooden board, or bamboo sieve to compress all the curds into a solid mass. A few minutes later, the soymilk in the pot will coagulate into layers—the upper layer being a clear, light yellow liquid, and the lower layer a white, blocky coagulated substance. This coagulated substance is rather loose with many holes inside, and it can easily break apart when picked up with chopsticks—this is tofu pudding. It is typically served with a homemade spicy sauce from local farms, which is appetizing and delicious, making one’s mouth water. 　　

　　Wrap the tofu pudding in cheesecloth and press it with a heavy weight to squeeze out excess water, making it firmer and better shaped—less likely to break when handled. This process turns it into tofu. In the rural areas of Sichuan in the past, when guests arrived unexpectedly and there was no time to prepare a full meal, tofu pudding was often made to serve them. After the meal, if the pot of tofu pudding wasn’t finished, the leftovers would be pressed into tofu to be used in other dishes for the next meal.

　　 Tofu pudding is not the same as tofu curd. In fact, tofu curd, tofu pudding, and tofu are not fundamentally different—they only vary in the technique of coagulating with a “coagulant.” Coagulate it lightly, and you get tofu curd. Coagulate it more firmly, and you get tofu pudding. Press the tofu pudding to remove excess water, and you get block tofu. But tofu curd will completely collapse if pressed.