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This ultimate guide to making tofu pudding (doubua / uncurdled soft tofu) explains how to use different coagulants and their results. The post includes recipes for using GLD, gypsum, gelatin, and agar agar and covers the methods and results using nigari and citrus. Look no further if you want to make the perfect tofu pudding using whatever ingredients you have on hand. {Vegan, Gluten-Free}

The Ultimate Guide to Making Douhua (Tofu Pudding)

4.82 from 11 votes
This ultimate guide to making tofu pudding (doubua / uncurdled soft tofu) explains how to use different coagulants and their results. The post includes recipes for using GLD, gypsum, gelatin, and agar agar and covers the methods and results using nigari and citrus. Look no further if you want to make the perfect tofu pudding using whatever ingredients you have on hand. {Vegan, Gluten-Free}
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: Chinese
Keyword: street food
Servings: 2 servings
Author: Maggie Zhu

Ingredients

Douhua (with gypsum)

  • 400 ml (1 2/3 cups) homemade soy milk (or store-bought soy milk), cold or room temperature (*Footnote 1)
  • 2 g (1/2 teaspoon) gypsum (*Footnote 2)
  • Optional Pinch of salt and/or sugar (*Footnote 3)

Ginger Syrup

  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 ” (1 cm) ginger , sliced

Instructions

Douhua

  • Prepare a heatproof bowl or container that can hold at least 2 cups of water and will fit into your steamer. Add the gypsum, salt/sugar if using, and a small amount of soy milk to the bowl. Mix until fully dissolved. Then slowly pour in the rest of the soy milk and stir constantly to mix in the gypsum. Cover with plastic wrap.
  • Add water to your steamer and bring it to a full boil. Add the bowl with the soy milk mixture, cover the steamer, and steam for 10 minutes over high heat.
  • Once done, remove the steamer from the stove. Uncover carefully to let the steam out, and poke a few holes in the plastic with a fork to release condensation while the tofu cools.
  • Once the steam is mostly released, remove the plastic wrap and serve the douhua warm or cold. (Footnote 4)

Syrup

  • Add the brown sugar, water and ginger to a small pot. Heat over medium heat until bringing to a boil. Turn to medium-low heat to reduce to a simmer, then cook for another 5 minutes.
  • Pour over tofu pudding and enjoy!

Notes

  1. If using store-bought milk, it should only contain soy milk and water.
  2. Since store-bought soy milk is thinner, you will need to increase the amount of gypsum to 3/4 teaspoon (3.5 g).
  3. The added salt/sugar masks the mild taste of gypsum if you eat the tofu curd plain. But since you will usually be serving it with a sweet or savory sauce, or use the curd in other recipes like a soup, I don’t see the need to add the sugar/salt so I usually don’t.
  4. If the tofu pudding gets curdled by accident, it can be pressed into a block of extra-soft silken tofu.
  5. This recipe produces extra syrup. You can store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 month.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 146kcal, Carbohydrates: 21.8g, Protein: 6.8g, Fat: 3.6g, Saturated Fat: 0.4g, Sodium: 108mg, Potassium: 256mg, Fiber: 1.2g, Sugar: 17g, Calcium: 59mg, Iron: 1mg