Tofu Pudding

Douhua (also called dòufu fā in Cantonese) is coagulated fresh soy milk served before it fully sets into firm tofu — the texture is barely-there, quivering and spoonable, somewhere between yoghurt and the most delicate panna cotta. Northern China serves douhua with savoury toppings: soy sauce, sesame paste, chilli oil, pickled vegetables and sometimes minced pork. Southern China and Taiwan prefer it sweet, served warm with rock-sugar ginger syrup, osmanthus syrup or red bean. The debate between sweet and savoury versions is one of China's great regional food divides. Freshly made douhua from a tofu shop, poured directly from the cloth-lined pressing frame, has a mild, clean soy flavour and a custard-like delicacy that commercially packaged silken tofu rarely captures.