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Posted August 11, 2011 by Jennifer Lam (Jenius) in Chinese
 
 

Homemade Tofu Fa

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A dish which I never fail to order at yum cha is the tofu dessert (豆腐花, pronounced as dòufu huā). It is essentially a sweet beancurd pudding/jelly that is irresistibly silky soft.
The syrup that goes with this varies across Asia, each showcasing a distinct cultural influence. Some infuse the sugar syrup with pandan, others use white sugar which produces a clear syrup; my ultimate favourite would have to be the version with ginger and brown sugar.
My Dad makes this at home quite frequently. He doesn’t do it the way his parents would have – soaking the soya beans overnight, grinding them into a puree then straining it of any insoluble residues – because we’re lucky enough to have access to fresh store-bought soya milk.
To make tofu fa at home with store-bought soya milk is ridiculously quick and easy and requires just a handful of ingredients.

Homemade tofu fa ingredients

Thanks to my Dad’s patience with me measuring everything he was adding, here is the recipe!

Tofu fa (豆腐花)
Serves 8 – 10

Ingredients
2L unsweetened soya milk
160ml water
1½ tsp gypsum powder
2 tsp corn flour
Syrup
2 large knobs of ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
1 pack (454g) brown sugar slabs
150ml water
Method
Use a clean 2.5 – 3 litre pot, ensure it is completely dry with absolutely no moisture. Add the entire 2L of soya milk and bring to the boil. Stirring is unnecessary but watch carefully as soya milk overflows easily when boiling.

homemade tofu-fa recipe instructions - pot of unsweetened soya milk

In a small bowl, mix the gypsum powder and corn flour with water.

homemade tofu-fa recipe instructions - mixing the powder

Once the soya milk is hot, a thin layer of beancurd skin will form at the top. Carefully remove this with a chopstick or spatula. (Dry this to make a beancurd sheet or just eat it!)

homemade tofu-fa recipe instructions - remove beancurd sheet

Add the gypsum and corn flour mixture to the hot soya milk and stir twice quickly. Remove off heat immediately and cover with tea towel and lid to trap the heat and moisture.

homemade tofu-fa recipe instructions - combine

It will be ready in 15 – 20 minutes.

homemade tofu-fa recipe instructions - the finished dish

To make the syrup, bring water to boil, add ginger and boil for a few more minutes.
Add the brown sugar slabs and continue to boil until the sugar melts and the syrup has slightly thickened.
Remove the ginger if desired.
This makes 400ml of the syrup which is enough for 2 – 3 uses. Store in an air tight container in the fridge after use.

homemade tofu-fa recipe instructions - ginger syrup on stovetop

Serve the tofu fa warm with 1 tablespoon of syrup.

Homemade tofu fa dessert


chinese cooking dessert homemade recipe tofu fa yum cha

Jennifer Lam (Jenius)

 
Jennifer is the founding blogger of I Ate My Way Through (originally, Jenius.com.au). Having grown up in a family where food was always at the centre of all celebrations, family events and milestones, Jen is obsessed with capturing irresistible flavours and stories from myriad cultures. A lover of the finer things in life, as well as cheap eats, her blogging ethos is all about empowering people to have good food and invigorating adventures - because life is too short for mediocre meals or dull travel. Her hobbies are breakfast, lunch and dinner. She's globally curious, passionate about female entrepreneurship, is a soy chai latte fanatic, and loves vintage, dressmaking and photography.


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