Almond Tofu

Almond Tofu (Simplified/Traditional Chinese: 杏仁豆腐; Pinyin: Xìngrén dòufu) is a Chinese dessert of lightly sweet, almond- or apricot-kernel–flavored milk set with agar or gelatin into soft cubes or a smooth slab, usually served chilled in fruit syrup or with canned fruit. Despite the name, it is not soybean tofu and contains no dairy tofu curd; nor is it the same as warm savory tofu or the soybean pudding Douhua.

Characteristics

Appearance is ivory-white and trembling-soft; flavor is fragrant apricot-kernel/almond with mild sweetness. Often topped with lychee, mandarin orange, or osmanthus syrup. Cantonese banquet versions are neat cubes in clear syrup.

Ingredients (overview)

Apricot kernel milk or almond extract with dairy or soy milk, sugar, agar-agar or gelatin. Traditional southern recipes emphasize apricot kernels (南北杏) rather than Western sweet almonds alone.

History and culture

Longstanding banquet and café dessert across Chinese regions; Hong Kong and Cantonese menus list it beside Mango Pudding and other cold sweets. English menus say "almond tofu" or "almond jelly." Related soybean dessert Douhua is a different product.

Serving and variations

Chilled dessert after banquets or as a café sweet. See Hong Kong Food, Douhua, and Mango Pudding.

See also

• Hong Kong Food
• Douhua
• Mango Pudding
• Grass Jelly
• Red Bean Soup
• List of dishes (A-Z)