Sichuan River-Style Tofu Pudding

Name: Sichuan River-Style Tofu Pudding
Prep time: 4 h 20 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 5 h 5 min
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 750 g Dried soybeans (soaked in clear water for 4 hours); 50 g Sesame paste; 50 g Bittern (coagulant); 30 g Chopped scallions; 50 g Chili powder; 10 g Cilantro; 10 g Sichuan peppercorn powder; 35 g Fermented black beans (douchi); 150 g Soy sauce; 3 g Monosodium glutamate (MSG); 7 g Sichuan salt; 150 g Pixian doubanjiang (finely chopped); 10 g Sesame oil; 1500 g Cooked vegetable oil (heated to 40% hot)

Delicate douhua set with bittern (salt brine), served with a rich, spicy-numbing dipping sauce of doubanjiang, sesame paste, and other seasonings.

5h 5m

Easy

0 favorites

Ingredients

Dried soybeans (soaked in clear water for 4 hours) 750 g

Sesame paste 50 g

Bittern (coagulant) 50 g

Chopped scallions 30 g

Chili powder 50 g

Cilantro 10 g

Sichuan peppercorn powder 10 g

Fermented black beans (douchi) 35 g

Soy sauce 150 g

Monosodium glutamate (MSG) 3 g

Sichuan salt 7 g

Pixian doubanjiang (finely chopped) 150 g

Sesame oil 10 g

Cooked vegetable oil (heated to 40% hot) 1500 g

Instructions

Making the Tofu Pudding

Soak the dried soybeans in clear water for 4 hours, then drain and replace with fresh water before grinding them into a slurry using a stone mill. Strain the slurry through cheesecloth to remove the solids. Pour the strained soy milk into a pot and bring to a boil, then slowly pour in the bittern while gently stirring back and forth with a ladle. Once the curds have set, reduce the heat to keep the mixture just below a rolling boil and cook for about 5 minutes. Then line a bamboo strainer with cheesecloth, ladle in the curds, and gently press to extract excess water, forming the tofu pudding.

Preparing the Sauce

Place a wok over the heat, add the cooked vegetable oil and heat to 40% hot. Add the finely chopped Pixian doubanjiang and fermented black beans, and stir-fry until fragrant and colored. Add the chili powder, Sichuan peppercorn powder, and soy sauce, stir until well combined, then remove from the wok and transfer to a bowl. Stir in the sesame paste, Sichuan salt, and MSG to make the seasoning sauce.

Plating

Ladle the tofu pudding into a large soup bowl, and serve with a small dish of the seasoning sauce per person. Just before serving, sprinkle the seasoning dishes with chopped scallions and cilantro.