Traditional Chinese breakfast of soft tofu

[rubrifolia]

In Tuesday's Times there is a photo essay about Heshun China and this gorgeous photo of a 'traditional Chinese breakfast" of soft tofu drizzled with soy and sesame oil on top of a toasted rice pancake...
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2009...
anyone have any ideas how to make this????

[buttertart]

The tofu part is best made with fresh, barely coagulated, warm tofu scooped out of the bucket it's made in, into a bowl, and then drizzled with soy sauce, sesame oil, a drop of black vinegar, some chili oil or sauce, and roasted soybeans/sesame seeds. You could make it by warming up some of the softest tofu available to you and doing the same. I don't know about the rice pancake, have never seen such a thing. I love this dish (also called dounao, beancurd brain), it is the best possible breakfast as far as I'm concerned. (Great photos, now I'm even more nostalgic for China than usual.)

[ipsedixit]

Get yourself a box of Silken Tofu (the soft version), which you can find at most Japanese or Chinese markets, or even at some larger gourmet type markets like Whole Foods (see pic below).

The pancake is just your basic flat bread type recipe using rice flour. Ladle the rice flour mixture into a hot griddle or skillet until lightly toasted, flip and do the same for the other side.

For the sauce, just mix some dark soy sauce, good quality sesame oil, and then garnish with diced scallions (or chives) and toasted sesame seeds.

[rubrifolia]

thanks!

I picked up Nasoya soft tofu. While definitely tasty, I mean what could be bad with soy/sesame combo? but it was more like scrambled eggs. In that photo, the tofu looks super creamy, like yogurt. I have 2 really good Oriental markets here, but what would I be asking for? Language will be an issue :)

I know in NYC one can find fresh made tofu, but up here in the wilds of CT????

now to try the rice flour flatbread/pancake.....

[ipsedixit]

Yeah, the texture between fresh and boxed tofu will definitely differ.

You will typically find tofu sold fresh, from water-filled bins, in most street-side markets in China. In the states, esp. in CT, I doubt you'll be able to find such an option. The closest you can do is just use soft silken tofu.

I suppose if you were really adamant about it you could make your own tofu at home.
Good luck with the pancake and enjoy.

[zui]

Make your own dounao. Also called, doufu fa or doufu hua, depending on the area you are in.

There is a brand of Tofu Mix called, House that has it. Right now, they are having a clearance sale on it. Find it at:

http://www.asianfoodgrocer.com/produc...

Also great with sprinkled raw sugar or a simple syrup made of raw sugar and very thin fresh ginger slices.

Enjoy!

[tastesgoodwhatisit]

Ah, I know this as dou hua (豆花) - I describe it to people as tofu custard.

[opinionatedchef]

zui, what a cool website. very helpful, thank you!

[sushigirlie]

Here is more information on making your own fresh tofu. http://www.ellenskitchen.com/clearlig...

I'm skeptical that boxed silken tofu would make an acceptable substitute.

[hannaone]

Try looking for extra soft tofu in tubes, similar to this:
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_N1t9Uuf7DCc...

[MarleneDietrich]

wow that dounds delish

[opinionatedchef]

rubri- i'm in boston area and my fav soft tofu is japanese- "Mori-Nu , Silken" - Very silky creamy; i would definitely not describe it as scrambled eggs. I can find it in Japanese stores but not usually in Korean ones. It comes in a small white box and has a very long shelf life. Because it does not have to be refrig. until it's opened (after which, like any tofu, it has a very short shelf life), some markets keep it on their grocery shelves. I slide the block(or part of it) out of the package and cut it into 1/2 " cubes. I top it w/a mixture of tamari, kadoya sesame oil, black or rice wine vinegar, minced scallions, and some grated ginger. For me, the joy of soft tofu is the creaminess of it, so you might find you enjoy it w/o the pancake.

I adore silky tofu but I once has a bad experience w/ it in that my system was a wreck for 2 days after i ate a rathe large portion of (only) it for breakfast a few yrs ago. I guessed that it had had this effect because i ate too much of it in one sitting and I didn't grow up eating it. Has anyone else of non-Asian background had trouble like that?