Dou Hua /Tau Foo Fah (Soybean Pudding-using agar agar or gelatin)
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Chinese
Prep Time: 5 minutesminutes
Cook Time: 12 minutesminutes
Total Time: 17 minutesminutes
Servings: 6servings
Calories: 243kcal
Author: Marvellina
Make this soft, wobbly, and smooth Chinese-style tau foo fah from soybean milk (or any milk) with 5 ingredients only without using gypsum powder or GDL. The dou hua is served with easy delicious ginger syrup.
200gbrown sugar or palm sugarmore or less to your preference
25gfresh gingerpeeled and thinly sliced
Instructions
PLEASE NOTE: I recommend using standardized measuring spoons or a digital weighing scale to measure the agar agar or gelatin. If you use measuring spoons, make sure you scoop and level it. I prefer to weigh with scale for accuracy. Agar agar is a powerful thickener/stabilizer and using too much or too little can affect the result
Prepare the ginger syrup:
Place everything in a saucepan and bring to a boil and then lower the heat to low, cover and let it simmer for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat. Strain the mixture and let it cool down. Store in the refrigerator for up to one week
If using agar agar:
Put all ingredients for pudding, except for vanilla extract, in a large pot over medium-high heat. Continue to stir and make sure you don't let the bottom of the pot catch the soymilk and burn. Once it has come to a boil, lower the heat and continue to simmer for another 5 minutes. Make sure the agar agar powder has dissolved (it should be) and you don't see any more specks. If the agar agar doesn't dissolve, the pudding won't set properly when you chill it. Stir in the vanilla extract
Remove from the heat and strain into another container. Use a spoon to gently scoop up the froth/bubbles so the surface of the dou hua will be smooth later. Let it cool down at room temperature for about 15-20 minutes and then proceed to chilling
If using gelatin:
Sprinkle the gelatin over 3/4 cup of soy milk and let it bloom for 5 minutes. We do this so that the gelatin won't clump when you add it to the hot liquid. While waiting, add the rest of the milk to a large pot and bring to a gentle simmer and then turn off the heat. Let it cool down a little bit. Stir in the bloomed gelatin and whisk until dissolved. You want to make sure the gelatin really dissolves. Add vanilla extract if using and stir to combine
Strain into another container. Use a spoon to gently scoop up the froth/bubbles so the surface of the dou hua will be smooth later. Let it cool down at room temperature for about 15-20 minutes and then proceed to chilling
Chilling:
Transfer to the refrigerator and chill for at least 6 hours if you are using gelatin and about 2-3 hours if using agar agar powder. Gelatin takes longer to set compared to agar agar. Whether you make it with agar agar or gelatin, I recommend chilling it overnight if you can. Once it sets, it should have nicely coagulated, but wobbly when you gently shake it. That's the right texture
Serving:
There's a special flat sharp spatula that they use to thinly slice the bean curd pudding into serving bowl. I don't have it. I just use regular spoon and serve with few spoonfuls of ginger syrup on the tau foo fah
Storing:
Since this is made with agar agar powder or gelatin, try not to keep the tau foo fah longer than 3 days in the fridge. The longer it sits, the more watery it will get. I definitely do not recommend freezing
Notes
1. If using 1 1/3 teaspoon of agar agar is too firm for your liking, you can try 1 1/4 teaspoon and see if you like it better. I've tried with only 1 teaspoon of agar agar and the texture is really wobbly and soft, but it turned "watery" pretty fast too. So I would say the minimum is 1 1/4 teaspoon per 1000 ml of soy milk1 teaspoon agar agar powder = 3 grams, 1 teaspoon gelatin powder= 4 gramsThis recipe was last updated on October 25, 2023 to add updates step-by-step photos and clearer instructions