Douhua is the short form of doufuhua. It is a Chinese snack made with very soft tofu. It is also referred to as tofu pudding and soybean pudding.
History
Tofu or doufu is thought to have originated in ancient China during the Western Han Dynasty. Chinese people have developed and enriched the recipes for tofu dishes on the basis of their own tastes, such as mapo tofu, stinky tofu, pickled tofu, steamed tofu and uncongealed tofu pudding, etc.
In northern China, douhua is often eaten with soy sauce, thus resulting in a savory flavor. Northern Chinese often refer todouhua as doufunao. Local Beijing people usually eat doufunao for breakfast together with eggs or youtiao. Doufunao can be found at breakfast stands along the streets in the morning. Other times it is hard to find outside of a restaurant.
Sichuan cuisine
Douhua in Sichuan is often made without any sugar at all, then served by carrying pole or bicycle vendors with a number of condiments such as chili oil, soy sauce, Sichuan pepper, scallions, and nuts, and is sometimes eaten along with white rice as well.
Hubei cuisine
Douhua is served with sugar in Hubei. It is referred to as either doufunao or doufuhua.
In Cantonese cuisine, tau fu fa is served with sweet ginger or clear syrup, and sometimes as a mixture with black sesame paste, and sometimes also with coconut milk. Traditionally it is made in a wooden bucket, and sold as wooden bucket tofu pudding as part of dim sum cuisine.
In Taiwanese cuisine, douhua is served with sweet toppings like cooked peanuts, adzuki beans, cooked barley, tapioca, mung beans, and a syrup flavored with ginger or almond. During the summer, douhua is served with crushed ice; in the winter, it is served warm.
In Indonesia, it is known as Kembang tahu or in Java as Tahwa derived from the Chinese Hokkien name Tau Hwe, or Wedang Tahu and is usually sold by hawkers. It is served warm or cold with palm sugar syrup that has been flavored with pandan leaves and ginger.
In Malaysia and Singapore, it is more commonly known by its names tau hua or tau huay in Hokkien, or by the Cantonese name, with the Cantonese variation being more common in Malaysia. In Penang, the common term is tau hua, due to Hokkien being its dominant local Chinese language. It is usually served either with a clear sweet syrup alone, with ginkgo seeds suspended in the syrup, or in a sugar syrup infused with pandan. Alternatively, it can also be served with palm-syrup.
Thai cuisine
In Thailand, it is known by its Chinese Hokkien name taohuai. It is usually served cold with milk and fruit salad, which is known as taohuai nom sot or taohuai fruit salad, or served hot with ginger syrup, which is known as taohuai nam khing.
Vietnamese cuisine
In Vietnam, it is known as tàu hủ nước đường, tàu hủ hoa or tào phớ, đậu hủ, tàu hủ. It varies in three regions in Vietnam:
Northern region — served with jasmine infused sugary water. It is enjoyed as warm in winter and cold with ice in summer.
Central region — cooked with spicy ginger. Sugar is added. Douhua pieces are usually unshaped because of their softness.
Southern region — served warm with lychee and coconut water. Ginger is optional. Douhua pieces are firmer than those in the North and the Central.
