Annin tofu

Annin tofu

250px A bowl of annin tofu
Origin
Alternative name(s)	Xingren doufu, almond jelly
Details
Type	Pudding
Main ingredient(s)	Apricot kernel, water, gelling agent (usu. agar)

Annin tofu
Chinese name
Chinese	杏仁豆腐
Cantonese Jyutping	hang6 jan4 dau6 fu6
Hanyu Pinyin	xìngrén dòufǔ
Literal meaning	apricot kernel tofu
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin xìngrén dòufǔ Wu Romanization ghan nyin deu vu Yue: Cantonese Jyutping hang6 jan4 dau6 fu6 Southern Min Hokkien POJ hīng-jîn-tāu-hū hīng-lîn-tāu-hū
Japanese name
Kanji	杏仁豆腐
Kana	あんにんどうふ
Transcriptions Romanization annindōfu

Annin tofu (杏仁豆腐) is a soft, jellied dessert made of apricot kernel, agar, and sugar. It is a traditional dessert of Beijing cuisine, Cantonese cuisine, Hong Kong cuisine, and Japanese cuisine.

The name "tofu" here refers to "tofu-like solid"; soy beans, which are the main ingredient of tofu, are not used. This naming convention is also seen in other east Asian dishes, e.g. Chinese yudoufu (鱼豆腐), Japanese tamagodofu.

Traditional recipe

In the traditional recipe, the primary ingredient is apricot kernel, soaked and ground with water. The kernel milk is extracted, sweetened, and heated with a gelling agent (usually agar). When chilled, the milk mixture solidifies to the consistency of a soft gelatin dessert.

Variations

Although the agar-based recipe is vegan, there are numerous nontraditional recipes that are not. Most are based on dairy products and a small amount of flavored extract. Gelatin is also a common substitute for agar.

Annin tofu can be made from scratch or using instant mix. There is an instant soy-based powder with a coagulating agent, which dissolves in hot water and solidifies upon cooling. One popular brand of mix is DoFu Delight.

See also

• Apricot kernel
• Blancmange
• List of Chinese desserts
• List of desserts

External links

• Annin tofu recipe