Chinese Almond Tofu (Xing Ren Dou Fu)
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The working recipe — the Market List, the Method, and where it lives or dies
I
Origin
Pan-Chinese — almond tofu appears in Chinese cookery texts from the Tang Dynasty (618–907 CE); it spread throughout East and Southeast Asia via Chinese diaspora
II
Description
Xing ren dou fu: almond jelly/tofu — set Chinese dessert made from apricot kernel (nan xing / nan ren — Southern apricot kernel, sometimes called 'Chinese almond') simmered in water, strained, mixed with agar-agar or gelatin and milk, then chilled until set. Served in cubes in a sugar syrup with fruit cocktail or osmanthus syrup. A Chinese restaurant dessert ubiquitous across Asia.
III
The Thread
—Japanese annin tofu (essentially the same dessert, direct connection)
—Italian panna cotta (similar set dairy dessert)
—French blanc-manger (almond-milk jelly)
IV
Flavour Context
Delicate almond-vanilla, cold, silky — one of China's most gentle and refined desserts
Pillars V — VII
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