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    Home » Recipes » dessert and bakery

    Chinese Almond Tofu (Almond Jelly)

    August 11, 2020 by Elaine 30 Comments | Jump to Recipe

    Almond tofu is a common and popular Chinese dessert in hot summer. It can be considered as the Chinese version of panna cotta. However Chinese almond tofu is healthier since there is no heavy cream included. Almond tofu in Chinese is 杏仁豆腐 (xing ren tou fu). It is a popular dessert in many provinces especially in Hong Kong and Beijing. It is also referred to almond jelly The recipe differs slightly from places in China. 

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is almond-tofu-11.jpg

    One of the interesting fact is almond tofu is not made from common almond but sweet apricot seeds (which are named as “南杏仁” or "甜杏仁" in Chinese). Almond tofu is the ideal dessert for summer because it is super beneficial to lung. It is also widely loved because of the melt in mouth texture. Apricot seeds are slightly poisonous especially bitter apricot seeds. So just a caution: don't eat raw bitter apricot seeds too much each time. 

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is soy-milk-pudding-17.jpg
    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is almond-tofu-10.jpg

    About the coagulator

    Traditional almond tofu using agar agar as coagulator. Agar agar has several different flavors from regular dessert coagulator- Gelatine.

    1. texture, agar agar can creates a fragile texture but not only smooth. However dessert with gelatine only has smooth texture both inside and outside. For a better understanding, the agar agar dessert can form a fragile cross section, not very smooth and with some climbs. 
    2. different melting temperature and firming temperature. Gelatine should be mixed in mixture around (50 to 70 degree C) while agar agar should be cooked in hot boiling water. 
    almond tofu|chinasichuanfood.com

    Cook's Note

    Agar agar must be cooked in hot boiling water firstly since it has a high melting temperature. Sugar should be added after the agar melts since it influence the melting.

    Comparing with gelatine, agar agar has an unbelievably strong capacity of firming so don't use too much. The idea weight ration should be around 1:18 or 1:20. If too much agar agar added, the dessert can be quite hard and loose the lovely texture.  I use around 5 cups of liquid this time and 6g agar strips, creating a very tender texture. Agar is quite hard to measure because of the shape and a smart way of measuring is to measure with water. Wrap the agar strips into small bundles and then place them in water.  See how tender the dessert it. In order to make it vegan friendly, you can replace milk with soy milk. 

    almond tofu|chinasichuanfood.com

    How to serve

    Serving is always the best part for summer dessert. I introduce several commonly serving ways and please go ahead and find your own option. 

    1. Serve with osmanthus syrup. This is the most traditional way and most lovely way! I highly recommend trying this once as it is the best combination. 
    2. Serve with fruits. Recommend adding canned fruits and fresh fruits together.
    3. Serve with matcha powder or toasted nuts. 
    almond tofu|chinasichuanfood.com
    1. Sweet Apricot kernel milk | Soak the sweet apricot kernel with clean water overnight. Remember to place in fridge. Transfer the soaked apricot kernel into blender, then followed with 2 cups of water. Blend well. Drain to get the milk. Don't discard the pulp, sun dry it and use in cookies.

      almond tofu|chinasichuanfood.com

    2. Agar Soaking| Soak agar agar strips in cold water for 1 hour. If you use agar powder, there is no need to soak them. Just follow the next step. Chinese almond tofu|chinasichuanfood.com

    3. Cooking Agar| In a small pot, add 1 cup of water and soaked agar, heating to boiling until the agar strips are almost dissolved! This may take more than 10 minutes, be patient.Chinese almond tofu|chinasichuanfood.com

    4. Combine Mixture | Add sugar and apricot milk, simmer for another 5-8 minutes. Turn off fire and pour in milk. Combine well.Chinese almond tofu|chinasichuanfood.com

    5. Straining | Strain the mixture once again. The agar is quite hard to dissolve completely, make sure they are removed. You can use pudding container, bowl or a large container. Set aside for cooling. The dessert can be firmed under room temperature when the temperature of the liquid drops to 40 degree C. Then either served directly or chilled before serving.

      Chinese almond tofu|chinasichuanfood.com

    I make 4 small bowls and 1 large rectangle container. 8 portions in total. 

    almond tofu|chinasichuanfood.com
    almond tofu|chinasichuanfood.com

    Chinese Almond Tofu

    Chinese Almond tofu using sweet apricot seeds, agar agar and milk, creating a super tender dessert for summer.
    5 from 4 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert, dim sum
    Cuisine: Sichuan cuisine
    Keyword: Almond, tofu
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 5 minutes
    Total Time: 15 minutes
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 146kcal
    Author: Elaine

    Ingredients

    • ½ cup sweet apricot Kernel , pre-soaked in the previous day in fridge
    • 2 cups water for apricot seed milk
    • 2 cups milk
    • 6-7 g agar agar , I use strips this time, note 1
    • 1 cup water , for cooking the agar
    • ¼ cup crystal sugar , can create a very faint sweetness, or more if needed (adjust based on how the dessert is served)

    Serving with sweet-scented osmanthus

    • 1 tbsp. osmanthus syrup
    • 1 cup hot water

    Instructions

    • Apricot Kernel milk | Soak the sweet apricot kernel with clean water overnight. Remember to place in fridge. Transfer the soaked apricot kernel into blender, then followed with 2 cups of water. Blend well. Drain to get the milk. Don't discard the pulp, sun dry it and use in cookies.
    • Agar Soaking| Soak agar agar strips in cold water for 1 hour.
    • Cooking Agar| In a small pot, add 1 cup of water and soaked agar, heating to boiling until the agar strips are almost dissolved! This may take more than 10 minutes, be patient.
    • Combine Mixture | Add sugar and apricot kernel milk, simmer for another 8-10 minutes. Turn off fire and pour in milk. Combine well.
    • Straining | Strain the mixture once again. The agar is quite hard to dissolve completely, make sure they are removed. You can use pudding container, bowl or a large container. Set aside for cooling. The dessert can be firmed under room temperature when the temperature of the liquid drops to 40 degree C. Then either served directly or chilled before serving.
    • Serving| 1. Add canned fruits or fresh fruits
      2. Pour 1 cup of hot water to 1 tablespoon of osmanthus syrup. Set aside to cool.
      3. Shifting matcha powder

    Video

    Notes

    6g agar can create super tender texture while 7g can help to get a firmer texture. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 146kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 46mg | Potassium: 187mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 132IU | Calcium: 125mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?Mention @ChinaSichuanFood or tag #ElaineCSF!
    almond tofu|chinasichuanfood.com
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Bam

      February 02, 2021 at 10:28 pm

      Hi Elaine, I don't have apricot kernels in my country, can I exchange it with almond extract?

      Reply
      • Elaine

        February 17, 2021 at 11:40 am

        Yes. Sure. But it tastes slightly different.

        Reply
    2. Dorothy

      March 24, 2021 at 6:38 pm

      Hi! I just came across your recipe for almond tofu, my favorite! Question: instead of regular milk, can I use almond milk at the end? Also, whenever we order almond tofu at the restaurant, they always come in some kind of sugar syrup. Is it just plain simple syrup?

      Reply
      • Elaine

        April 29, 2021 at 8:29 am

        You can use almond milk for sure. Pour almond milk gives a stronger flavor. Restaurants have their own syrup may be ginger syrup or sweet-scented osmanthus syrup.

        Reply
    3. Ridley

      June 27, 2021 at 3:16 am

      5 stars
      I used this recipe the other day and it turned out wonderfully! Will be using it again in the future 🙂

      Reply
      • Elaine

        June 27, 2021 at 10:13 am

        Thanks Ridley. Once mastered the way of making the basic jelly, you can try to find your own serving way with various types of fruits.

        Reply
    4. wes

      July 02, 2021 at 10:21 am

      hello! i tried making my own annin tofu but it ended up tasting far too strongly of the apricot kernels. i noticed the kernels in the pictures don't have the brown skin on them--should i scrub it off next time i make it or does it make much of a difference?

      Reply
    5. Jamie anderson

      December 01, 2021 at 2:24 am

      5 stars
      Hi Elaine,
      i am transitioning to Vegan. I won't use soy and I am avoiding milk...Would Almond milk or coconut milk work in place of the regular milk for this recipe? What would you recommend on this? Thank you in advance 🙂

      Reply
      • Elaine

        December 02, 2021 at 8:21 am

        Jamie,
        You can use 100% almond milk or you can add some coconut milk. Both of them should work fine.

        Reply
    6. Phyllis Ng

      February 22, 2022 at 3:34 pm

      Hi Elaine, I don’t have agar agar strips and wish to use agar agar powder. M at I know how much powder to use for this recipe?

      Reply
      • Elaine

        February 25, 2022 at 7:34 pm

        If you plan to use agar agar powder, 6g should be a great amount.

        Reply
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