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.
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.
About the coagulator
Traditional almond tofu using agar agar as coagulator. Agar agar has several different flavors from regular dessert coagulator- Gelatine.
- 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.
- 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.
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.
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.
- 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.
- Serve with fruits. Recommend adding canned fruits and fresh fruits together.
- Serve with matcha powder or toasted nuts.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Combine Mixture | Add sugar and apricot milk, simmer for another 5-8 minutes. Turn off fire and pour in milk. Combine well.
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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.
I make 4 small bowls and 1 large rectangle container. 8 portions in total.
Chinese Almond tofu using sweet apricot seeds, agar agar and milk, creating a super tender dessert for summer.
- 1/2 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
- 1/4 cup crystal sugar , can create a very faint sweetness, or more if needed (adjust based on how the dessert is served)
- 1 tbsp. osmanthus syrup
- 1 cup hot water
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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.
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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.
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Combine Mixture | Add sugar and apricot kernel milk, simmer for another 8-10 minutes. Turn off fire and pour in milk. Combine well.
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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.
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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
6g agar can create super tender texture while 7g can help to get a firmer texture.
Ooh, how lovely!
I only have agar agar powder here at home, how much should I use?
Hi Cece,
The amount of agar powder should be the same: around 3 grams.
Hello there friend,
i wonder, did you make this delight in china or in another country as i am most curious to learn where ( i am living in the uk ) could i source some sweet osmanthus syrup quiet like that of which you had used in this recipe.
I have the intention to purchase a plant and hold onto it until i leave for italy’s warmer growing environments but until i leave and even set the shrubs roots to ground might you have a solution ?
may your hands be blessed
yaron
Hi Yaron,
Yes, I am based in China now.
Osmanthus trees grow very slowly. My parents have planted several ones. And it took several years to blossom. If you need some, I can help you to purchase some since I understand this type of syrup is so difficult to find outside China.
Thank you very much for sharing this recipe! ^-^ While I did look for the sweet osmanthus flower syrup, and did not find it for sale online on the U.S. sites I checked, I did find ways of making flavored syrup using flowers, sugar, and water: http://hellonatural.co/diy-homemade-vanilla-syrup/ — that covers the basic recipe, and here is the one for flowers: http://hellonatural.co/diy-flavored-syrups-spring-cocktail-recipe/ — It’s basically a sugar/water mixture that you add the flowers to. Since sweet osmanthus flowers are for sale on Amazon.com (the U.S. site), it will give me a chance to have sweet osmanthus syrup even though I can’t buy the finished product! This idea could also work for other flowers or flavors, like the vanilla in the first recipe, if anyone can’t find sweet osmanthus flowers or if they just prefer another flavor. I wanted to share this in case anyone feels stuck on that aspect of things, as there are ways around the unavailability of the syrup.
I just got all the ingredients ordereed/already purchased, and cannot wait to make this! I’m so excited!! This is probably the most delicious recipe I’ve found to use agar for since I first discovered agar! Thank you again!! ^-^
Hi J.D.
You are such a foodie. It is really brilliant idea to make some flour syrup at home and a big thanks for sharing us the recipe. I will try soon because we have lots of fresh osmanthus flower bloom downstairs.
You’re very welcome! — And I’m definitely a foodie! ^-^
I wouldn’t personally go through the syrup recipe at the link exactly, because it seems designed more for vanilla bean/extract and those are a bit more hearty than fresh or dried flowers. Especially fresh flowers, I think should be treated more delicately. Here is what I would personally do. It’s just my own idea so please feel free to follow or ignore whichever parts you think will/won’t work for you:
(1) First make the sugar/water mixture and whisk it over a medium-low flame until all the sugar is dissolved — it is important to make sure all the sugar is dissolved.
(2) Turn down the flame very low and let the mixture come to a temperature where it is very warm — like very hot bath water, but not so hot that you cannot touch it. (Be careful!)
(3) Now add the flowers. (You should do this now because it is like making tea and with flowers, you can make tea at lower temperatures because they are more delicate and you don’t want the mixture too hot or it will damage the flowers and the flavor, just as if you were making tea.)
(4) Let the mixture cook at that warm temperature for a very long time. You can even put it in a crock pot or slow cooker on very low. You should cook it like this on a very low flame/temperature setting until the scent of the osmanthus is as strong as possible. I sometimes make recipes like this on my free days so I can read a book in the kitchen and then check on the mixture every now and then. Put a cover on the saucepan and tilt it to the side so some steam can escape, but not so that the top is closed completely. This will allow any flavors that get caught up in the steam to hit the cover, then drip back down, so you don’t lose them. Some steam/flavor will escape but you don’t want the pot to boil over or to have the top jumping up and down, that’s why keeping it open just a little is good.
(5) When the mixture is cooking, occasionally whisk/stir it gently — you don’t want/need to damage the flowers. It’s important to give it more attention at the beginning until the temperature is right. Once it’s at a good temperature where it won’t burn, you can just mix it every now and then so the flowers don’t stick to the bottom/sides of the saucepan.
(6) As it cooks, pay attention to the thickness of the mixture as the water will slowly turn to steam and you may need to add more. An important rule is that the syrup gets thicker when it’s cool so it should not be very thick when you have it heated. Also don’t worry if there’s a problem and it gets too thick or too thin. You can wait for the water to turn to steam or add more sugar if it’s too thin; if it is too thick, you can just add a little more water.
(7) Afterwards, you can let the syrup cool, then store it in the refridgerator — I store mine in the refridgerator and I think it’s safest to do it that way. There’s no need to make too much, because you can always make more later. I’m not exactly sure how long it will stay good in the refridgerator because mine usually gets eaten in a week or two! ^-^
Also, if you can find a light tan sugar, it would be better than white sugar because light tan sugar has a flavor with more depth. It’s not nearly as strong as brown sugar, but it is much better than white sugar because when they process it to make it white, they take a lot of the flavor out. Here is a link to a type of light tan sugar I use: https://amzn.to/2yYmlX7 — You don’t have to use this one, but this is what I use and I think it’s perfect for light syrups. If you can’t get something like this, white sugar should be fine, so don’t worry!
Again, you don’t have to make the syrup this way, I just wanted to include it as a guide to help you and anyone else that is curious about how to do this. Syrup is a pretty easy recipe to make, so don’t worry! I wish you much luck making the syrup! I’m sure it will be an amazing experience using fresh flowers! ^-^
Is agar readily available and if i substitute gelatin is the resultant produce similar in texture as i am accustomed?
Gelatin should work too. It is just our tradition to use agar in almond tofu.
Dear Elaine,
I have been trying very, very hard to find out how to get the Osmanthus Jelly to FLOAT when making Osmanthus Jelly. They always sink to the bottom
Hi Maria,
My suggestion is to pure the mixture by batches. Add around 1/3 and then fridge until firm, then add another 1/3 and fridge. This makes the step slightly complex but can spread the flower evenly.
hey,
I just came around because I once ate something like tofu jelly in Chengdu, but it wasn’t a dessert, but came with the main dish to share..
do you, by chance, know if it’s the same?
Hi Shenjia,
Is it spicy or sweet? I guess there are two dishes seems to be the dish you are referring. But we have a spicy version called “Liangfen” and a version with syrup called “Lianggao”.
I have bitter almond aroma (from Germany rather than China). Can I use it in Chinese almond jello? How much should I use?
Stacey,
Yes, bitter almond can be used in this recipe too. Same amount.
Soooo goood! I just made it today but I had one issue, after I refrigerated it for 3+ hours and cut it, it was kind of milky at the bottom. Do you know what I did wrong?
You need better mix, Natalee.
Your almond tofu recipe is amazing!
Thank you, Rohtak!!