In a city where tradition and innovation seamlessly intertwine like Taipei, Tofu Pudding stands out as a prime example. This intriguing dessert strikes a great balance between age-old techniques and modern creativity. Tofu Pudding, also known as Dou hua 豆花, is a beloved Taiwanese dessert that has stood the test of time, evolving into an exciting array of flavors and presentations.
What sets Tofu Pudding apart is its delightful textural contrast. The soy base is velvety and delicate, creating a canvas for an interplay of textures from whatever accompaniments are added. As you dig into each spoonful, you’ll experience the creaminess of the Tofu Pudding mingling with the chewiness of toppings and the occasional crunch – this continual intrigue of differing textures means that each mouthful is unique.
Tofu Pudding isn’t just a treat for your taste buds; it’s also a nourishing dessert option. Made from soybean curd, this delightful creation is not only rich in plant-based protein but also low in calories and bad cholesterol (LDL). It’s the guilt-free indulgence you’ve been searching for!
But where should you go for yours? This place right next to Shuanglian MRT Station is a great option, and well worth ticking off your list (then keeping it there as a regular spot to keep going back to on a regular basis).
Table of Contents
From the outside, this barely looks like a dessert shop. I think it looks more like a gift shop or something like a candle/aromatherapy store. There is a table outside if you want to brave the elements, but there’s ample seating inside. You should definitely be aware that this place does get quite busy during standard meal hours, so if you come for a mid-afternoon snack, you’re much more likely to get a table quickly. That just depends on whether you see this as a meal or a snack.
As you go in, you’ll see a counter. For tips on how to order like a pro, you should definitely check out my previous post, it will surely help.
3 Fast Tips on How to Order in Taipei Restaurants like a definitive pro!
The Tofu Pudding Menu
They have plenty of English menus to go around, so get stuck in! The menu is also rather accurate, which is highly unusual for a Taiwanese dessert shop with such a specifically traditional dessert as Tofu Pudding. Nevertheless, this makes it very easy to order. They may not speak a whole lot of English, but as there are pictures next to the descriptions, you should have absolutely no problem.
They take cash, but they also take cards and Line Pay.
The Toppings
I often find myself mesmerized by the toppings available at places like this. While it is possible to choose your own 2 or 3 flavours and create your own custom dish, I would strongly suggest you check out their curated dishes on the menu, as they are excellently paired and you're unlikely to pair quite as well as they do here.
One thing that I was surprised about here, was the size of the sweet potato and taro sweet dumplings that can pair with the Tofu Pudding. Oftentimes you'll find that they are a uniform shape and size. But not here. That hints at a handmade element that more often than not doesn't exist in most places.
One of the other things that piqued my interest here was the generous chunks of grass jelly and the huge tub of taro paste. I have all the love for taro. I will seek it out, and sometimes specifically go to a place renowned for good taro dishes or accompaniments. I don't quite know what it is about the purple/greyish root that I like. Maybe the texture? Maybe the flavour? Maybe even just the colour? Who knows, but I always gotta get me some taro.
What We Ordered
We tried to get a contrast between a summer cooler and a more classic offering. The Summer Ron stated to have 'seasonal fruits konjac, seasonal fresh fruits, grass jelly cake, douhua, shaved ice'. Whilst the classic offering of 'Ron Grass Jelly' had 'tender jelly, mashed taro, sweet potato balls, taro balls, and Douhua'.
Summer Ron - 榕夏日
Looking like sweet mango summer in a bowl, I was almost too excited to get stuck in here. If I see mango on anything I am like a kid in a sweet shop. I pretty much consistently have mango juice all over me throughout the summer in Taiwan. The mango here is just so good! In fact, if you definitely try to get your hands on a whole box of either the Irwin Mango from the YuJing region of Tainan. They are incredibly sweet and packed with flavour!
Read more about Irwin mango here.
I guess this is what is meant by 'seasonal fruits konjac'. I would translate this more as a real fruit jelly. Nestled carefully within this delicious jelly was real mango pulp that imparted an amazingly clear and deep flavour. I haven't seen this anywhere else before, so I didn't have any real expectation of a taste or texture. But I found that it was around the texture of a slightly more solid jelly. I really enjoyed it.
The mango was, obviously due to the deep orange colour, amazing. The grass jelly was great, but I will talk about that more below. Overall, this whole bowl screamed refreshing summer flavours, and I was here for that on one of the summer's hottest days in Taiwan.
However, we are all here for the Tofu Pudding, and rest assured that it didn't disappoint. A good Tofu Pudding should be silky smooth, but the texture should still retain its integrity in the bowl. There should be a slight resistance as you bite down on it. It shouldn't be too soft or runny, but you don't want it to be like jelly, either. The flavour should be a deep soybean flavour, and it should almost be milky. This hit the brief on all levels. Delicious!
I pretty much consistently have mango juice all over me throughout summer in Taiwan
Ron Grass Jelly - 榕仙草
That generous scoop of taro on top of the ice, grass jelly, sweet potato, and taro balls had me amazed. All sat above the Tofu Pudding, it was quite the dessert mountain. The taro paste itself was great. It wasn't too sweet, but sweet enough to be classed as a dessert.
The grass jelly was a wonderful texture. It melted in your mouth and imparted a great sweet grassy flavour throughout. The chewy taro balls still had flavour to them, in addition to the chewy texture that they were there for. The sweet potato balls similarly held their sweet potato flavour with great chewiness.
Like above, a good Tofu Pudding should be silky smooth, but the texture should still retain its integrity in the bowl. There should be a slight resistance as you bite down on it. It shouldn't be too soft or runny, but you don't want it to be like jelly, either. The flavour should be a deep soybean flavour, and it should almost be milky. This hit the brief on all levels. Delicious!
The addition of brown sugar syrup over the ice here melted in nicely with the dish and gave it a further depth of flavour.
The bottom line
Is it worth it? A dessert like this is a year-round staple. But this place does one of the best in the city. You need this saved on your Google Maps.
Which dish do you recommend? I strongly recommend the Summer Ron. The flavours complement each other so well, whilst simultaneously being light, fruity, and deep with flavour.
What other Tofu Pudding places do you recommend? Bai Shui Douhua, Dozo Tofu Pudding, and 庄頭豆花担 is also pretty good, too.