Youxian Pressed Tofu

Place of Origin

Youxian, Zhuzhou, Hunan, China

Description

Youxian pressed tofu presents a caramel color, exuding a unique aroma of wood fire.

Technical Aspects

The distinctive wood fire aroma in Youxian spiced pressed tofu comes from the step of boiling soy milk during the tofu production process. Traditionally in Youxian, this involves heating iron pots with firewood to boil the soy milk. This method allows the soy milk to absorb the rich, smoky fragrance of the wood fire, imparting it with a unique and delightful aroma. Subsequently, both the tofu made from the soy milk and the pressed tofu made from the tofu inherit this wood fire fragrance. The caramel color of Youxian pressed tofu is achieved during the marination process, which typically involves three soaking steps: first, soaking in hot water for two minutes; second, soaking in salty water for 30 minutes; third, soaking in caramelized sugar water briefly for coloring. This process results in the distinctive caramel color appearance of Youxian pressed tofu.