马桥香干吊锅 Spicy Smoked Tofu

Pinyin: mǎ qiáo xiāng gān diào guō


I've raved and raved about tofu before, so it should be obvious that I dig it. I know lots of people say they don't like tofu but seriously there are hundreds of kinds of tofu out there, something for everyone so to speak.

The smoked tofu in this dish has a unique flavor, earthy and wooden, it reminds me of a deep dark dank forest which is a pretty unique flavor. A fair number of spicy peppers were added that give it a bit of bite, and like all good Chinese dishes a fair variety of vegetables and a few mushrooms were added for good measure.

I believe this is a Hunan style dish and is common throughout those Chinese restaurants here in Shanghai. Smoked tofu can be found in a number of dishes, again primarily coming from Hunan province or nearby areas. It's a unique flavor and might not be for everyone, but it's different and worth trying at least once.

苔蘑真菌烩豆花 Mixed Mushrooms and Tofu

Pinyin: tāi mó zhēn jūn huì dòu huā

Two of the most widely used and staple ingredients of Chinese cooking come together in this dish to form a savory dish great for a cold and blustery night.

Everyone knows about the relationship between Chinese and tofu, it's a huge thing here and comes in all shapes and sizes. In this case it's a very very soft almost pudding like substance that has a very mild flavor. The other major ingredient used here are mushrooms. The Chinese, no doubt through trial and error have discovered hundreds of kinds of edible mushrooms and this dishes uses at least three varieties, all of which you aren't likely to see at your average American grocery store.

This dish comes together nicely, it's fairly mild in taste, neither the mushrooms or tofu come on too strong and a bit of salt/MSG was added for flavor. The sauce/broth was thickened up quite a lot and really holds the heat nicely so it's sure to keep you warm throughout your meal. It's vegetarian but your carnivorous friends are likely to enjoy it equally well.

八宝菜 Eight Treasures

Pinyin: bā bǎo cài

I saw this dish on a table next to mine when I walked in to this restaurant and it looked great. I'm a fan of peanuts, and I saw it had carrots and cucumbers, tofu, meat, and more. I had to have it. Come to find out this dish is actually called the Eight Treasures Dish. It has everything mentioned above as well as mushrooms, peppers, and peas.

It really reminded me a lot of Kung Pao Chicken, of which I am a huge fan, but with more variety. My hopes were dashed though upon the first bite. The dish was quite oily and the sauce was very dark and heavy feeling. It was a bit saltier than I would have liked even though the overall flavor was good.

I had such high hopes and like so many things in China those hopes were dashed. I still think that this dish has great potential if it was done right. Given the right restaurant I'd try this one again, though I think most of the cheap local places would abuse this by over oiling it, so be warned.

豆浆火锅 Seafood Soy Milk Hotpot

Pinyin: dòu jiāng huǒ guō

God how I used to hate seafood. Crab would just about make me sick and clams, muscles, oysters were all too disgusting to actually eat. Fish was only OK as long as it wasn't too "fishy" tasting. But my oh my how things have changed since living in Shanghai. Seafood is amazing. All those little hardshell things like the clams and muscles and oysters are great. Shrimp are to die for, lobster is incredible, and just about every fish imaginable is excellent, cooked or not.

This seafood soy milk hotpot mixture was pretty tasty. Lots of good seafood, though not enough shrimp in my opinion, though one can never really have enough shrimp. The clams were a little chewy though so that was a real drawback, they obviously used cheap seafood as opposed to good seafood. But there was also tofu to be had aplenty and tofu is another one of those things that I've come to love in Shanghai.

There wasn't anything over the top about this soup it just worked out to be a good combination of seafood and tofu. Interestingly the soup was made from soy milk though that didn't affect the taste one way or the other, it just made the soup look a bit cloudy. I'd really like to see how another restaurant pulls off this dish. I won't be so inclined to order it again from this place, but I think the idea has potential.

臭豆腐 Stinky Tofu

Pinyin: chòu dòu fǔ

A common street food in Shanghai that you may not be able to see, but you can certainly smell from a mile away. The premise behind the dish is that the tofu has been aged much like say brie cheese. The moldy tofu is then deep fried and served. Dipping sauce, almost always spicy and often times sweet is provided. When served on the street it cost a couple of Kuai for about four pieces, restaurants are of course more expensive.

The key to this dish lies in the name though, because it is stinky, stinky and nasty smelling is more accurate. Think rotting gym socks, or boiling sewage, or very strong well aged cheese. If you aren't careful and can ruin your appetite. Shanghai locals rave over the stuff, in my opinion it's just OK. If you are in Shanghai it's a must at least once, but eat it fast and then get it off the table so you can enjoy the rest of your meal.

豆腐干芹菜 Tofu and Celery Stir Fry

Pinyin: Dòu Fu Gān Qín Cài

A combination crunchy and stringy with mushy almost makes me feel like this dish is half chewed when it enters my mouth, but with that in mind I still like it and think it is worth talking about. The celery that you see here is actually Chinese celery which is a skinny counterpart to the more common variety found in the west. It tastes a little richer and ends up being less stringy than your standard celery. The dish is quite simple using a dried firm tofu and stir frying it with celery. A dash of red peppers are thrown in to add color, the dish is kept light and tasty, the flavors of the tofu and celery are really allowed to come out and make quite a nice combo. It's an all veggie dish, and is simple enough to be made at home so it really has a lot of potential.

湖南香干 Special Hunan Tofu

Pinyin： hú nán xiāng gān

Chances are you'll only find this at a Hunan food restaurant obviously enough, though it is very similar to 家常豆腐 Homestyle Tofu, which I previously talked about. In the Hunan style though this dish is focused more on being spicy and less on variety of ingredients.

You can see that it is quite simply pieces of tofu, peppers, scallions and you can't see that they've also added pieces of pork fat for flavor. The tofu used as the primary ingredient is quite unique in flavor. It really reminds me of fermented tofu. It has some earthy undertones about it that lead me to believe it isn't fresh. It also has a slightly tough and chewy skin that appears as though it was fried. It adds nicely to the texture but at the same time the tofu isn't oily.

The spiciness from the peppers isn't overpowering, they provide just enough strength to tingle your sense but not enough to have you reaching for a cold drink. Together with the peppers and the fat from the pork this tofu comes alive and I've been regularly ordering it for the past several weeks.

马兰头香干 Minced Tofu and Vegetables

Pinyin: mǎ lán tóu xiāng gān

A classic Shanghainese style dish. Tofu, and a green vegetable minced together, throw in a bit of sesame oil, and presto, a pretty decent vegetarian dish is created.

Every time I've had this it's always been served cold, and is one of the first things out on the table. Also most of the time they serve it molded into some shape, either a cup or some fancy bowl.

It's quite a kick to actually watch somebody mince vegetables. I've often seen young chefs standing outside of a restaurant with a big plastic bowl full of vegetables and two butcher knifes just whacking away at the vegetables in the bowl. Seems to work better than a blender, lol.

Oh ya BTW, this is one of the few vegetables I haven't figured out the English name for. It's something that's native to Shanghai, but that's about everything I know about it.

私房煮干丝 House Special Julienned Tofu Stew

Pinyin: Sī Fáng Zhǔ Gàn Sī

A soup that isn't a soup. Shrimp, tofu, and veggies in this soupy broth. As it turns out the soupy broth is quite good and worth drinking, even though it technically isn't a soup.

The food in and of itself is good. The tofu and shrimp are nice, a little salty, but extremely tasty. The big green leaves were spinach like in nature which automatically make it good.

I've never had this dish before, but I'd gladly have it again. The shrimp were a bit small and seldom discovered, but the tofu was plentiful and ever so tasty.

富贵卤三样 Soy Sauce Soaked Tofu and Quail Eggs

Pinyin: Fù Guì Lǔ Sān Yàng


There's a lot of tofu here, and that's great if you are a vegetarian. Of course you don't have to be a vegetarian to enjoy this dish, and eggs are included to spice it up a bit.

With that in mind though, those chunks of tofu, lean on the large size, which can be a little daunting. Luckily this isn't the mushy tofu you might be used to, rather it's the rubberized version that is the primary component of fake meat.

I know you might not be thrilled about this dish yet, but really it isn't too bad. The tofu is a bit salty flavored thanks to the soy sauce and the quail eggs are fun just cause they are a bit unusual. If you weren't aware quail eggs are also a little chewy.

The chewy eggs and rubbery tofu all soaked in soy sauce end up making a decent but not great appetizer.

香菜云丝 Tofu Skin with Cilantro

Pinyin: Xiāng Cài Yún Sī

Sesame oil is one of those things that can make or break a dish with just a drop or two. It's amazingly potent stuff and should be used with caution. But damn when you mix it with Cilantro it just becomes friggin great.

The cilantro sort of balances out the sesame oil and then the tofu skin adds the substance. Since I've never seen tofu skin in America the closest thing I can relate it to would possibly be a crepe.

Oh ya this is an appetizer, and it's neither served hot or cold, just sort of room temperature, and it's vegetarian, and it's got tofu in it, so it's "gasp" healthy for you.

芒果豆腐花 Tofu and Mango Soup

Pinyin: Máng Guǒ Dòu Fū Huā

You know what tofu tastes like right, OK now imagine that and simply add half a fresh mango and some mango juice. Chill the whole thing and this is what you get.

It's a pretty decent dessert, it's not too sweet, almost fresh and light you could say. It is a bit strange to be eating tofu for dessert and it's really a very liquid form of tofu which makes it even a bit stranger.

I always say it is hard to go wrong with mangoes though and if you are a fan of tofu you'll be loving this stuff. For the rest of you out there, the non-tofu loving bunch, you might want to reconsider.

脆皮豆腐 Sweet and Sour Tofu

Pinyin: Cuì Pí Dòu Fǔ

This dish could almost be mistaken for American Chinese food, except that it's made of tofu and not meat.

It's the classic sweet and sour style, it's just that it uses chunks of tofu that have been battered and fried. The tofu isn't overpowering and it's a refreshing change to find a dish so close to the American imitation.

Seems kind of funny actually that the USA would imitate something made in China. It's the 180 degree opposite almost all the other times.

家常豆腐 Homestyle Tofu

Pinyin: Jiā Cháng Dòu Fǔ

Ladies and gentlemen, this is one of my favorite dishes. The way I see it, it has almost everything good mixed up together into one pretty damn fine dish.

First you've got your tofu, a kind of firm/fried tofu, then you've got chunks of pork, some mushrooms, and then it's all mixed up and cooked in a sweet and spicy kind of sauce.

It's not vegetarian, but it's got plenty of tofu. It'll keep carnivores satisfied cause it's got meat. It's spicy enough to keep things interesting, but sweet enough you won't break into a sweat. If you can't tell I love this dish and thankfully it can be ordered at nearly every Chinese restaurant worth it's weight in rice.

什锦豆腐 Tofu Medley

Pinyin: Shí Jǐn Dòu Fǔ

Well I contemplated not blogging about this dish because it's not something I recommend. I've had decent versions of this dish, but this one isn't at all. It's got loads of MSG, is far too slimy even for me, and it's got no flavor to speak of.

If you are really interested in it, as you can see it's just tofu, carrots, and peas. Occasionally other things are added, say shrimp or bits of meat.

I guess if you are a fan of tofu give it a try, it's possible you'll like it, but don't get your hopes up. The name shen jing dou fu simply means that it's tofu with everything else, so it's usually composed of all the stuff that's just laying around in the fridge.

香菜拌素鸡 Chopped Cilantro and Suji

Pinyin: Xiāng Cài Bàn Sù Jī

I've only ever eaten this dish once, but damn was it good. It's so simple its stupid. It amounts to sliced suji, cilantro, and sesame oil all mixed together, no cooking involved.

When I had it, it was served not cold, but not hot either, just sort of room temperature. It was one of the first dishes on the table and was just an appetizer.

Suji is something I've only ever seen in China and if you want it you'll probably have to hit up an Asian grocery store, or just come to China. It's a sort of tofu and you'll sometimes see it translate as vegetarian chicken or duck. Suji is made by tightly rolling layers of tofu film together and working a little magic (I don't know the full process and it's damn hard to find on Google).