The Ultimate Guide to Making Douhua (Tofu Pudding)

Douhua, or tofu pudding, is a type of fresh, extra-soft, uncurdled tofu that is even softer than silken tofu. It is so soft that it's often ... Skiptocontent JoinmyFREEChineseCookingCourse!SubscribeYoutube Pinterest Instagram Facebook Twitter RSSFeed ModernChineseCooking Thisultimateguidetomakingtofupudding(doubua/uncurdledsofttofu)explainshowtousedifferentcoagulantsandtheirresults.ThepostincludesrecipesforusingGLD,gypsum,gelatin,andagaragarandcoversthemethodsandresultsusingnigariandcitrus.Looknofurtherifyouwanttomaketheperfecttofupuddingusingwhateveringredientsyouhaveonhand.{Vegan,Gluten-Free} Whatisdouhua/tofupudding Douhua,ortofupudding,isatypeoffresh,extra-soft,uncurdledtofuthatisevensofterthansilkentofu.Itissosoftthatit’softenservedwithaladle.InnorthernChina,wecallitDouFuNao(directlytranslated,means“tofubrain”)andweserveitwithasavorygravy.InsouthernChina,peopleusuallycallitdouhuaandserveitwithagingerysyrup.WhiletravelingtocentralandwesternChina,I’vehadthedishservedwithvarioussavorysauces(usuallysoysaucebased)withfresharomatics,pickles,andchilioil. Douhuaismadewithsoymilkandacoagulanttohelpitcongeal.Differentfrommakingtofu,whereyouuseacoagulanttomakethesoymilkcurdleandthenpressit,makingdouhuaisasimplerprocess.Yousimplyneedtodissolvethecoagulantintothesoymilkandletitset.That’sall. Differentcoagulantsformakingtofupudding Inordertofindthebestwaytomakedouhua,myteammateLiljaandIdecidedtotestoutallthecommoncoagulantsandfindoutthebestapproach.Wetested: GDLGypsumNigariGelatinAgarAgarCitrus Theresults Longstoryshort,wefoundoutthattheGDLproducesthebestandmostconsistentresult.Butit’strickierwhenmadeinsmallbatchesbecauseitrequiresaprecise(tothetenthofagram)scaletogetagoodresult.  Thegypsummethodproducesthesecondbestresultandit’seasiertomakeathome.Plus,sinceit’salsoacoagulantusedtomakeregulartofu,wepickeditasanotherwinner.Evenifyouaccidentallycurdlethesoymilkwhilemakingdouhua,youcanstillpressitintotofu.Sothereisnowaste. Thenigariandcitrusmethodsdidn’tworkout.Bothledtocurdledtofuaftermanytestssowehadtoforegothesemethods.  GelatinandAgarbothmakeOKresults,buttheyproduceabouncyjelly-liketexturethatIfindabitweird.(PS.MyhusbandThomaslovedit(lol),though,Ithinkifyoudidn’tgrowupeatingthisdishyoumightliketheresult) Youcanjumptotherecipebelowifyouwanttousethegypsummethod.Ialsoincludedallthemethodsintheblogpostbelow,incaseyouwanttouseadifferentcoagulant. HomemadesoymilkVS.store-bought Theybothwork! Homemadesoymilkhasathickertexturesoitrequireslesscoagulantandtheresulttastesslightlybetter.However,weunderstandthatyoumightnotwanttomakesoymilkfromscratcheverytimeyoumakedouhua.Wetestedthestore-boughtsoymilkaswellandtheresultturnedouttotallyOK. Theonlythingtonoteisthatyouneedtomakesurethestore-boughtsoymilkcontainsonlysoybeansandwater.I’veonlyseenthiskindatChinesemarkets,otherAsianmarkets,andTraderJoe’s(theTraderJoe’sbrandsoymilk).Theadditivesinpackagedsoymilkmightaffectthecoagulationprocessandwon’tproduceagreatresult.  Ihaveincludedtheamountofadjustedcoagulantmeasurementsbelow,usingstore-boughtsoymilk. Theonlythingwedidn’ttestishomemadesoymilkmadewithasoymilkmachine.BecauseIhadtogetridofmysoymilkmakerwhenmovingtoNewYorkduetomylimitedspace.Basedonmypreviousexperience,thesoymilkmadewiththemachineisslightlythinnerthantheversionwithout,soyoushouldusethemeasurementsforthestore-boughtsoymilk. Themethodsofmakingdouhua Therearetwowaysofmakingdouhua–thesteamingmethodandthepouringmethod.Forthecookingpart,wetestedbothsteamingandpouring. Thesteamingmethod(recommended) Tousethesteamingmethod,youwillhavetouseasoymilkthatiscoldoratroomtemperature.Thecookingrequiresaheat-proofbowlandasteamer.Youwillneedto: DissolvethecoagulantintoasmallamountofsoymilkPourintherestofthesoymilkandstiragainCoverthebowlwithplasticwrapandsteam Wehighlyrecommendthesteamingmethodbecauseitisreliableandalwaysproducesconsistentresults. Thepouringmethod Thepouringmethodisquitepopularbecauseit’sconvenientwhenyou’remakingafreshbatchofsoymilkandusingthehotmilktomakedouhuaimmediately.Youwillneedto: Heatthesoymilkuntilsimmering(butnotboilinghot)CombinethecoagulantwithasmallamountofstarchandwatertodissolvePourthehotsoymilkoverthemixturefromaboutafoot(30cm)abovetoallowthecoagulanttomixinLetitsit,coveredandundisturbed,for20to30minutes. Wedonotrecommendthepouringmethodbecause: Itwillcausealotofbubblesonthesurfacesotheresultwilllooklessperfect(youcannotskimthebubblesbecausedoingsoaffectsthecoagulationprocess)Oncepoured,youhavetokeepthebowlabsolutelystill.Ifyoumoveitoraccidentallyjiggleit,thesoymilkmightcurdle.Thepouringmethoddoesnotworkifusinggypsum,because50%ofthetimethesoymilkwillcurdle. However,ifyouprefertouseGDLasthecoagulant,it’stotallyOKtousethepouringmethodandtheresultwillbeveryconsistent.  Thepouringmethodproduceabubblysurface Butotherthanthesurface,thetextureofthedouhuacameoutprettywellusingthepouringmethod TherecipesformakingDouhuausingdifferentcoagulants I’mincludingalltherecipestomakedouhuausingdifferentcoagulants.Youwillalsofindthegypsummethodattheendofthepostintherecipecardwithagingerysyruprecipe.Iincludedonlythatoneintherecipecardbecauseit’smyfavorite.  Makingdouhuausinggypsum(recommended) Gypsumisasoftsulfatemineralwhichisamainingredientinplasteranddrywall.It’scommonlyusedinChinatomaketofuanddouhuathetraditionalway. Welovethegypsummethodbecauseitproducesaverysmoothtextureandtheresultisquiteconsistentevenifyoudonotuseascale.Thedownsideis,youwillneedtousethesteamingmethodforgypsumsincethepouringmethodcurdlesalotandthetextureisbadevenwhenthesoymilkdoesn’tcurdle. YoucanusuallyfinditatAsianmarketsoronAmazon.  MAKINGDOUHUAUSINGGYPSUM INGREDIENTS 400ml(12/3cup)homemadesoymilk(orstore-boughtsoymilk),coldorroomtemperature(*Footnote1)2g(1/2teaspoon)gypsum(*Footnote2)(Optional)Pinchofsaltand/orsugar(*Footnote3) INSTRUCTIONS Prepareaheatproofbowlorcontainerthatcanholdatleast2cupsofwaterandwillfitintoyoursteamer.Addthegypsum,salt/sugarifusing,andasmallamountofsoymilkintothebowl.Mixuntilfullydissolved.Thenslowlypourintherestofthesoymilkandstirconstantlytomixinthegypsum.Coverwithplasticwrap.Addwatertoyoursteamerandbringittoafullboil.Placethebowlwiththesoymilkmixtureintothesteamer,coverthesteamer,andsteamfor10minutesoverhighheat.Oncedone,removethesteamerfromthestove.Uncovercarefullytoletthesteamout,andpokeafewholeswithaforkontheplastictoreleasethecondensationwhilethetofucools.Oncethesteamismostlyreleased,removetheplasticwrapandservethedouhuawarmorcold.  FOOTNOTES 1.Ifusingstore-boughtmilk,itshouldcontainonlysoymilkandwater.  2.Sincestore-boughtsoymilkisthinner,youwillneedtoincreasetheamountofgypsumto3/4teaspoon(3.5g). 3.Theaddedsalt/sugarwillmaskthemildtasteofthegypsumifyoueatthetofucurdplain.Butsinceyouwillusuallybeservingitwithasweetorsavorysauce,orusethecurdinotherrecipeslikeasoup,Idon’tseetheneedtoaddthesugar/salt,soIusuallydon’t. MakingdouhuausingGDL(recommended) GLD,orGluconoDeltaLactone,isafoodadditiveasanacidifier(alsocommonlyusedinmakingfetacheese).  Comparedtothetraditionalgypsum,GDLispopularthesedays,especiallyinrestaurants.Whenmakingdouhua,itproducesasmoother,moresilkytexture,andtheresultisalwaysconsistent.Asageneralrule: (Gramsofsoymilk)x.0025=GramsofGDL Aslongasyoufollowtherule,youwillalwaysgetthesamesmoothandsofttexture. Theonlydownsideis,it’shardtomeasureGDLifyou’remakingdouhuainsmallbatches.Forexample,youwillneed1gramGDLfor400mlsoymilkthatyieldstwoservings.Tomeasure1gram,youwillneedaspecialscalethatispreciseto0.1gram.  Duringthetesting,wetriedusingthespoonmeasurement.Unfortunately,a1/4teaspoonGDLyieldsanywherefrom0.7gramsto1.2grams,producingaresultthatiseithertoosoftortoofirm. Ourconclusionisthat,ifyoureallylovedouhuaandplantousethepouringmethod,youshouldgetascaleandusetheGDLmethod. YouprobablyneedtoshopforGDLonAmazonbecauseit’saspecialingredientandevenmostAsianmarketsdonotcarryit. GDLProducesthebesttexture MakingthedouhuausingGDLmeasuredby1/4teaspooninsteadofaprecisescale.Thedouhuacameoutwaterybecauseteaspoonmeasurementisnotaccurate. MAKINGDOUHUAUSINGGDL INGREDIENTS Steamingmethod 400ml(12/3cup)homemadesoymilk(orstore-boughtsoymilk),roomtemperature1gGDL(1/4t)(*Footnote1)(Optional)Apinchofsaltand/orsugar(*Footnote2) Pouringmethod 1gcornstarch(1/4t)(*Footnote1)1tablespoonwater INSTRUCTIONS Steamingmethod Prepareaheatproofbowlorcontainerthatcanholdatleast2cupsofwaterandwillfitintoyoursteamer.AddasmallamountoftheGDL,soymilk,salt/sugarifusing,andmixuntilfullydissolved.ThenslowlypourintherestofthesoymilkandstirconstantlytomixintheGDL.Coverwithplasticwrap.Addwatertoyoursteamerandbringittoafullboil.Placethebowlwiththesoymilkmixtureintothesteamer,coverthesteamer,andsteamfor9minutesoverhighheat.Oncedone,removethesteamerfromthestove.Uncovercarefullytoletthesteamout,andpokeafewholeswithaforkontheplastictoreleasethecondensationwhilethetofucools.Oncethesteamismostlyreleased,removetheplasticwrapandservethedouhuawarmorcold.  Pouringmethod Heatthesoymilkinasmallpotuntilsimmeringbutnotboiling.Whileheatingthesoymilk,combinetheGDL,cornstarchandwaterinasmallbowl.Stirtodissolvecompletely.Rightbeforepouringthesoymilk,youshouldstiragainbecausetheGDLwillseparateifthemixturesitsfortoolong.Pourthehotsoymilkoverthemixturefromafoot(30cm)above,whichwillallowtheGDLtomixinthoroughly.Donottouchthemixtureormovethebowloncepoured,sothedouhuacanproperlyset.Coverwithafewlayersofkitchenpapertowelsandsecureitwithalidoralargeplate,sothepaperwillabsorbanycondensationandwon’tdipintothesoymilk.Letsitundisturbedfor20to30minutes. FOOTNOTE 1-IhighlyrecommendusingaprecisescaleforGDLbecausetheteaspoonmeasurementisnotaccurateatall.Ifusingstoreboughtsoymilk,use1.5g(aheaping1/4tspor3/8tsp)GDL. 2-Thedouhuawillhaveabitacidicaftertastewithoutusinganysugarorsalt.Butifyouserveitwithasauce,theaftertasteisnotnoticeable.  MakingdouhuausingGelatin Gelatinisatranslucentflavorlesspowdermadefromcollagentakenfromanimalparts.Soyoushouldavoidthismethodifyou’revegetarianorvegan. Althoughitlookssoftandsmoothonthepicture,IpersonallydonotlikethismethodbecauseitproducesaJello-liketexturethatisslightlybouncyandsticky.Italsoonlyproducescolddouhuaduetothecookingmethod. Butgelatinisaningredientthatiseasytofindandyoucanusuallygetitataregulargrocerystore. MAKINGDOUHUAUSINGGELATIN INGREDIENTS 325ml(11/3cup+1teaspoon)homemadesoymilk(orstore-boughtsoymilk),coldorroomtemperature1teaspoongelatin INSTRUCTIONS Add2tablespoonsofthesoymilktoaheatproofbowlandsprinkleoverthegelatin.Letsitfor5minutes.Addtheremainingsoymilktoasmallpotandbringtoaboil.Pouroverthehydratedgelatinmixture.Mixwithaspoonuntilthegelatiniscompletelydissolved.Coverwithafewlayersofkitchenpapertowelsandsecureitwithalidoralargeplate.Transferthebowltotherefrigeratorandletrestforatleast4hours.Servecoldoratroomtemperature. MakingdouhuausingAgarAgar AgarAgar(oragar)isajelly-likesubstancemadefromredalgae,atypeofseaweed.It’sacommoningredientinJapanesecuisineandapopularonetoreplacegelatintomakevegandesserts. Ihaveincludedthismethodbecauseagaragarisrelativelyeasytofind,especiallyinAsianmarketsandorganicgrocerystores.YoucanalsofinditonAmazon. Butsimilartogelatin,itcreatesatexturethatisjelly-likewithaslightlystiffmouthfeel.Themethodalsoonlyproducescold/roomtemperaturedouhua.Idonotrecommendthismethodifyou’relookingforaveryauthenticdouhuatexture. MAKINGDOUHUAUSINGAGARAGAR INGREDIENTS 325ml(11/3cup+1teaspoon)homemadesoymilk(orstore-boughtsoymilk),coldorroomtemperature1/2teaspoonagaragar INSTRUCTIONS Combinethesoymilkandagaragarinasmallpotandstirtoincorporate.Heatovermedium-highheat,stirringconstantly,untilbringingtoalightboil.Turntomedium-lowheattoreduceittoalowsimmer,thencookforanother5minutesoruntiltheagaragarisfullydissolved.Pourthemixtureintoaheatproofbowlorcontainer.Coverwithafewlayersofpapertowelsandsecureitwithalidoralargeplate.Transferthebowltotherefrigeratorandletitrestforatleast1hour.Servecoldoratroomtemperature. Howtoservedouhua Douhuacanbeservedhotorcold.Intherecipebelow,I’veincludedthepopulargingersyruptoservethedishasadessert.  GrowingupinBeijing,I’vealwayseatensavorydouhua.Thesauceismadewithmincedporkandotherdriedingredientsinabrowngravy.It’susuallyservedasabreakfastalongwithChinesedonuts(YouTiao).Iwillsharetherecipewithyousoon! Keystomakingtheperfectdouhua ChooseeithergypsumorGDLasacoagulantifyouplantomakedouhuamorethanonce.It’sdefinitelyworththetroubletoorderitonline. Nomatterwhichcoagulantyou’reworkingwith,themeasurementwillvaryslightlydependingonthesoymilkyouuse.Mymeasurementsarebasedonmyhomemadesoymilk(withoutasoymilkmachine),using8oz(226)driedsoybeanstoyieldabout6cups(upto61/2cups)ofsoymilk.Ifyou’reusingadifferentsoymilkformula,themeasurementofthecoagulantmightchangeslightlybecauseyoursoymilkmighthaveadifferentthickness.Butifyoukeepmakingdouhuawithonetypeofsoymilk,youcanslightlytweakthecoagulantamounttoachievetheperfecttexture. Ialsohighlyrecommendgettingakitchenscalenomatterwhichmethodyouuse.  Ingeneral,thegypsummethodisquiteforgivingandyoucangetawaywithoutascale.Butifyouwanttheperfectresulteverytime,youshoulduseaprecisescalewithGDL. Afterthoughts Makingdouhuamightsoundintimidatingatfirst.Butonceyouunderstandthemethodandgetthepropermeasurements,it’sactuallyveryeasytomakeathome.Nomatterwhetheryou’retryingtorecreateyourchildhoodmemoriesorsearchingforanewwaytoenjoytofu,thisisaperfectrecipeforyou. WanttolearnmoreaboutChineseCooking?Signupformynewslettertoreceivethe5-DayChineseCookingCrashCourseandrecipeupdate! WanttoKnowMore?Receiveour5-DayChineseCookingCrashCourse&RecipeUpdates!Subscribe TheUltimateGuidetoMakingDouhua(TofuPudding) 4.75from4votes Thisultimateguidetomakingtofupudding(doubua/uncurdledsofttofu)explainshowtousedifferentcoagulantsandtheirresults.ThepostincludesrecipesforusingGLD,gypsum,gelatin,andagaragarandcoversthemethodsandresultsusingnigariandcitrus.Looknofurtherifyouwanttomaketheperfecttofupuddingusingwhateveringredientsyouhaveonhand.{Vegan,Gluten-Free} Author:MaggieZhu Course:BreakfastCuisine:ChineseKeyword:streetfood PrepTime:5minutesCookTime:10minutesTotalTime:15minutes Servings:2servings PrintRecipe PinRecipe RateRecipe IngredientsDouhua(withgypsum)400ml(12/3cups)homemadesoymilk(orstore-boughtsoymilk),coldorroomtemperature(*Footnote1)2g(1/2teaspoon)gypsum(*Footnote2)OptionalPinchofsaltand/orsugar(*Footnote3)GingerSyrup1/2cupbrownsugar1/2cupwater1/2”(1cm)ginger,sliced InstructionsDouhuaPrepareaheatproofbowlorcontainerthatcanholdatleast2cupsofwaterandwillfitintoyoursteamer.Addthegypsum,salt/sugarifusing,andasmallamountofsoymilktothebowl.Mixuntilfullydissolved.Thenslowlypourintherestofthesoymilkandstirconstantlytomixinthegypsum.Coverwithplasticwrap.Addwatertoyoursteamerandbringittoafullboil.Addthebowlwiththesoymilkmixture,coverthesteamer,andsteamfor10minutesoverhighheat.Oncedone,removethesteamerfromthestove.Uncovercarefullytoletthesteamout,andpokeafewholesintheplasticwithaforktoreleasecondensationwhilethetofucools.Oncethesteamismostlyreleased,removetheplasticwrapandservethedouhuawarmorcold.(Footnote4)SyrupAddthebrownsugar,waterandgingertoasmallpot.Heatovermediumheatuntilbringingtoaboil.Turntomedium-lowheattoreducetoasimmer,thencookforanother5minutes.Pourovertofupuddingandenjoy! Notes Ifusingstore-boughtmilk,itshouldonlycontainsoymilkandwater. Sincestore-boughtsoymilkisthinner,youwillneedtoincreasetheamountofgypsumto3/4teaspoon(3.5g). Theaddedsalt/sugarmasksthemildtasteofgypsumifyoueatthetofucurdplain.Butsinceyouwillusuallybeservingitwithasweetorsavorysauce,orusethecurdinotherrecipeslikeasoup,Idon’tseetheneedtoaddthesugar/saltsoIusuallydon’t. Ifthetofupuddinggetscurdledbyaccident,itcanbepressedintoablockofextra-softsilkentofu. Thisrecipeproducesextrasyrup.Youcanstoreitinanairtightcontainerinthefridgeforupto1month. NutritionServing:1serving,Calories:146kcal,Carbohydrates:21.8g,Protein:6.8g,Fat:3.6g,SaturatedFat:0.4g,Sodium:108mg,Potassium:256mg,Fiber:1.2g,Sugar:17g,Calcium:59mg,Iron:1mg DidYouMakeThisRecipe?Don’tforgetthelaststep!Tagme@OmnivoresCookbookand#OmnivoresCookbookonInstagram! Otherrecipesyoumightbeinterestedin EasyHand-PulledNoodlesHowtoMakeChineseDumplingsfromScratchHowtoMakeSteamedBaoBuns(GuaBaoBuns)GuaBao(TaiwanesePorkBellyBuns,割包)WontonSoup LiljaWalterisapartoftheOmnivore’sCookbookteamandworkedcloselywithMaggietodevelopandtestthisrecipe. ReceiveourFREE5-DayChineseCookingCrashCourse&RecipeUpdates!Subscribe LeaveaReview!CancelReplyIlovehearingfromyou!Submityourquestionorreviewbelow.Youremailaddresswillnotbepublished.Requiredfieldsaremarked*. RateThisRecipe! RateThisRecipe! MessageAuthor* Email* Don'tsubscribe All Repliestomycomments Notifymeoffollowupcommentsviae-mail.Youcanalsosubscribewithoutcommenting. Δ ReaderQuestionsandReviews Alexsays: Reply Thisissoexciting!Ihadadishlikethismanyyearsagothathadalovely,fancifulname(somethinglikemoonrockgarden)thatIcouldneverfindinfoforonline.Justpicturesofactualgardens.Itwasaveganrestaurant,soIknewitwasn’tegg,butIwasn’tsurehowitwasmade.ThishasbeenbuggingmeforjustoveradecadebecauseIassumeditwassteamedsoIlookedinallthewrongplaces. Thesedays,Idoallmysteaminginmyinstantpot.Havingmadethedishmanytimes,doyouthinkitcouldworkinapressurecooker? Alexsays: Reply *wasn’tsteamed.Typo,sorry. Maggiesays: Reply HiAlex,I’msureyoucanuseyourInstantPotforthesteamingbutyouneedtosetitto“steam”(Ibelieveit’slowpressureifyouusethatfunction).Whenyouatethedishattheveganrestaurant,whattypeofsaucedidtheyserveitwith?Iincludedthesweetone,whichismoremainstream.I’llalsoshareasavoryversionsoon🙂 Alexsays: Itwasn’tsweetandtherewerevegetablesontop.Ithinktheyweremeanttobethe‘garden’partofthename?Overall,itdidn’tfeelsupercomplicatedintermsofflavorbutwasdeeplysatisfying. Maggiesays: HiAlex,Ijustsharedthesavoryversionoftofupudding:https://omnivorescookbook.com/dou-fu-nao/ Itmightnotbecompletelythesameliketheversionyouhad,sinceeachregionhastheirownformulatomakethesauceandtoppings.ButIthinkyoumightenjoythisone🙂 Leesays: I’mgratefulforyourindeepguide! IusedtomakeDouhuawithgypsum,butafteracoupleofyearsItriedtoremakemysuccessfulrecipethesoyjustcurdledandcouldnotgelatinize. CouldyouconfirmifGypsumdoreallygetspoiledaftersometime? Thanks MaggieZhusays: Gladtohearyoufindthisposthelpfu! I’mnotsureifGypsumactuallyget“spoiled”sinceIneverkeptabagfortoomanyyears.ButIdothinkthatitgetsdatedovertimeifyoudon’tstoreitproperly.Ifyoukeeptheminanotperfectlysealedbags,itwillbeabsorbmoistfromtheairandbecomelessfreshandeffective. Pey-Lihsays: Reply Impressive!Thankyouforbreakingdowntheformulaforusinggypsumamountsvs.gelatin.Iwillmakethis.Thanksforsharing! LHsiaosays: Reply HiMaggie,wheredidyoubuytheGDL?Thankyou! Olisays: Reply Ihavebeentryingtomakethisforyears.EveryrecipeI’veseensaystousethecrashingmethodbutithasNEVERturnedoutsmooth!Alwaysbubbly.IgaveupbutthensawyourrecipetosteamandOMG,gamechanger!!Somuchfasterandsosmooth!Thankyou! Kammysays: Reply Itriedtomakethispreviouslyusingthepouringmethod,anditdidn’tcomeoutthatsmooth.Ijusttriedthisovertheweekendusingthesteamingmethodwithgypsum.Itwasamazing!Thankyousomuchfortherecipe.Itsavesmetimeexperimenting. Christysays: Reply I’minspiredtotrythis!Whenusingthesteamingmethod,whatisthepurposeoftheplasticwrap?Isittokeepthecondensationfromdroppingintothepudding?Idon’tusuallyuseplasticwrapwhencookingsowastryingtodetermineifthere’sanalternativeoption. MaggieZhusays: Reply Yestheplasticwrapkeepsthecondensationfromdroppingintothebowl. Youcanuseatowelbetweenyoursteamingpotandthelidtohelpwiththesituation. Youcanalsouseabamboosteamer(orbamboosteamerlid)andthatwillreducethecondensationbyalot. Leenasays: CanIjustplacealidonthedishbeforeplacingthedishintothesteamer? MaggieZhusays: Yesyoudefinitelycan. Pennysays: Reply ForthesteamingmethodusingGDL,doyouhavetoworkquickly?Willmovementofthebowlintothesteamermakeitcurdle? MaggieZhusays: Reply Idon’tthinkso.Itshouldbeactivatedwithheatsoanymovementpriorsteamingshouldn’tbeaproblem. Cherylsays: Reply Ihadagowiththegypsum/steamingmethodanditworkedquitewell–Ijusthaveacoupleofquestions.Howdoyouknowwhenit’sready,canyousteamitfortoolong?Doesit‘set’furtherwhenit’scooled? Mostimportantly,minehadalayerofwaterwhichIdon’tseeinyourpictures–howhaveIendedupwiththis?Thanks🙂 MaggieZhusays: Reply Thedouhuaisreadywhenit’sfullysetandcongealed.Iactuallydon’tknowifyoucancookitfortoolongbecauseI’venevertriedthat. Thetoplayerofwaterisnormal–it’slikemakingtofu,whenthecurdisset,youwillalwayshavesomeexcesswaterattheend.Whenyoubreakthecurdapart,youwillseeevenmorewaterseepingout.WhatIdidistouseashallowspoontoremoveasmuchwaterasIcan,soitwon’tdilutethesauceIuselateron.Butit’squitenormaltoalwayshaveabitwaterinyourbowl(whenIorderitfromstreetvendorbackinChina,thebowlalwayshassomeexcesswateraswell,afterthecurdisbeinghandled). MeettheAuthor:MaggieZhu HiI'mMaggieZhu!WelcometomysiteaboutmodernChinesecooking-includingstreetfood,familyrecipes,andrestaurantdishes.Itakealesslabor-intensiveapproachwhilemaintainingthetasteandlookofthedish.IamoriginallyfromBeijing,andnowcookfrommyNewYorkkitchen. YouMightAlsoLike... TheUltimateSolutionsforLeftoverChicken 10AsianCookingTipstoHelpYouCookFaster,EatBetter&Loseweight Wokvs.StirFryPan–WhichistheRightToolforYou? HowtoFreezeGinger LookingForSomething? 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