Chinese · Authentic-ish Chinese
Almond Tofu
185 kcal a serving, against 466 for the traditional version. That is 281 kcal off, or 60%, with 9.7g of protein. Serves 6. 4 hours.
What the traditional version is
A rich mix of whole milk, double cream and crushed almonds, sweetened heavily with caster sugar. The mixture is heated to extract the nut flavour, strained, then set with agar or gelatine until firm. It's usually cut into diamonds and served swimming in an extra bowl of sugar syrup and tinned fruit.
What changed, and what each change costs
200g of blanched almonds and 150g of sugar down to 100g of almonds and 40g of sugar
Almonds bring incredible flavour but a massive amount of fat. Halving the nuts and dropping the sugar slashes the fat, letting the pure, clean almond taste come through without the cloying sweetness.
What it costs you. You lose the rich, milky opaqueness. This jelly sets slightly more translucent. A light palate cleanser, then. Not a thick, rich dessert, and I'm not going to pretend otherwise.
200g of double cream and 500g of whole milk for 600g of semi-skimmed milk
Cream makes the jelly heavy. Swapping to semi-skimmed milk keeps the fluid volume high so you still get a decent portion, but removes a staggering amount of dairy fat.
What it costs you. The mouthfeel is entirely different. Traditional almond tofu coats your tongue like melted ice cream. This dish is slippery and watery, breaking apart sharply in your mouth.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 466 | 185 |
| Protein | 12.8g | 9.7g |
| Fat | 32.2g | 10.7g |
| Saturated fat | 10.6g | 1.9g |
| Carbohydrate | 36.2g | 14.6g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 2.8g | 5.2g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish Chinese prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
Allergens. milk, nuts.
The method is in the book
This is the first pudding in the book that feels completely different to the restaurant original. By stripping out the double cream and the syrup bath, you get a clean, sharp, wobbly jelly that tastes genuinely of fresh almonds. You do have to accept that it lacks that luxurious, fatty mouthfeel. The trade is simple. You give up the dense creaminess, and in return you lose a ridiculous amount of fat while keeping a decent hit of protein from the milk and gelatine. If you want a thick, dairy-heavy experience, go to a restaurant. If you want something cold, sweet and entirely sensible on a Tuesday night, make this.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish Chinese, along with 55 more. Buy the paperback