Chongqing - Tao holds a ladle steadily, just right above a bowl of freshly boiled soybean milk. He slightly tilts the ladle and circles it around to let the liquid in it slide into the soybean, gradually and evenly.

A bowl of clean-white and soft Douhua will be ready for eaters in minutes.

A customer enjoyed a bowl of clean-white and soft Douhua. (iChongqing / Kenny Dong)

Tao works in a restaurant in a popular area for foodies in Chongqing’s Liangjiang New Area. The restaurant is owned by his uncle, Yang Shoubin, who enjoys a local reputation as the creator of Shui Shang Piao, meaning Douhua that floats.

Douhua is developed on tofu and has long been a well-liked food in China. Different regions have their signature Douhua food, as people across the nation never cease to enrich and localize the recipe.

In southwest China, the signature Douhua Fan, fan means rice in Chinese, is perhaps the top meal choice if you are looking for a fast and economical way to satisfy your stomach.

Douhua Fan is served as a set, a bowl of Douhua, a bowl of rice, and dipping sauce. The Douhua is made tender yet chewy. The rice tastes better when steamed in a wood-made cook called Zengzi as the ancestors did. As for dipping sauce, some restaurants have their secret sauce, while the others may offer as many as a dozen condiments for customers to satisfy taste buds.

Staff is preparing their signature dipping of Yang’s secret recipe. (iChongqing / Kenny Dong)

Yang, who has been making Douhua since 1987, said the ingredients are simple, soya beans, water, and brine are all you need to make Douhua.

“It is not easy to make it tender and chewy at the same time. Most Douhua is either too soft for the chopsticks or too tough for the taste buds. I wanted to make it easier to be picked up while more tasty for eaters,” Yang said.

He spent six years working on the recipe before finally making his signature Douhua. The secret lies in the beans used and the proportion of brine, Yang said, when he made the Douhua as he anticipated, he soon noticed the difference.

“Normally, Douhua has a firm texture and tends to sink in the soup, while mine looks loose, thin, and afloat. It was a surprise, and I named the Douhua after that,” Yang said.

With floating Douhua, Shui Shang Piao in Chinese, becoming popular, Yang expanded his business and passed on his secret recipe to his niece, who is now skilled and assisting him in running this family restaurant.

“I started in a shack years ago and gained what I have now through hard work and with assistance from the local authority. Staff in my restaurant used to be unemployed from my community. I am running the premises not only to serve eaters with the best Douhua but also to help people in need as much as possible. This is how I give back to society,” Yang said.

At 10 am, Tao started getting busy, making Shui Shang Piao and preparing for lunchtime. Yang will show up and make sure everything is in place before the premise become a bustling spot full of eaters.

“Flocks of people come to my restaurant every day. Some of them are from afar. I always feel fulfilled and grateful to see them coming and enjoying the food we serve,” Yang said.

(This article was written by Guo Shuyu, Liangjiang New Area Media Center)