One of my favorite things is Doufu fa, which translates literally (if somewhat inexplicably) to “tofu flower” or less poetically, to “bean curd dessert.” The silken soy-based dessert — similar in texture to a very soft, creamy gelatin — spooned fresh from a deep, steaming steel or wooden pot and served with a slick of sweet ginger syrup seems to me one of life’s great, simple pleasures. Of late, I’ve been getting my fix from the Tofu Man — for lack of a better descriptor — who sets up shop(ping cart) on the West side of Centre Street, just South of Canal. Tofu Woman runs a similar operation at Chrystie and Grand Streets, in front of the B/D subway entrance.
On the savory front, I like the quintessential Sichuan dish Mapo Doufu — silky chunks of creamy tofu with a scattering of ground pork in a spicy, peppercorn sauce. (When are we going back to Spicy & Tasty?) The New York Times ran a piece on fresh tofu last year in which Julia Moskin described what struck me as a Korean iteration of this dish in soupier form: the Soon Dubu. Since then, I’ve been a bit obsessed with sampling the different versions from the Koreatown purveyors along 32nd and 35th Streets.After spending the day holed up in the apartment, a big bowl of steaming spiciness sounded like a perfect remedy on this chilly day. I met the B brothers at Seoul Garden, a 24-hour restaurant whose signature dish, “natural tofu” soup (on the menu as Soon Tofu ) is available in 4 levels of spiciness.
Kun Mandoo (Fried Beef dumplings):
Tofu Dol Sot BiBimBap:
Seoul Garden’s pride: the Soon Tofu — which arrived bubbling and bursting with steam in its stone pot (dol sot).
Stomach-warming and sinus-clearing, if not cancer-preventing. Thanks, HYB!
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