Yonghe Tofu 永和豆腐
Yonghe Tofu is featured among the local specialties of Jiangxi.
Yonghe Tofu (永和豆腐) is the bean-curd specialty associated with Yonghe, a river town in Ji’an, Jiangxi; the name is simply 永和 for the place plus 豆腐, bean curd.
How the curd is set
Bean curd starts the same way almost everywhere: dried soybeans are soaked, ground with water, and the slurry is boiled and strained. A coagulant — gypsum in many southern kitchens, brine in others — goes into the hot soy milk until curds separate from the whey. The curds are ladled into a cloth-lined mould and pressed. Pressing time decides the result, from a soft block that a spoon will dent to a firm slab that can be sliced and fried without falling apart.
Texture is the point
Fresh bean curd tastes of soybean rather than of seasoning, with a faint sweetness and a clean, slightly chalky finish. Firm blocks hold a cut edge and turn golden in a wok; soft blocks wobble, break under a spoon and belong in soup. Because the flavour is so plain, the cooking around it decides the meal: chilli, garlic, fermented black beans, pickled vegetable or a little pork.
Why a town is in the name
Yonghe sits on the Gan River in Ji’an, and bean curd has long been everyday protein in this part of Jiangxi rather than a restaurant set piece. Naming bean curd after a town is a claim about local habit and local water, and it is the kind of name families use without following a written recipe. Read it as a place marker rather than a promise that every kitchen in Yonghe makes it identically.
What is in it and what to ask
The core is soybean and water plus a coagulant; everything else belongs to the dish. Fried bean curd may be dusted with starch, braised bean curd is cooked with soy sauce and sugar, and a home-style plate often adds pork, chilli or dried shrimp. The curd itself is soy, so it suits anyone avoiding meat, but ask about the cooking stock, the fat and any meat garnish: those decide whether the plate is vegetarian, and shared woks and shared stock are common.
How to order 永和豆腐
Say 永和豆腐 and then ask what style it comes in: 老豆腐 (firm), 嫩豆腐 (soft) or 油豆腐 (fried puffs). Useful questions are 怎么做的 (how is it cooked), 有肉吗 (does it contain meat), 辣不辣 (is it spicy) and 多少钱一份 (what does one portion cost). If you want it plainly cooked, ask for 清蒸 or 白灼, and ask whether it arrives as a 菜 (dish) or a 汤 (soup).
Eating and planning a meal
Most Yonghe-style bean curd arrives as one dish among several shared with rice, not as a meal on its own. A firm fried version is a good partner for a soup and a green vegetable; a soft braised version already carries sauce, so it goes further across the table. Portions are usually sized for two to four people sharing, so if you are eating alone, ask whether they sell 半份 (half portion) before ordering two dishes.
More dishes to compare
Explore related local specialties and compare their names, preparation notes and ordering guidance.
Kuzhu Acorn Tofu 苦槠豆腐 →
Kuzhu Acorn Tofu (苦槠豆腐) is the Jiangxi jelly that looks like bean curd but is not made from soy at all — it is set from the starch of 苦槠, an acorn-like nut, and it tastes of that nut rather than of the bean. Yong He Dou Fu is genuine soybean curd, so it behaves like tofu in the pan: it browns, holds sauce and stays mild.
Questions before you order
Is Yonghe Tofu one fixed recipe?
No. The name ties bean curd to Yonghe in Ji’an, but kitchens there serve it firm, soft, fried and braised. Ask how it is made before you order.
Can I eat it if I avoid meat?
Bean curd is soybean and water, but many Jiangxi preparations use pork, lard or meat stock. Ask 有肉吗 and confirm the stock before ordering.
Sources & reading
The supplied food list supports this name and regional association. The culinary terms below are explained as menu vocabulary; a local recipe, origin story and venue availability have not been independently verified.
Image credits & notes (1)
- Reference photo of a similar dish · 同类菜品参考照片A similar preparation is pictured; the local version may differ. 同类菜品参考照片，当地做法可能不同。Photo: Archon6812 · CC BY-SA 3.0Resized for the web; the photo itself has not been edited. Thumbnails may show a cropped view.
