Boiled Shredded Tofu
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Boiled Shredded Tofu
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Boiled Shredded Tofu (Simplified Chinese: 煮干丝; Traditional Chinese: 煮乾絲; Pinyin: Zhǔ gānsī), also called 大煮干丝 (dàzhǔ gānsī), is a Huaiyang (Yangzhou) specialty of ultra-fine dried tofu shreds simmered in a clear, savory broth with ham, chicken, or shrimp accents—a flagship knife-skill plate of Jiangsu Food.[1][2]
Characteristics
Knife skill is central: dried tofu sheets are cut into hair-thin strands that should stay distinct in the bowl. Broth tastes clean and fresh; toppings add umami without heavy chili heat. Soft visual: a pale tangle of shreds topped with pink ham or chicken, shrimp, bamboo shoot, and bright greens. Soft mouthfeel: tender tofu threads in savory stock, closer to a refined tea-house soup-dish than to mapo-style chili tofu. Soft cold cousin: Jiangsu dining also knows cold shredded dried tofu salads; hot “大煮” versions are the banquet and breakfast prestige form.
Ingredients (overview)
Dried tofu sheets (白干); chicken or ham stock; cooked chicken shreds; Jinhua ham or shrimp; bamboo shoot; pea shoots or greens; light seasoning. Soft prep cue: shreds are often blanched to clear beany notes before the final simmer in rich stock. Soft garnish set: ham and shrimp announce Huaiyang luxury without thick starch sauces. Exact garnishes vary by restaurant. Overview only—not a recipe.
History and culture
The dish is a flagship of Jiangsu Huaiyang cooking and is often listed among Yangzhou banquet and tea-house classics alongside other Su-cuisine delicacies such as Crystal Salted Pork Hock and Three-Nested Duck. Soft folk lineage: popular tellings connect the plate to Qing “nine-shred soup” and to Qianlong southern-tour hospitality in Yangzhou; treat emperor-origin stories as soft folklore rather than sealed archival proof.[3] Soft salt-merchant / tea-house context: Yangzhou’s commercial and teahouse culture rewarded fine knife work and clear broths, which fits the dish’s identity even when exact inventor names stay soft. Soft peer Su plates: Lion's Head Meatballs and Nanjing Salted Duck share the same regional prestige map without the same shred technique.
Serving and variations
As an appetizer or light main with rice. Soft variations: richer “extra ingredients” garnishes versus simpler breakfast bowls; thicker versus hair-fine shreds depending on kitchen ambition. Soft naming: English menus may say “boiled shredded tofu,” “Yangzhou shredded dried tofu,” or transliterate dazhu gansi. See Jiangsu Food; related Su classics include Lion's Head Meatballs and Nanjing Salted Duck.
See also
- Jiangsu Food
- Crystal Salted Pork Hock
- Three-Nested Duck
- Lion's Head Meatballs
- Nanjing Salted Duck
- List of dishes (A-Z)