Annin Dofu

Mar Mar used to make 大菜糕 for us all the time when we were little.  No one seems to know what I'm talking about whenever I mention 大菜糕 because it's better known as 杏仁豆腐花 or annin dofu.  It must be the easiest dessert to make (even easier than lychee panna cotta) since you can't possibly screw it up.  Well, you can, but it's fixable.  Puts macaron-making to shame, lol...

Note to myself: never follow the recipes on the packages.  They are so wrong, especially when the Chinese instructions asks for half a pound of sugar and the English counterpart asks for 120g.  I ended up using only 80g.  *facepalm

Making the whole 7g package of agar agar with the suggested 900mL of water resulted in a medium so hard that even yeast won't culture on it.

Epic fail.

But here's where it gets fun.  Unlike gelatin, which turns into a big mess of guck when reheated after it solidifies, agar agar can be left to set, reheated to liquid form, then set again at room temperature!  Needless to say my science experiment ended up looking and tasting like dessert after all!

Annin Dofu 杏仁豆腐花

7g package of powdered agar agar (if using agar agar sticks, I suppose you can weigh it, but haven't tried it yet.  I've always eyeballed it.)
3 cups water
4 cups half and half cream (I used a 370mL can of evaporated milk and the rest was water and I found the 大菜糕 not creamy enough)
10mL pure almond extract
80g sugar

1. Stir agar agar into water and heat until no traces of agar agar is left (especially when using the sticks, otherwise the 大菜糕 will be lumpy).  Add sugar and stir until completely dissolved.
2. Remove from heat.  Add cream and almond extract and stir until combined, being careful not to make bubbles.
3. Let cool gently and pour mixture evenly into serving dishes.  大菜糕 will set at room temperature so don't wait too long.  Chill in refrigerator (optional, but it'll taste better).  To serve, garnish with plenty of seasonal chopped fruit or if you're lazy, use canned.

Slurp away.

and yes, I don't normally keep mint at home so that green stuff is a piece of lettuce from my box of spring mix.  Stop laughing.