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    Home » Diet » Keto / Low-Carb » Century Egg and Cold Tofu (Chinese Appetizer) 凉拌皮蛋豆腐

    Century Egg and Cold Tofu (Chinese Appetizer) 凉拌皮蛋豆腐

    Sep 20, 2022 · 46 Comments

    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe
    CENTURY EGG COLD TOFU CHINESE APPETIZER 凉拌皮蛋豆腐
    CENTURY EGG COLD TOFU CHINESE APPETIZER 凉拌皮蛋豆腐
    CENTURY EGG COLD TOFU CHINESE APPETIZER 凉拌皮蛋豆腐

    凉拌皮蛋豆腐 Century Egg and Cold Tofu is a classic Chinese dish that is refreshing, simple and requires no cooking. Sliced Thousand-year egg paired with silken tofu and garnished with coriander leaves, fresh spring onions, and sometimes pork floss is an explosion of different textures. Make this childhood favourite in just 5 minutes! 

    CENTURY EGG COLD TOFU CHINESE APPETIZER 凉拌皮蛋豆腐

    Tofu and Century Egg Salad is an easy dish to serve as a cold appetizer on a hot summer's day. Its creamy texture and unique blend of flavours make this comfort food a distinctive dish, a popular diner food, and enjoyed by many households.   

    > In This Post: Everything You'll Need For Century Egg Cold Tofu Salad 

    Jump to:
    • > In This Post: Everything You'll Need For Century Egg Cold Tofu Salad
    • Ingredients and Substitutes
    • What Is Century Egg?
    • Instructions
    • What To Serve With
    • > Recipe
    • Century Egg and Cold Tofu Chinese Appetizer 凉拌皮蛋豆腐

    Ingredients and Substitutes

    • Century Egg 
    • Organic Silken Tofu, Firm Tofu
    • Light Soy Sauce or Steamed Fish Soy Sauce
    • Sesame Oil
    • Cilantro or Finely Chopped Green Onions
    • Dried Pork Floss (optional) 

    What Is Century Egg?

    Century Egg (皮蛋 Pídàn) are duck eggs preserved in a mixture of clay, ash, salt, rice hulls and quicklime. They are not really thousand-year-old eggs. Century eggs take about 4-5 weeks to make. 

    You do not need to cook century eggs. Break away the layer of century egg mixture, peel away the eggshell and give it a good rinse. Enjoy it like a hard-boiled egg. No cooking is required.

    Modern production methods individually pack each Thousand Year Eggs with the rice hulls layer removed from the egg shells.

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    Fermented duck eggs are alkaline, not acidic. The transforming agent, alkaline salt, gradually raises the pH of the eggs to around 9 to 12 during the curing process.

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    What Does Century Egg Taste Like?

    If this is the first time eating century eggs, you may be surprised that the egg whites transform into translucent jelly thru the chemical process—preserved duck yolks to a greyish-dark green colour with a creamy consistency. 

    The taste of century eggs is rich and savoury with intense umami flavours. Its complexity, mouthfeel, and aftertaste are sometimes difficult to describe. A good reference would be cheese and its aged taste.

    As preserved food, century eggs do not need to be refrigerated if unopened. However, after opening, they can keep their freshness in an airtight container for up to 2 to 3 days.

    How To Tell If Century Egg Is Bad

    A good rule of thumb is that if the Century Egg smell bad with a powerful scent of ammonia and the yolk is hard, do not eat it. 

    Also, try the float or sink test. Drop the eggs in a water bowl, and if they float, they've gone off. If they sink straight to the bottom, the eggs are still good!

    CENTURY EGG COLD TOFU CHINESE APPETIZER 凉拌皮蛋豆腐

    Types of Thousand-Year Eggs

    This interesting food was discovered over 600 years ago in Hunan, China, during the Ming Dynasty in China. 

    There are two types of Century Eggs.

    1. Pine Flower Egg (松花蛋 Sōnghuā dàn) - The snowflake patterns on the surface of the egg white look like pine branches. Pine Flower Eggs are higher quality century eggs.
    2. Candied / Sugar Hearts (糖心皮蛋 Táng xīn pídàn) - These century eggs with a soft gooey yolk center are my favourite! 

    One of my favourite ways to enjoy Century Eggs is to add them to rice porridge with shredded salted pork. Salted Pork Congee with Century Egg is the ultimate comfort food that lowers heatiness.

    You can buy century eggs and salted duck eggs at your local Asian grocer or supermarket. 

    CENTURY EGG COLD TOFU CHINESE APPETIZER 凉拌皮蛋豆腐

    Instructions

    Open and drain the tofu block.

    Place the whole tofu block in a large shallow serving dish. 

    Choose whether to slice the tofu into 1-inch squares or cubes or serve whole for this Century Egg with Chilled Tofu recipe. It is entirely up to your preference. Set aside.

    Break away the layer of century egg mixture of rice hull and clay, peel away the eggshell and give it a good rinse.

    Add chopped century eggs or sliced century eggs on top of the tofu. 

    Next, drizzle light soy sauce, steamed fish soy sauce and sesame oil on top of the tofu and century egg salad. 

    For this particular recipe, I usually do not add Chinkiang black rice vinegar, oyster sauce or sugar to my sauce.

    Garnish a handful of green onions finely chopped or cilantro. 

    Add shredded pork floss if you please. 

    Enjoy and serve cold as an appetizer. 

    CENTURY EGG COLD TOFU CHINESE APPETIZER 凉拌皮蛋豆腐

    What To Serve With 

    Preserved duck egg and tofu salad is a distinctive cold dish. It goes great with lots of home recipes 

    • Microwave Black Cod with Black Bean Sauce 豉汁蒸黑魚微波爐
    • Sichuan Mala Chicken 四川麻辣口水雞
    • Chinese Braised Eggplant 紅燒茄子
    • Air Fryer Soy Sauce Chicken Thighs 氣炸鍋豉油雞

    Other Easy Recipes With Century Egg

    • Mash Century Egg and Salted Pork Congee
    • Century Egg and Pickled Ginger

    The strong flavours are addicting! These are just a few easy recipes immediately come to mind as excellent pairings!

    Serve this century egg tofu next time you want an Asian appetizer or cold side dish. Your guests will think it's from their favourite Cantonese restaurants.

    I'd love to see how you went with my tofu with eggs recipes! Leave a comment below or tag me on Instagram @INSTANOMSS #INSTANOMSS.

    > Recipe

    Print

    Century Egg and Cold Tofu Chinese Appetizer 凉拌皮蛋豆腐

    CENTURY EGG COLD TOFU CHINESE APPETIZER 凉拌皮蛋豆腐
    Print Recipe
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    ★★★★★

    5 from 21 reviews

    凉拌皮蛋豆腐 Century Egg and Cold Tofu is a classic Chinese dish that is refreshing, simple and requires no cooking. Sliced Thousand-year egg paired with silken tofu and garnished with coriander leaves, fresh spring onions, and sometimes pork floss is an explosion of different textures. Make this childhood favourite in just 5 minutes!

    • Author: Nancy
    • Prep Time: 2
    • Cook Time: 3
    • Total Time: 5 minutes
    • Yield: 2-4 persons 1x
    • Category: Appetizers, Snacks
    • Method: Mix
    • Cuisine: Chinese
    • Diet: Low Calorie

    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 1 Block of Silken Tofu or Firm Tofu
    • 2 to 3 Century Eggs (preserved duck eggs)
    • 1 tbsp Light Soy Sauce or Steamed Fish Soy Sauce
    • 1 tsp Sesame Oil
    • A handful of Finely Chopped Green Onions
    • A handful of Fresh Cilantro, rough chopped
    • 2 tbsp Dried Pork Floss, optional

    Instructions

    1. Open and drain the tofu block.
    2. Place the whole tofu block in a large shallow serving dish.
    3. Choose whether to slice the tofu into 1-inch squares or cubes or serve whole for this Century Egg with Chilled Tofu recipe. It is entirely up to your preference. Set aside.
    4. Break away the layer of century egg mixture of rice hull and clay, peel away the eggshell and give it a good rinse.
    5. Add chopped century eggs or sliced century eggs on top of the tofu.
    6. Next, drizzle light soy sauce, steamed fish soy sauce and sesame oil on top of the tofu and century egg salad.
    7. Garnish a handful of green onions finely chopped or cilantro.
    8. Add dried pork floss if you please.
    9. Enjoy and serve cold as an appetizer.

    Equipment

    shredded pork floss

    Dried Pork Floss

    Buy Now →
    Preserved Duck Egg Century Eggs

    Preserved Duck Egg Century Eggs

    Buy Now →
    small sauce bowls https://rstyle.me/+ukEfoM99IvMLbJ1SXszW1Q

    small sauce bowl

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    steamed fish soy sauce https://amzn.to/2MTtcv5

    steamed fish soy sauce

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    heavy knife

    heavy knife

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    light soy sauce

    light soy sauce

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    Notes

    • For this particular recipe, I usually do not add Chinkiang black rice vinegar, oyster sauce or sugar to my sauce.

    Nutrition

    • Serving Size: 1 plate
    • Calories: 204
    • Sugar: 1.1 g
    • Sodium: 292.3 mg
    • Fat: 12.7 g
    • Carbohydrates: 4.6 g
    • Fiber: 0.7 g
    • Protein: 17.7 g
    • Cholesterol: 186 mg

    Keywords: century eggs, duck eggs, preserved, fermented, appetizer, snacks, chinese, tofu, silken tofu, no cooking necessary

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @instanomss on Instagram and hashtag it #instanomss

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Biana says

      September 25, 2022 at 11:44 am

      Looks so fun! I have never had century eggs, so was interesting to learn about them.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Nancy says

        September 25, 2022 at 7:16 pm

        I'm so glad it was useful and you liked this classic recipe!

        Reply
    2. Helen at the lazy gastronome says

      September 22, 2022 at 8:31 pm

      An interesting and complex flavor profile. I was a little skeptical but it was quite pleasant.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Nancy says

        September 28, 2022 at 2:32 pm

        Don't be intimidated by Century Eggs. They are really tasty!! and a bit addicting too!

        Reply
    3. Audrey says

      September 22, 2022 at 4:20 pm

      This looks amazing! I can't wait to try it.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Nancy says

        September 28, 2022 at 2:33 pm

        Enjoy Audrey!

        Reply
    4. Oscar says

      September 22, 2022 at 2:54 pm

      This looks delicious, can't wait to make it. Heading to my Asian grocer this weekend to find the century eggs, can't wait.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Nancy says

        September 28, 2022 at 2:34 pm

        Can't wait to hear what you think Oscar! And it is Keto Friendly too!

        Reply
    5. Erin says

      September 22, 2022 at 12:03 pm

      Wow! This dish is stunning! Making for my mom this weekend she will always go on culinary adventures with me!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Nancy says

        September 28, 2022 at 2:35 pm

        I'm so happy to hear your mom is so adventurous when it comes to food!

        Reply
    6. Audrey says

      September 22, 2022 at 11:04 am

      Came out great, the instructions were easy to follow.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Nancy says

        September 28, 2022 at 2:36 pm

        Thanks for the kind words!

        Reply
    7. Tammy says

      September 22, 2022 at 10:34 am

      This is delicious. Perfect for a hot day snack.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Nancy says

        September 28, 2022 at 2:43 pm

        Yes !! we made this a lot during the summer! No need to turn on the stove!

        Reply
    8. Natalie says

      September 22, 2022 at 12:48 am

      I learn something new every time I visit your site. Have to try this recipe soon, thanks!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Nancy says

        September 28, 2022 at 2:44 pm

        Thanks Natalie - i'm so glad it was helpful for you!

        Reply
    9. Sara Welch says

      September 21, 2022 at 10:23 pm

      This is everything a gourmet meal should be, and then some! Gave this a try and it turned out beautiful and delicious!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Nancy says

        September 28, 2022 at 3:04 pm

        Thanks so much Sara - glad it made it to your dinner table!

        Reply
    10. Andrea says

      September 21, 2022 at 7:43 pm

      this tofu dish turned out to be such a hit for an appetizer this past weekend. easy, simple to whip up, and a crowd favorite!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Nancy says

        September 28, 2022 at 3:04 pm

        I love hearing success stories! Thanks for sharing our recipe at your dinner table!

        Reply
    11. Jamie says

      September 21, 2022 at 11:59 am

      I love how quickly this came together and the different flavors and textures! So good!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Nancy says

        September 28, 2022 at 3:06 pm

        It's a burst of umami flavours!

        Reply
    12. Jamie says

      September 21, 2022 at 9:48 am

      This was a delicious, refreshing dish for a warm day like today. We loved it!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Nancy says

        September 28, 2022 at 3:07 pm

        I agree with you! I love this especially during hot summer days!

        Reply
    13. kushigalu says

      September 21, 2022 at 9:20 am

      what a a wonderful combination of ingredients is here. SOmething new. Thanks for sharing.

      Reply
      • Nancy says

        September 28, 2022 at 3:07 pm

        Glad I was able to introduce something new to your dinner table!

        Reply
    14. Tayler says

      September 21, 2022 at 9:03 am

      I love tofu, and this recipe looks incredible. I can’t wait to give this a try!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Nancy says

        September 28, 2022 at 3:07 pm

        Thanks Tayler! Awesome and enjoy this easy tofu recipe!

        Reply
    15. Janessa says

      September 21, 2022 at 8:50 am

      This looks interesting! I haven't heard of this appetizer but I'm adding the ingredients to my grocery list so that I can give it a try.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Nancy says

        September 28, 2022 at 3:08 pm

        Thanks Janessa - hope you enjoy this classic chinese recipe.

        Reply
    16. Nikki says

      September 21, 2022 at 8:38 am

      Oh my, what fantastic flavors and textures in this dish. Looking forward to trying it.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Nancy says

        September 28, 2022 at 3:08 pm

        Wasn't it so refreshing and every bite bursting with umami?

        Reply
    17. veenaazmanov says

      September 20, 2022 at 9:29 pm

      Nutritious recipe. My first attempt to trying this out. Very interesting and flavorful. Treat for my loved ones.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Nancy says

        September 28, 2022 at 3:09 pm

        Glad your first try was a successs!

        Reply
    18. Evi says

      September 20, 2022 at 8:18 pm

      Century egg is delicious! Love this recipe!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Nancy says

        September 28, 2022 at 3:10 pm

        Cheers Evi! What did you serve with this?

        Reply
    19. Shashi at Savory Spin says

      September 20, 2022 at 8:13 pm

      How cool is this century egg - I've never had it and I am so intrigued and fascinated - I have to try this - thanks so much for the detailed description and steps.

      Reply
      • Nancy says

        September 28, 2022 at 3:12 pm

        Good luck Shashi! I'm sure you will nail this easy century egg tofu cold appy~

        Reply
    20. MacKenzie says

      September 20, 2022 at 8:06 pm

      Loved it! I have never made anything like it, I tried it and can’t wait to make again 🙂

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Nancy says

        September 28, 2022 at 3:12 pm

        I hear it can be addicting! 🙂

        Reply
    21. Tara says

      September 20, 2022 at 5:55 pm

      Loving the addition of cilantro in this easy and quick appetizer! Very tasty and wonderful texture.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Nancy says

        September 28, 2022 at 3:12 pm

        i'm totally with you Tara! more cilantro the better for me also!

        Reply
    22. Sara Welch says

      September 20, 2022 at 3:49 pm

      This was such a unique and unexpected recipe! Easily, a new favorite dish; my whole family loved it!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Nancy says

        September 28, 2022 at 3:13 pm

        I love hearing that! Thanks for sharing this at your dinner table!

        Reply
    23. Aimee Mars says

      September 20, 2022 at 2:42 pm

      5 stars for sure! This was so delicious. I will be making it again!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Nancy says

        September 20, 2022 at 3:34 pm

        I like the sound of this! So happy to hear it was a success!

        Reply

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    I'm a finance professional and a Mommy to a toddler girl based Vancouver, BC, Canada.

    I love modern Chinese cooking, Asian inspired recipes and healthy vegan / vegetarian / plant-based substitutes focused on healthy family, wellness and sustainability.

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