At the table
Eat cold with a spoon or gently lift the pieces with chopsticks. Ask which dressing is used and request less chili or dressing separately if preferred. Keep the prepared jelly refrigerated.
The traditional plain leaf jelly is plant-based, but confirm setting ingredients, dressing and toppings for vegetarian or vegan eating. Sauces can introduce allergens such as soy, wheat or sesame. The name does not guarantee a soy-free serving. Use properly identified culinary leaves and food-grade processing; do not improvise with wild leaves or household ash.
This Qianjiang version uses changbing chouhuangjing, Premna puberula. Other foods called shenxian tofu may use different plants. Mala, sour-spicy and sweet servings are alternatives; seasoning, piece size and setting ingredients vary.
GET TO KNOW THE DISH
What goes into it?
Explore some key ingredients below. Preparations may use additional seasonings and ingredients.
This Qianjiang version uses changbing chouhuangjing, Premna puberula. Other foods called shenxian tofu may use different plants. Mala, sour-spicy and sweet servings are alternatives; seasoning, piece size and setting ingredients vary.
Typical ingredients
In some versions
Recipes vary by restaurant.
How does it taste?
A light leafy fragrance beneath the dressing. Savory versions can be numbing-spicy or sour-spicy; dessert versions are sweet. Chili heat comes from the seasoning, not the plain jelly.
- Chili heat
- Texture
- Smooth, tender and slippery, with a moist glossy surface. Cut pieces hold their shape but yield easily; they are not chewy starch noodles.
- How it’s made
- Wash and rub the culinary leaves in water, then strain out the leaf residue. Traditionally, filtered plant-ash water helps the liquid set. The jelly is chilled, cut into pieces and dressed before serving; processing ingredients vary by maker.
This Qianjiang version uses changbing chouhuangjing, Premna puberula. Other foods called shenxian tofu may use different plants. Mala, sour-spicy and sweet servings are alternatives; seasoning, piece size and setting ingredients vary.
A CONNECTION TO PLACE
Origin & regional roots
Associated with Chongqing.
About this regional connection
Chongqing: Qianjiang, especially Shihui town; explicitly selected regional Premna puberula leaf jelly.
Ask if they have it first
请问你们有黔江斑鸠豆腐吗？
Do you have this item?
A LITTLE SOMETHING TO READ
Story & history
Qianjiang’s green leaf tofu
In Qianjiang, especially Shihui town, leaves become a green set food known as banjiu tofu or shenxian tofu. The local craft relies on extracting and setting leaf juice. The name can be shared with leaf jellies elsewhere, whose plant ingredients differ.