Da Zhong Milan - A Look At A Chinese Tofu Shop

[system]

Have you ever imagined a shop entirely selling only tofu varieties? In common supermarkets you will find just “tofu”, but when coming to China, here “tofu” is everything and nothing: in fact Chinese cuisine features a lot of varieties of tofu, we are basically talking about something different than the basic “tofu” you can find in a supermarket chain. And so, what’s better of a shop selling only tofu, for all those who love this popular product?

In the Paolo Sarpi Street of Chinatown of Milan it really exists and it is called “Da Zhong”: it only sells artisanal tofu and soy products!

Here you can find varieties of tofu such as fresh tofu and dried tofu. You can also find spicy tofu bites and drink artisanal soy milk, sold for less than a coffee (actually, 80 euro cents, 5 times less than the average of a bubble tea in the street).

The vibe is maybe not the maximum and also there are no seats, but for taking something to eat or drink while walking on the street, it’s a perfect place and staff are also very friendly. It’s a real paradise many people would not easily spot just because of its anonymous vibe: the real demonstration that the dress does not make the priest!

Da Zhong
Via Paolo Sarpi, 4, 20154 Milano MI
https://goo.gl/maps/hNCijgirfMEiwiZz5

[MortenSI]

Thanks for sharing @user_not_found !

Tofu is a mysterious concept to me. I have heard about it all my life and it used to be a big thing in the vegetarian community back in Denmark. However I’ve never tried it myself, and haven’t met many people who actually know how to cook it properly.

To be honest, I had no idea you could get so many different types of tofu, and it actually looks tasty. The more of your posts I read, the more I want to visit Milan.

Can you recommend a tofu dish for a first timer?

[system]

Hello @MortenSI

Yes, in Chinese cuisine there are so many variants of tofu. From my experience, I could tell some people in my country believe Tofu is tasteless and don’t generally like to try new food like this. But this is normal, I see some people here, especially among older generations, have always been a little afraid / diffident against new food or different food traditions, this is maybe a cultural issue we have to deal with: sometimes we have even ridiculous social battles (for example on YouTube comments) between substainers of sushi and of pizza, like if someone should be only stuck to a certain kind of food. A part this, people who are open to try new things without any prejudice, will discover how much tofu is delicious in certain dishes.

Many of the most tasty tofu dishes are Chinese and tofu is a mainstream in China.

For a newbie who is also not used to spicy dishes, I would suggest to start with dried tofu with chives: it is a dish everyone could appreciate, being in taste not much different from classic dishes you usually find in Chinese restaurants in Western countries.

When you are ready to get more into Chinese food tradition and would like to try something more particular and regional, you can go try tofu Chinese skewers, for example those with spicy sauce. A very similar dish to try as well is spicy dry tofu. To be honest for me they are not much spicy, but I am still used to very high levels of spicy, so for a Westerner not still used to very spicy Chinese food, they may actually be very spicy. I always suggest to try them gradually basing on your previous experience with spicy Chinese food.

The final dish I would really suggest to try in Milan is fried spicy tofu. This was spicy (even if not like dishes from a restaurant of Hunan), but had still asked for more spicy: maybe the originale dish is a little less spicy. But they still warn Italians about spicy food, so maybe the basic spicy level of this dish would be still like pure chili for an italian guy not used to Chinese food, that’s why also in this case, I suggest to try gradually these dishes. When you get used to high levels of spicy not only you are ready to eat everything, but you will really enjoy these dishes, especially if you already like moderate levels of spicy).

All the dishes I have talked about are mentioned in separate posts and there is also reference to the restaurant where they have been ordered: when in a trip to Milan, you can literally try the same dishes I have ordered. Hope you’ll enjoy them!

[MortenSI]

With so many new alternatives to meat coming to the market, I think tofu needs a new introduction in order to gain popularity again @user_not_found . Plant based meat substitutes have really started to win over the people, at least in Scandinavia.

All those types of tofu look nothing like I would have expected. They actually look really great and full of taste. I think I will leave the spicy ones out for now, as I don’t think I would be able to handle them, but I would love to try properly cooked tofu.

Thanks for all the great tips!

[system]

@MortenSI Chinese people don’t see tofu as a substitute for meat, but as something to eat with meat. They in general eat little of everything, so in every typical Chinese meal there is a bit of meat/fish, a bit of tofu and a bit of sucai (vegetables). They tend to eat everything in small quantities and that’s the reason why eating all together many dishes is popular in Chinese culture.

But yes tofu can also substitute meat entirely: this is up to choice of people who want or do not want to follow a specific kind of diet or adhere to vegetarianism or veganism. Anyway both the views are completely different from those of a specific category of people in my country who literally can’t live without meat, but don’t even eat it as something to have with vegetables and something else: there are people in my country who find it normal to eat just a giant steak for lunch or dinner. There are even meat all you can eats too in my country (we have a popular brand which served all you can eat ribs or chicken wings and it gain popularity here). It is the second face of Italy, while the first face is obviously that of people who abound with pasta or pizza. Eating a lot of meat and only meat is surely unhealthy in the long terms: also relying only on pasta and pizza in the long terms is surely not much healthy, but still better than having only meat. In my opinion the best example to follow is the Chinese one, by including or not also meat or fish (depending on personal decisions and dietary requirements): eating little quantities of everything, by also balancing carbohydrates and proteins (from everything, from animal products but not meat and fish or just from vegetal ones)! This way of eating can also be applied to Italian food as well (that’s why I tend to have a small dish of pasta and a small other dish rather than getting full of pasta in a single meal). Also with my Chinese friends we tend to share dishes in Italian restaurants too.

[MortenSI]

I agree with you @user_not_found . I believe the Chinese way is healthier and offers much more variety in the diet. I’ve also heard that many Asian people only eat until they’re no longer hungry instead of eating until they’re actually full.