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Pidan Doufu (Taiwanese Century Egg Tofu)
A chilled block of silken tofu topped with diced century egg, spring onion and bonito flakes, dressed at the table with lightly sweetened soy sauce and a few drops of sesame oil.
Taiwanese · easy · serves 4
prep 10 min · cook 0 min
~128 cal · 11g protein · 6g carbs · 7g fat · 1g fiber · 3g sugars · 1g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Pidan doufu, century egg tofu, is one of the small cold dishes (xiaocai) that start a meal in Taiwan, set out in restaurants and at home while the hot dishes are still in the wok. It takes minutes to put together and nothing needs cooking.
A block of cold silken tofu is laid on a plate and covered with diced pidan, duck eggs preserved in clay, ash and salt for weeks until the white turns to a dark amber jelly and the yolk to a creamy grey-green. Over the top go chopped spring onion and garlic, and many Taiwanese restaurants add a heap of dried bonito flakes that curl and wave on the cold tofu.
The dressing is soy sauce with a pinch of sugar and a few drops of sesame oil. Some cooks first pour sizzling oil over the garlic, spring onion and a little chilli to take off their raw edge. It is eaten with a spoon, cold, a mouthful of soft tofu and rich egg together.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally dairy-, nut- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 4
- 300 g silken or soft tofu, chilled
- 2 century eggs (pidan)
- 1 spring onion, finely chopped
- 1 small handful (about 5 g) dried bonito flakes (katsuobushi)
- 1 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
Instructions
- 1Drain the tofu, slide it carefully onto a shallow plate and pour off any water that gathers. Keep it in the fridge until just before serving.
- 2Peel the century eggs, rinse them and pat dry. Cut them into small pieces with a knife wiped between cuts, or with a thread, since the yolk is sticky.✎ Chef’s noteIf the smell of a freshly peeled pidan is too strong for you, let the pieces sit in the air for 10 minutes; much of the ammonia smell fades.
- 3Stir the soy sauce and sugar together until the sugar dissolves.
- 4Scatter the egg pieces, garlic and spring onion over the tofu and pile the bonito flakes on top. Just before serving, spoon the sweetened soy sauce over everything and add the sesame oil. Serve cold, with spoons.
Taiwanese home and restaurant tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Taipei. Taipei is a night-market wonderland, beef noodle soup, soup dumplings, stinky tofu, and bubble tea, the Taiwanese drink that teahouses in Taichung and Tainan both claim to have invented in the mid-1980s. Chinese regional and Japanese influences make it one of Asia's great eating cities.
🗺️
Taiwan. Taiwan is a street-food paradise, famous for beef noodle soup, soup dumplings, night markets, and bubble tea, which two teahouses, one in Taichung and one in Tainan, both claim to have invented in the mid-1980s. Chinese regional roots and Japanese influence meet in bold, snackable, endlessly inventive food.
🌍
Asia. A grain line runs across the continent. Rice dominates the wet south and east, wheat the drier north and west, and the tools follow it: the wok and the steamer where rice is milled, the tandoor and the griddle where wheat is ground. Tea travels the other way, drunk green, black, salted, buttered or with milk depending how far it got from China.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Taiwan
Taiwanese Beef Noodle SoupChewy wheat noodles in a dark, star-anise beef broth with melting shank and pickled mustard greens.
Dan BingA soft, chewy egg crepe rolled up and sliced, Taiwan's favorite hot breakfast off the griddle.
Gua Bao (Pork Belly Buns)Taiwan’s famous night-market bun: a pillowy folded steamed bun cradling red-braised pork belly, tangy pickled mustard greens, cilantro, and sweet peanut powder.
Browse all Taiwan recipes →
Good to know
Storing it: Fried food is best eaten fresh while crisp. Re-crisp leftovers in a hot oven or air fryer; the microwave makes them soft.
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Cuisine
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Frequently asked questions
What is Pidan Doufu (Taiwanese Century Egg Tofu)?
A chilled block of silken tofu topped with diced century egg, spring onion and bonito flakes, dressed at the table with lightly sweetened soy sauce and a few drops of sesame oil.
Where does Pidan Doufu (Taiwanese Century Egg Tofu) come from?
Pidan Doufu (Taiwanese Century Egg Tofu) is a Taiwanese dish from Taipei, Taiwan.
Can Pidan Doufu (Taiwanese Century Egg Tofu) be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Pidan Doufu (Taiwanese Century Egg Tofu) recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions. Treat the substitutions as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Pidan Doufu (Taiwanese Century Egg Tofu) safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we still count coconut as a tree nut to be cautious, although the FDA stopped listing it as one in 2025), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Pidan Doufu (Taiwanese Century Egg Tofu) take to make?
About 10 minutes total (10 minutes prep, 0 minutes cooking), serving 4.
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