The dish “imperial tofu soup”, also known as “Pingqiao tofu”, was served to the famous Qing emperor Qianlong during his royal visit to the town of Pingqiao in the eighteenth century. The silkiness of the tofu infused with the richly flavoured stock impressed the emperor so much that he named the dish “China’s best food”. The length of cooking time results in an intense and deeply flavoured stock. For a quicker stock, reduce the water to 3.5 litres and cook for 56 hours or until you are happy with the flavour of the stock.The dish “imperial tofu soup”, also known as “Pingqiao tofu”, was served to the famous Qing emperor Qianlong during his royal visit to the town of Pingqiao in the eighteenth century. The silkiness of the tofu infused with the richly flavoured stock impressed the emperor so much that he named the dish “China’s best food”. The length of cooking time results in an intense and deeply flavoured stock. For a quicker stock, reduce the water to 3.5 litres and cook for 56 hours or until you are happy with the flavour of the stock.