Love Tofu (Lianai Doufuguo)

Firm local tofu cut into small squares is slowly grilled over charcoal until golden and crisp, then slit open and filled with a sauce of houttuynia, soy sauce, chili, garlic and wood-ginger oil—crisp outside, tender within, sour, spicy and fragrant.

According to local lore, wartime officers would queue late at night for grilled tofu as an excuse to court the female vendor, giving rise to the name 'Love Tofu'—one of Guiyang's most story-laden culinary traditions.

Eaten piping hot: slit the grilled tofu with a skewer, spoon in the sauce, and bite through the crisp savory skin into soft beany interior mixed with houttuynia's distinctive herbal aroma and chili heat.

Defined by charcoal-grilled tofu paired with its signature houttuynia sauce, it is one of Guiyang's most storied street snacks.