KachiKachi – Sweet and Spicy Tofu Skin Vegetarian Meat Latiao
Bitter: ⭐✰✰✰✰
Salty: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✰
Sour/Tangy: ⭐✰✰✰✰
Sweet: ⭐⭐⭐✰✰
Umami: ⭐⭐⭐✰✰
Heat: ⭐✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰
Quick Flavor Notes: Chile oil, sweet, protein, cumin
Texture: Chewy and meat-like
Recommended: Yes
Ingredients: Soybean protein, water, vegetable oil, pepper, salt, sugar, sesame, spices, etc.
Translating the names and even the identities of Chinese snacks from the Chinese market can be difficult. Case in point with this product – it’s description on Amazon mentions both Latiao and spicy tofu skin snack. To my knowledge before this I thought Latiao was always wheat based, and these don’t look like the latiao sticks I’ve tried before. Amazon also lists the brand name as KachiKachi, which I used here in case you want to search for it, though the back of the package lists the maker as Hunan Waluma Agricultural Technology Development Company, LTD. I can see why they’d go with KachiKachi, it’s certainly catchier. Using Google Lens on the photo on the front shows the brand name as Wa Lu Ma. It also entertainingly says “Learn to skate with a friend” and “Hot mom supports you”. Thank you, hot mom, it means a lot.
The ingredients (which amusingly also include an “etc”) show that these are based on soy protein with vegetable oil, pepper, salt, sugar, and spices. I thought I had been ordering the spicy version, again the Amazon listing in unclear, but apparently the pink bag is the sweet and spicy and the green bag is the spicy version, so I will have to try those in the future. The Amazon listing does show an image stating that the spices include chili pepper, Sichuan peppercorns, and cumin. These are little nuggets on sticks almost like a tofu-based kebab and do have a nice chewy texture that is reminiscent of meat. The chili oil does come through in the aroma.
The KachiKachi/WaLuMa nuggets do have a sweet and very mild spicy taste. There’s some of that Sichuan peppercorn citrusy floral flavor but little to no numbing effect. The tofu itself doesn’t have much of a flavor, it rarely does, and tastes mainly of the chili oil and spice marinade in which it’s packed. Texturally these are fun to eat however, chewy little morsels that are somewhat similar to bits of cooked chicken but which gives more easily to the teeth. There is some generic protein flavor in the aftertaste as well as a sweetness that lingers more than the heat or chile flavor with this variety.
I believe I’d enjoy their spicier flavor more but even this one was tasty, and as I mentioned, texturally interesting, and not an unhealthy snack, at least in terms of being low-carb and high protein, though the sodium level is rather high. I’ll recommend checking these out, you can order them easily from Amazon and they’re a unique snack worth giving a go.
