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| Vang, a tofu pudding vendor on Phan Thiet beach, serves a bowl of the sweet to customers - Photo: Tuong Vi |
In the South, tofu is called “tau hu nuoc duong” (tofu served with liquid sugar water) or douhua. In the North it is called “tao pho”. It is made from blended soya bean water and a little gypsum to thicken it.
The tofu pudding seller’s name was Nguyen Thi Vang. She told us that for the past 15 years she has woken up everyday at 3a.m. to cook the tofu that she vends along the beach until late in the evening.
She crouched under the yoke while her hand busied to spoon out layer after layer of the soft tofu into a small bowl. Then, she ladled on some sugar syrup with slices of ginger. In the south, the sellers also add some sweet coconut sauce. Tofu pudding is a popular cheap dessert of Vietnamese people at VND5,000 a bowl but it is full of protein, so the vendors are also popular with the tourists around town.
It varies in the three regions in Vietnam. In the North, it enjoyed warm in winter, cold with ice in summer and served with sugar and jasmine. In the Central, it is cooked with spicy ginger, sugar is optional, and the douhua pieces are too soft to retain any shape. In the South, it is served warm with ginger and coconut water, ginger is optional, and the douhua is firmer than in the North and the Central.
