Hey Hive!
We're back with more of our hawker adventures! It's been a while since I shared a post like this but one of the things we do on dates is trying out different stalls in different hawker centers to find which are our favourites!
So this is actually the last part of our hawker date that we went on a few months ago. After the two meals at different hawker centers and stalls I was still not fully satisfied and it was really warm so I wanted to get dessert! We didn't really know this area very well and were on the way to the nearest train station when we came across this beancurd shop that I thought was quite famous.
If you're unfamiliar with soy beancurd, in simple terms, I'd call it soy milk pudding. It's made from soy beans that have been soaked, strained, blended and boiled (with 2 coagulants called Gypsum and Lactone and soy milk thrown in), and the result is a bowl of silky smooth beancurd!
Source: Daniel's Food Diary
Also called tofu pudding, Tau Huay (in Hokkien) or Dou hua (豆花) is a very common dessert or breakfast dish in China and Southeast Asia but there are regional differences to this dish so the taste can vary quite a bit across borders. For example, in Hong Kong it's served with sweet ginger and sometimes mixed with black sesame paste or coconut milk. In northern China, it is often eaten with soy sauce while in Southeast asia, it's commonly served with sweet syrup (typically palm sugar flavoured with pandan), and can be either hot or cold.
Source: localiiz
Anyway, the stall we went to is called Old Rochor Beancurd and apparently has been around since 1960! They sell traditional soy beancurd, pastries and snacks like most beancurd dessert stalls.
The stall itself is quite small and links to the larger old retail building beside it. The interior of the stall is pretty simple with a few tables in the middle and seats along the window. We could smell the beans and hear the machines humming behind straining and churning them in the back but it was subtle enough that it was still pleasant.
It was late afternoon when we went by and the store was empty thankfully so we could take our time to peruse the menu. They had quite a few variations of beancurd and cincau (grass jelly dessert) with various toppings and syrups as well as different beverages.
The prices seemed reasonable but it definitely is getting more expensive compared to years ago. I'm not sure how it compares to other beancurd shops since I don't patronise them that often. But Sean likes to buy from Mr. Bean, one of the biggest beancurd franchises here and their prices are definitely higher. Then again, this is traditional beancurd and Mr. Bean's is slightly different.
We were kinda spoilt for choice on what to buy since I've never tried most of their toppings before. The lady was recommending different ones for us to try but we spent quite a bit that day so I didn't want to spend too much. In the end we just bought their original beancurd to share and after a few minutes it was ready!
We got a cold beancurd since it was warm outside and it was so refreshing! The beancurd was soft and silky smooth and while the syrup was a little different than what I'm used to it wasn't sweet and was very light and subtle. I think it wasn't sweet enough for Sean and he said it was a little bland for him but I enjoyed it. I guess this would appeal more to people without a sweet tooth.
I did some research on Rochor Beancurd and I found out it's similar to another beancurd place I wrote about years ago called Rochor Original Beancurd. Turns out this was part of that soybean family feud that started back in 1955! There was a family run stall started by this couple who had 4 kids and when the father passed away there was a feud over who would take over the stall.
Source: Vulcanpost
The mother only split the shares of the stall with the second son and his wife since they took her in and the second son didn't want to let his brothers in on the business and in fact challenged them to open a store next to him! Quite brutal if you ask me. So that's exactly what the brothers did; start their own beancurd businesses and later the sister did the same. Now all the siblings' enterprises have been passed down to their children, who have been running them since.
Source: Rochor Original Beancurd Facebook
So the one we went to called Old Rochor Beancurd is actually started by the sister in the family, and I wonder if that lady we met was actually her! If I had known about this when we were there I might've asked.
Maybe next time we'll try the other beancurd stalls from the siblings. What a shame they split up the way they did. I guess that's why they say never work with family or friends.
Thanks so much for reading!
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Posted via foodiesunite.net