Hanoi’s Handmade Tofu Tradition: A Photo Series

It's 5:30 in the morning, and my alarm goes off to prepare for the tofu workshop tour, but by this time, the tofu makers have already been working for an hour, at least.

The workshop is tucked away into a village past the Đuống River, in Xuân Trạch. Our small tour group from Hanoi meets at a boat dock and joins locals and their bicycles at the river.

We cross into a narrow residential neighborhood and walk a short way to a house, with our guide, named Ngọc. The village is much quieter than the greater city beyond the river, and we pass the local charms as we walk to the home of the tofu family.

Along the way, a tiny puppy greets us excitedly and seeks cuddles and kisses.

We finally reach the house, where, for three generations, this family has preserved the traditional method of making handmade tofu. They produce two large batches each day, waking up early to ensure that their delivery beats the morning rush at the market.

Traditional, handmade tofu-making is this couple's vocation. Their children do not share the same passion, but for this couple, they are committed to preserving the tradition and spreading awareness and knowledge of the tofu-making process.

The steam in the kitchen blends into the humidity of the tropical Vietnamese air. Routine drives the couple's nimble fingers in the generations-old process of coagulating and breaking up the soy milk curds, draining the curds into rectangular molds, and quickly and carefully transferring the steamy tofu from the mold to the bamboo basket.

It's time to put us to work!

As a vegetarian of 22 years at the time of writing this, I could not imagine my life without tofu. It has been an important and delicious staple of my diet for decades. Upon moving to South Korea, I adopted many new tofu recipes into my diet but never paused to consider the hard work that occurs behind the scenes. I had also always consumed factory-made tofu; I hadn't realized there were other choices!

In the process of making tofu, it is easy to also preserve some natural soy milk. To me, it did not taste like the type of soy milk you would buy from a grocery store. It tasted more like fresh tofu and contained a few remnants of filtered curds. The tofu family recommended adding some sugar to the beverage, and that cinched it for me! It was fresh and slightly sweet. For those of you who love to feel clean and connected to the process of what you introduce to your body, you would love this!

Here's an opportunity to compare homemade tofu vs. factory-made tofu! Can you tell the difference? (Answers below the images!)

The first image shows tofu from the factory, and the bottom image shows tofu from the homemade kitchen. Did you get it?

The homemade tofu felt firmer, whereas the factory-made tofu contained more water content. The homemade tofu was pressed better in the mold, which filtered out nearly all the water and produced a more defined curvature around the perimeter of the molded tofu.

We're coming to the end of the tour! Here are a few more pictures of the tofu family's home workshop.

After all that hard work, it's time to dine! You may be wondering why the tofu below is a little yellow? It's a secret recipe -- adding a little bit of turmeric to the tofu in the cooking process. The homemade tofu had a wonderful flavor, and dipping it in soy sauce mixed with a bit of chili pepper added a special, loving touch that you would not find in a grocery store.

Ngọc is available for tours of the tofu family's house. They'd be happy to host you! Please feel free to comment below or message me if you would like more information.