A: Welcome to VOV 24/7’s Food Delight. We’re A and B. And we’re very excited to share with you some cooking tips on today’s program.

B: Hello, guys. Hello, A. Which dish shall we introduce to our listeners today?
A: I’m thinking of a dessert I can make without having to use the oven. You know, at the height of summer, the last thing I want to be doing is slaving away over a hot stove while the temperature outside is already almost too much to bear.
B: That's a good idea. When the temperature rises, it can be hard to get excited about a heavy meal, or the prospect of hours spent in the kitchen working over the hot stove. A cool, refreshing dessert can really hit the spot on those hot days. But you haven’t answered my question about the dish we’re gonna introduce today.
A: I’m thinking of sweet tofu pudding, which is a very common and popular sweet dessert made from soy beans.
B: Oh. It’s my absolute favorite. I grew up eating a lot of sweet tofu pudding. I love it because it’s got a beautiful, soft texture and a subtle, ginger sweetness that make it fabulous to eat. In any street or market, you’ll find street vendors selling this dessert, which is freshly made everyday. But why bother to make the pudding when it is so cheap and you can buy it anywhere?
A: Well… If you make the dish at home, you can use organically grown soybeans to ensure that you get the best tasting and healthiest dish. And once you master the cooking method, you can start to experiment with many interesting twists like adding vanilla pods or green tea to the dish.

Homemade tofu pudding has the smooth, creamy texture of a light flan, but the taste of soy milk. It is fresh, fragrant and worth some effort (Source: Bepgiadinh.com)

B: People like me, who just like to eat, hesitate to make it things themselves, especially if there are many steps involved. I’m not sure I can do it, A.

A: Believe me, this dish is easier than you might expect and well worth the effort. And in case you were full of questions, I invited Mrs. Le Thi Hoa, a dessert shop owner in Ly Thuong Kiet Street to specify the ingredients you’ll need and give you some helpful tips to keep in mind.
B: Let’s start with the ingredients. “For making this dessert, I carefully choose organic soybeans which are smaller in size and have green flesh. The first step is to soak the dried soybeans overnight, then mash the beans with water to produce your own soy milk. For this dish, I recommend making your own soy milk as store-bought milk is usually thinner than homemade soy milk, and not as good for pudding. It is vitally important that the soymilk is stirred and brought to a boil slowly to avoid burning the milk.”
A: It is important to simmer the milk for 10 minutes after you bring it to a boil in order to bring out the full flavor and fragrance of the soy milk.
B: I have a small tip for you guys: balance a wooden spoon across the pot to prevent the milk from boiling over. You still have to keep an eye on the boiling pot, as soy milk can easily overflow when it boils.
B: The soy milk is then poured into 4g of gypsum powder to coagulate it. The best temperature at which to coagulate the soymilk is 85 DC. If you don’t have a thermometer, let the milk rest for at least 5 minutes before pouring it in. Hue elaborates: “After the soy milk boils, foaming rapidly, pour it into the gypsum powder from about 1 foot above. This will make the ingredients mix together automatically and nicely. Don’t move it or stir the mixture after pouring in the soy milk. You should cover the bowl with a cloth to absorb steam in order to keep the pudding’s surface smooth. The mixture will settle and become nice and yummy after just 1 hour. The dessert can be served warm or cold with palm sugar syrup that has been flavored with pandan leaves and ginger and topped with jelly or shredded coconut.”

Making this dessert is like performing an experiment. You will probably fail a few times, but the failures only make your eventual success sweeter, right?

A: If the pudding surface looks nice and smooth, it means you’ve nail it. But if the pudding breaks up into solids and water, then you have used too much gypsum powder. If you use too little gypsum powder, your pudding will be like a thick milkshake.

B: Making this dessert is like performing an experiment. You will probably fail a few times, but the failures only make your eventual success sweeter, right?
A: True. Tofu pudding should be served right away with spicy ginger syrup, coconut water, or black bean sweet soup. The syrup will be more fragrant if you add some jasmine or pomelo flowers.
B: Homemade tofu pudding has the smooth, creamy texture of a light flan, but the taste of soy milk. It is fresh, fragrant and worth some effort. So, just start by making some homemade soy milk, then make a batch of smooth-as-silk tofu pudding to cool you off during this hot summer. And now, goodbye. Join us again next week here on VOV24/7’s Food Delight.