Xialun Lao Zhou Ice Tofu Pudding Introduction
Lao Zhou Ice Tofu is primarily sold at various night markets, particularly during the evening market in front of the Xia Lun Fu'an Temple, which attracts a crowd, and every Wednesday when the night market extends. This has made it one of the must-try snacks for the locals in Xia Lun. The owner, Cai Yiying (born in 1978), learned the production method from her husband’s uncle, Zhou Wenda, who started the business selling tofu in 1990 and established the golden brand "Lao Zhou Ice Tofu." In 2009, after obtaining her uncle's permission, Cai Yiying and her wife, Lin Yushan, also began to sell traditional handmade ice tofu at various night markets under the same name. In addition to the traditional white tofu, Lao Zhou Ice Tofu also offers a variety of flavors including glutinous rice balls, taro balls, sweet potato balls, aiyu jelly, red beans, green beans, and soybeans (Ming beans), all made in-house instead of purchasing ready-made ingredients. The glutinous rice ball tofu is particularly popular, and Lao Zhou Ice Tofu is known for this signature item. The process of making the glutinous rice balls involves grinding glutinous rice into a slurry, filtering the water, squeezing it dry, kneading it to the right softness, then shaping pieces to be boiled. They are then placed in ice water, allowing them to expand when hot and contract when cold, which gives them a chewy and elastic texture. When customers order, they first scoop the glutinous rice balls into a bowl, then add the tofu, and pour syrup on top before serving. Lao Zhou Ice Tofu also operates a stall at the night market in Taizi Village, with operational hours every...
