Xialun Lao Zhou Ice Tofu Pudding Introduction
Lao Zhou Ice Tofu Flower mainly sells at night markets in various locations, with a bustling crowd at the dusk market in Xiaguan near the Fuan Temple. It sets up its stall once a week, becoming one of the must-try snacks recognized by the locals. The owner, Cai Yiying (born in 1978), learned the craft from her uncle, Zhou Wenda, who started the business of selling tofu flower in 1990, establishing the renowned "Lao Zhou Ice Tofu Flower." After learning the production methods from her uncle in 2009, Cai Yiying, along with her wife Lin Yushan, received consent to use the "Lao Zhou Ice Tofu Flower" brand to sell traditional handmade ice tofu flower at various night markets. In addition to the traditional white tofu flower, they also developed flavors like glutinous rice balls, taro balls, tapioca, sweet potato balls, aiyu jelly, red beans, green beans, and soybeans (Mung beans), with all ingredients made in-house, not pre-purchased. The glutinous rice ball tofu flower is the most popular item, and Lao Zhou Ice Tofu Flower is known for this signature dish. The rice balls are made by grinding long glutinous rice into a paste, filtering water, drying, kneading to the right softness, then shaping pieces to cook in boiling water before placing them in ice water. This process ensures that the rice balls are chewy and elastic. When customers order, they first scoop the rice balls into a bowl, then add tofu flower, and drizzle with syrup before serving. Lao Zhou Ice Tofu Flower also has a stall at the night market in Taizi Village, operating at...
