Tofu pudding is a sweet snack or dessert that is made of tofu served with sweet ginger syrup or sugar syrup. Some places also serve it with Carnation milk (evaporated milk). Different areas of Asia have tofu pudding in vastly different ways; you can have it sweet, spicy, or even savory. However, in and around Macau, we commonly have sweet tofu pudding. You can have the tofu pudding hot or cold, although, during the hot summer months, cold tofu pudding is more popular, for obvious reasons! Good tofu pudding should be soft, silky, and subtly sweet. Read on to find out where the best places to get tofu pudding are in Macau, ranging from places that have been around for over half a century to newer, more modern places that put an innovative twist on the traditional snack or dessert!
SENG KEI (盛記白粥)
(See featured image)
Seng Kei (盛記白粥) is a family business with over a hundred years of history. The popular restaurant has five branches across Macau, which makes it an easily accessible option for good tofu pudding!
Seng Kei offers plain tofu pudding but also green tea and mango flavored pudding too. All versions cost MOP $7. Bear in mind, however, that the green tea and mango flavor is made with flavored sugar syrup rather than actual green tea and mango. However, for the price point, they are absolutely worth a try if you want to deviate from the more traditional way of having tofu pudding. You can have the traditional tofu pudding hot or cold, but if you are having the flavored options, you can only have them cold. We tried the green tea flavored tofu pudding–it was refreshing, not too sweet and the flavor was almost indiscernible from actual green tea.
Opening hours: 7:15am–7:00pm
Seng Kei Rua dos Cules, Senado Square, Macau, +853 2832 3471
Edificio Fai Si, 77 Av. do Ouvidor Arriaga, Macau, +853 2859 1056
No. 264 南惠閣 (Nán huì gé) Block 2, Av. de Artur Tamagnini Barbosa, Macau, +853 2840 3931
Edificio Mei Keng Garden, Rua de Bragança, Taipa
SOPA DE FITAS VING KEI (榮記荳腐麵食)
With almost sixty years of history, Ving Kei is the most recommended place for tofu pudding in Macau. Ving Kei’s story began when a friend of Mr. Li asked him if he wanted to start a business together to make tofu. Forty years down the line, the business was passed down a generation to his son, Li Yi Hua (李溢華). Ving Kei now has multiple branches in Taipa and Macau, but the original store is located on Rua da Tercena, a location rich with history. It used to be a bustling area during WWII when people would sell and buy secondhand items in order to make money. It is merely a three-minute walk from the Ruins of St. Paul’s.
We tried the cold tofu pudding, which costs MOP $8.50. If you had it hot it would cost MOP $8. The tofu pudding had a rich soybean flavor. It was soft and subtly sweet, a flavor carefully curated with the combination of sugar syrup and Carnation milk.
All of Ving Kei’s soy products are made by themselves. Beside tofu pudding, they are also famous for soy milk and tofu noodles, which are noodles with tofu in pork broth. At the moment, they are having 10% off all orders–all the more reason to go try them out today!
Opening hours: 8:00am–6:30pm
Sopa De Fitas Ving Kei G/F, 47 R. da Tercena, Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro, +853 28921152
TOI SHAN TOFU (台山豆花小食)
This modest shop right by the Chinese border only sells tofu pudding and homemade soy milk. What makes this place special is that the tofu pudding is made and served in a wooden bucket, which is how tofu pudding is traditionally made. What’s more, this shop has almost 20 years of history. The woman who runs this shop makes the tofu pudding and the soy milk herself, and she only sells one bucketful of tofu pudding a night! Once it’s gone, it’s gone. Another thing to note is that the shop is open only at night, from 9:00pm to 1:00am. Clearly, it makes for a great late-night snack because the small shop can normally be identified by the sizeable queue that gathers outside.
You can choose between a big tofu pudding (MOP $17) and a small one (MOP $16). Some reviewers online claim that they find the sugar syrup a bit too sweet and recommend asking for less sugar syrup but we found it just fine. The tofu pudding was warm and silky. For soy milk, you can also choose between black and yellow bean soy milk. You also have the option to choose whether you want it sweet or not. We recommend you get there early–the pudding near the top is smoother, the woman confides.
Opening hours: 9:00pm–1:00am, closed on Sundays
Toi Shan Tofu Rua Três da Cidade Nova de T`oi Sán, Portas do Cerco/Toi San, Macau
SHUN KEI (順記豆腐花)
Shun Kei is another shop that is popular among locals and knowledge of it spread through word of mouth. Located on the second floor of the Mercado de Iao Hon in Macau, its location may seem inconspicuous to the unsuspecting passersby since it is located in a bustling food court within the market.
Our first impression of the tofu pudding was that it had a remarkably rich soybean flavor. It also had just the right amount of sweetness. You should note that they ask you whether or not you even want to add sugar syrup at all. The pudding cost MOP $7 but it would cost an extra MOP $1 if you decide to take it away. Thankfully, the food court is air-conditioned, and you will feel just like one of the locals amongst the chatter of neighborhood elders who gather there to catch up with one another.
Opening hours: Daily, 12:00pm–7:00pm
Shun Kei Shop 2-08, 2/F, Mercado de Iao Hon, Macau
AZUCAR (糖主)
Azucar is a fairly new brand that began ten years ago by a university graduate who tasted an unbelievably delicious chocolate lava cake when he was in New York and made it his mission to recreate the flavor. Fast forward to today, Azucar is now a brand with four branches and innovative desserts. It is not surprising then that Azucar is popular amongst the younger crowd.
Azucar boasts 11 unconventional flavors–or rather 11 different combinations with tofu pudding. The flavors ranged from the fruitier side with mango, seasonal fruits, or strawberry juice with pomelo, to more traditional Chinese desserts such as sesame soup and red bean soup. We decided to try out the more modern (and cooler) options: tofu pudding with fresh mango (MOP $36) and tofu pudding with mango sago pomelo (MOP $40). The flavor of the tofu beneath the mango was subtle but added a nice soy touch to the mango dessert. The combination of mango pomelo sago and tofu pudding made the dessert as a whole very creamy. It was amazing–who knew tofu and mango went so well together? The desserts are at a significantly higher price point but are absolutely worth a try, especially for people who may not be big fans of tofu pudding but want to try a modern and innovative version of it!
Opening hours: Daily 4:00pm–1:00am
Azucar Rua de Seng Tou, Nova Taipa Gardens, Bl 31, Shop D, Taipa, Macau, +853 2885 6789
Opening hours: Monday-Sunday, 3:00pm–6:00pm, 8:00pm–12:00am
Estrada do Repouso (Kiang Wu Hospital) in the direction towards Theatre Alegria, on the ground floor of Edificio Yuen Fat (Macau side), +853 2830 5678
Opening hours: Monday–Friday, 12:00pm–8:30pm; Saturday–Sunday, 12:00pm–6:30pm
University of Macau Hengqin Area, G/F University Mall by the Bank of China, +853 2850 6789
TOFU MAGICIAN (半仙豆夫)
Tofu Magician just opened in August but there are already hour-long queues for the newly opened shop near the Red Market (Edifício do Mercado Vermelho). Why? Hailing from mainland China, Tofu Magician is a well-known and successful brand, boasting several branches all across the country. Their most popular food items are their tofu pudding and soy tea drink.
Don’t worry about the long-wait–the tofu puddings tend to be readily available. It’s the wait for the soy milk that’s the most time-consuming since they are made on the spot with traditional stone tools that are used to grind soybeans. The tofu pudding has a really distinct flavor. It is utterly unique from other tofu pudding places that we have tried. It has a really strong taste of soybean and is very soft and silky. You are meant to have sugar on top, which you sprinkle over the already mildly sweetened pudding. With the added sugar, the taste of their pudding brings to mind the taste of a crème brûlée!
Opening hours: 12:00pm–8:00pm
Tofu Magician 162-166, Avenida Do Almirante Lacerda, Macau, www.facebook.com/toufumagicianmacau
