Month: December 2025

Jasmine tofu pudding at Tales by Chapter often captivates diners as a refined expression of Vietnamese plant-based fine dining. Its delicate balance of soft tofu, gentle sweetness, and floral jasmine offers a flavor profile both familiar and thoughtfully elevated. Read on to discover how this humble dessert is reimagined and why it quietly lingers long after the final spoonful.

What Is Tofu Pudding In Vietnam?

In Vietnam, tofu pudding is a modest dessert closely tied to everyday street life. It often announces itself through the familiar call “Tào phớ đê,” drifting through narrow neighborhoods. Vendors travel by bicycle, carrying warm tofu, syrup, jasmine flowers, and ice in careful balance. This simple setup reflects how the dessert is meant to be enjoyed, quietly and without ceremony.

Made from soybeans, tofu pudding is believed to cool the body in Vietnam’s humid climate. For this reason, it becomes especially popular during summer months. A typical bowl looks plain at first glance, yet offers softness, light sweetness, and gentle refreshment. Occasionally scented with jasmine, it delivers comfort rather than indulgence, leaving a calm, lingering impression.

Endless Variations In Vietnamese Tofu Pudding

Different Names Across Vietnam

Across Vietnam, jasmine tofu pudding carries different names, each reflecting regional language and everyday habits. In Hanoi, it is known as tào phớ, a term commonly heard in northern streets. Further north in Hai Phong, locals often call it tàu pha, usually served with syrup. Further south, central regions say đậu hũ, while southern Vietnam prefers the name tàu hũ.

Different Flavors And Tasting Ways

Vietnamese tofu pudding expresses its identity through regional flavors, which shape how the dessert is experienced. In Hanoi, it appears in its most delicate form, paired with light sugar syrup scented with jasmine. This gentle sweetness allows the tofu’s silky texture to remain central from the first spoonful. 

The tradition traces back to An Phu village, long considered the birthplace of Hanoi’s tofu pudding. Here, vendors portion thin sheets carefully and finish each bowl with syrup and a few ice cubes. The result feels cooling and balanced, a quiet relief during Hanoi’s humid summer days.

In central Vietnam, the flavor profile shifts as fresh ginger joins the bowl. Its warmth contrasts the tofu’s softness and brings depth without overwhelming the palate. Further south, tofu pudding becomes richer, with thicker curds and generous coconut milk. This richness invites variation, and southern kitchens explore pearls, caramel, jelly, or lotus seeds. Across regions, these choices guide not only flavor, but also the pace and mood of tasting. Whether light or indulgent, tofu pudding remains a reflective dessert, best enjoyed with attention.

How Is A Bowl Of Tofu Pudding Typically Served?

A bowl of tofu pudding is served through a gentle sequence that invites patience and attention. It begins with a few ice cubes placed into the bowl to soften the heat. This contrast prepares the palate before the warm tofu is introduced. Using a flat metal spoon, the seller then lifts thin sheets from the pot. Each slice settles naturally, creating layers that feel light rather than dense. 

Once the tofu is in place, sugar syrup is poured with care and restraint. Jasmine flowers are added last, bringing aroma that completes the bowl. Together, these steps shape a dessert meant to be observed, then slowly enjoyed.

What To Expect About Jasmine Tofu Pudding At Tales By Chapter?

Chef Takes Inspiration From Child Hood Memory

At Tales By Chapter, jasmine tofu pudding begins as a memory rooted in the chef’s childhood. Many dishes on the menu follow this approach and take meaning from the chef’s earliest kitchen years. After long days spent cooking, comfort often arrived through small moments along familiar streets.

One memory remains clear, shaped by cool autumn air and the quiet pause after service. Beside the street, a bowl of tofu pudding offered calm after many hours standing. Its gentle warmth and light sweetness felt restorative rather than indulgent at that precise moment. That sensation now guides how the chef reimagines this dessert for Tales By Chapter.

Jasmine was chosen to echo familiar aromas once carried through evenings after demanding kitchen shifts. The tofu stays delicate, while sweetness remains restrained to preserve clarity and emotional balance. Served today, the dish invites guests into a memory translated with care and quiet respect.

Meticulous Jasmine Tofu Pudding Crafted by Chefs

At Tales By Chapter, jasmine tofu pudding is treated as a quiet continuation of the dining journey. Rather than seeking surprise, the chefs begin with clarity, starting from freshly prepared soy milk. This soy milk is handled patiently, as every trace of foam is removed to preserve purity. Only after the surface feels clean does the setting begin, guided by a measured touch of agar.

The tofu then holds softly, maintaining lightness while avoiding any firmness that distracts the palate. With this foundation complete, attention moves naturally toward jasmine, selected for its seasonal familiarity. Its aroma recalls familiar moments from quieter days, giving the dessert meaning beyond simple fragrance.

The flowers are simmered into a light syrup, designed to carry scent without introducing excessive sweetness. From this syrup, delicate pearls are formed through molecular techniques refined with steady practice. When tasted, these pearls dissolve instantly, allowing jasmine to unfold at a precisely chosen moment.

Despite the technical care involved, the dish remains intentionally humble in both appearance and expression. For the chefs, this restraint reflects comfort once found in simple desserts after long kitchen days. That memory guides every decision, linking technique and emotion throughout the careful preparation process. As the meal draws to a close, this pudding offers balance, softness, and a sense of quiet completion.

Jasmine tofu pudding reflects how Vietnamese flavors can be gently refined without losing their emotional warmth. Through restraint and careful technique, a familiar dessert becomes a calm, memorable closing to the meal. Visit Tales by Chapter to experience how this quiet final note completes the journey.

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Tales by Chapter

The first zero waste plant-based dining in Vietnam

Add: 10 Nguyen Thanh Y, Tan Dinh, Ho Chi Minh City

Hotline: +84 368 150 125

E-mail: reservation@talessgn.com – Reservation

Opening hours: 7.00pm – 11.00pm (Closed Sunday)