Chaozhou yellow tofu with salt and chives: Only one session per year, waiting in line for your turn is over an hour

'Oh my god, it's so crowded...' was the exclamation of a customer when seeing the long line of people lining up from Nghia An Assembly Hall to the street just waiting to buy Trieu Chau yellow tofu.

People patiently lined up following the seller's instructions, waiting for their turn to buy - Photo: HO LAM

As the sky darkened, the atmosphere at Nghia An Assembly Hall became more and more bustling and exciting. The sound of people talking and calling to each other, the smell of incense, and the lights from the opera stage lit up a corner of the sky.

Especially during these January days, when passing by Nghia An Assembly Hall, one cannot help but notice the line of people patiently lining up to wait for something...

Many visitors asked a few guests and found out that they were waiting to buy Chaozhou yellow tofu with salted chives sauce, a traditional Chinese dish.

The restaurant has seats to eat but there is never an empty seat - Photo: HO LAM

Chive brine is the anti-nausea soul of Chaozhou yellow tofu.

While cutting fried tofu and arranging it on a plate, Ly Le Quan, the cook, briefly shared with Tuoi Tre Online about this dish.

She said that yellow tofu is a traditional dish of the Teochew people, China, introduced to Vietnam and became a familiar dish of the Chinese people in Cho Lon area. Especially on the occasion of Lantern Festival, Chinese people eat this dish to pray for a lucky, peaceful and prosperous new year.

"Every year, my family puts it on sale at the exact time of the Lantern Festival. This year, we sell it from February 13 to February 24 (ie from the 16th to the 27th of the first lunar month)," said Ms. Quan.

In Nghia An Assembly Hall, there are many stalls selling Chaozhou yellow tofu, but the most popular is her family. There are many reasons for this.

According to the workers, Ms. Quan's family's Chaozhou yellow tofu shop has the longest tradition of selling here and is only sold for a certain period of time.

"Moreover, in recent days, the restaurant has been widely spread on social networks and newspapers, so more and more customers are coming," said a worker.

The restaurant sells 5 familiar dishes to Chinese people: yellow tofu, chive cake, willow leaf cake, taro cake, and cassava cake. When coming here, almost everyone will order yellow tofu - the restaurant's "best seller".

Freshly fried tofu - Photo: HO LAM

One portion has a large piece of tofu, cut into four, with a chewy crust, soft and smooth inside, melting in the mouth, with a fatty taste. However, because it is deep-fried, not only the golden tofu but also the other dishes are greasy, giving the eater a feeling of fullness quickly.

When eating, you must dip it in the brine of chives, which has a light taste, not too salty but helps the tofu dish to be more flavorful, forgetting the greasy taste. This unique dipping sauce can be considered the soul of the dish.

In addition, diners can also try the willow leaf cake and chive cake with crispy outer shell, fragrant sticky rice, and green bean and shrimp filling inside. To avoid feeling full, you can roll the vegetables, herbs and rice paper prepared by the restaurant to eat with.

A portion of tofu and willow leaf cake costs 30,000 VND. Chive, cassava, and taro cakes cost 20,000 VND. In the photo is a full portion of 5 dishes: yellow tofu, willow leaf cake, chive cake, taro cake, cassava cake with vegetables, and rice paper, priced at 120,000 VND - Photo: HO LAM

There is only one session per year, and queuing takes over an hour.

According to records, Ms. Quan's family's shop selling Chaozhou yellow tofu is located opposite the opera stage in the guild hall, and the opening time is also when the stage lights come on.

Joining the crowd of people lining up in two lines, the writer also tried the feeling of waiting for nearly an hour. Some customers complained about how crowded it was but still patiently waited, others said that luckily they were quick and came early so they didn't have to wait too long.

The seller coordinated the queue, explained the dishes to the customers and reassured them: "My restaurant is crowded but we still have a lot of tofu, it's open from 6pm to 10pm. Please help me line up!"

People lined up in two dense lines, waiting to buy yellow tofu, next to the opera stage, always bustling with music - Video : HO LAM

Sharing with Tuoi Tre Online , Ngoc Nga (District 5) said that every year at this time she comes here to buy Trieu Chau yellow tofu.

"For my taste, the food is a bit greasy, not outstandingly delicious. But I like the bustling atmosphere of this restaurant. When you sit here to eat, you will hear the singing from the opera stage next door mixed with the voices of people talking and the sound of cars on the street.

The language of communication between people is both Vietnamese and Chinese. All of this creates an interesting atmosphere, lifestyle, and culture during these Lantern Festival days."

The vendors shared the frying and cutting of tofu but still couldn't keep up - Photo: HO LAM

On social networks, many diners also shared their feelings when eating Trieu Chau tofu at Nghia An Assembly Hall.

Vuduy Minh wrote a whole emotional poem: "A hundred years to calculate the square and round life / Must probe to the source of the river / To eat Cantonese tofu / Must wait until the full moon of January / Each year there is only one session / Waiting in line for your turn is also over an hour".

Chive brine has a slightly salty taste - Photo: HO LAM

Neatly arranged yellow tofu - Photo: HO LAM

Fried tofu continuously in oil pan - Video: HO LAM

There was no room in the front or back of the line, and it got more crowded as the evening wore on. From 9pm onwards, it thinned out - Photo: HO LAM

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/tau-hu-vang-trieu-chau-cham-muoi-he-moi-nam-chi-co-1-phien-xep-hang-den-luot-cung-tren-1-gio-20250219092948265.htm