Chaozhou yellow tofu with salt and chives: Only one session per year, waiting in line takes 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 according to 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 voices of people talking and calling to each other, the smell of incense, 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 tourists asked a few other guests and found out that they were waiting to buy Teochew 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 the 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 sells them at the exact time of the Lantern Festival. This year, we sell 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 Trieu Chau 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 shop 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. 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 rich, fatty taste. However, because it is deep-fried, not only the tofu but also the other dishes are rich in fat, giving the eater a feeling of fullness quickly.

When eating, you must dip it in the brine with 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 getting bored, we 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 cake, cassava cake, and taro cake costs 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, waiting in line 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 two-line queue, the writer also tried the feeling of waiting for nearly an hour. One customer complained about how crowded it was but still patiently waited, another said that luckily he was quick and came early so he 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 with bustling 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 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 fried tofu and cut it into pieces, 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 / Must probe to the source of the river / If you want to eat Cantonese tofu / Must wait until the full moon of the first lunar month / 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 a pan of oil - Video: HO LAM

There was no room in the front or back of the queue, and it got more crowded as the evening went 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