Last year, a new craze has set Singaporeans queuing for hours. The new obsession is Soya beancurd dessert – a simple, custard pudding that is sweet, light and your best friend during a hot day (which is almost every other day in Singapore) – a bowl for just $1.50. One of the most famous is Lao Ban Soya Beancurd, which has gotten so popular that it expanded out of their first Old Airport Road stall and spawned several competitors. It is not uncommon to see happy people walking out of the hawker centre with tall bags, holding not less than 5 bowls each, looking as if they’ve won the lottery or just completed their Honours Thesis at NUS.
With more competitors and the novelty fading, Lao Ban’s stalls do not draw queues as crazy-long as before – there are still queues during peak periods though. Also, there is an increasing number of people making their own at home.
The dessert is actually very easy to create. It only takes you about 15-20 minutes. A recipe that is very close to Lao Ban has been posted online in December 2011. I’ve been making these for months, because I don’t want to travel to Old Airport Road and queue, and because I found Lao Ban’s desserts to be way too sweet. I’ve shared the recipe with friends – some succeeded, some failed – making Soybean agar agar, Soybean cakes and other Soybean flavoured things that do not resemble Lao Ban’s pudding. Some just REFUSE to try because “it’s complicated”. So I’ve decided to write this entry to show how easy it actually is.
Why should you make your own Soya Beancurd?
- No need to queue anymore. (YES!)
- You’ll definitely save money on the long run.
- You can alter the recipe to your liking. Less sugar, or go nuts with experimental “new flavours”.
- You can recycle those plastic containers. Most people throw it away after eating! Do your part for the environment.
- The taste is very similar but not 1:1 to Lao Ban. See first point below.
What this recipe won’t recreate?
- The enigmatic, crusty-yet-soft, sometimes-wrinkly skin layer at the top. Some people love it, some hate it. The home-made version will be consistently smooth.
- The agonizing long wait at the Soybean dessert stalls
Things you need
Kitchen Items
- A small pot or saucepan (big enough to cook a bowl of noodles for one person)
- Weighing scale (accuracy of 1g, if possible)
- A fine sieve/strainer with handle
- Whisk (You can also use chopsticks or spatula, but a whisk is easier/faster)
- Measurement cup (up to at least 700ml)
- Another cup that’s about the same as the measurement cup, preferably with beak
- Plastic bowl containers (Lao Ban or others)
Optional: A “magic” oil sieve (for ultra-smooth tofu quality)
Ingredients
This recipe is based on the one shared by hardwarezone user chanzhf. I’ve made some small changes. This recipe will make 3 bowls, using the Lao Ban containers.
You will need 5 ingredients, and the first four items can be found at NTUC Fairprice supermarkets.
60g Polleney Soybean Powder
Sold in large packets, so you’ll need to measure every time you cook. $5.90 at NTUC (500g package)
30g Unisoy Instant Organic Soya Milk Powder
Conveniently in sachets. Just use one sachet each time. $7.20 at NTUC (15 sachets)
20g Sugar
Use granular or icing sugar. 20g is recommended as it is not too sweet, but you can go up to 30-35g if you want a sweeter dessert, or match the sweetness of Lao Ban’s dessert. You can also skip the sugar altogether if you prefer.
30g Nestle CoffeeMate
Pretty standard item found in any supermarket. Big packet, so you’ll need to measure.
13g RED MAN Instant Jelly Powder
The exact item is called Instant Jelly Powder. Do not substitute with gelatin, agar agar, Konnyaku Jelly or other dubiously-named powder.
This is available in 200g (S$4.90) and 1kg (S$18) quantities. Easiest place to find is at Phoon Huat stores; or you can try your luck at some large supermarkets (Giant Hypermart at Tampines).
[Edit]: My friend Dwight suggests using Bake King’s Instant Jelly Powder, if you can’t find Red Man’s stock at Phoon Huat.
Optional: Vanilla
Kevin left a few helpful comments, suggesting to add Vanilla (from pods) for a fragrant aftertaste. Please leave a comment if you have tried this!
All ingredients are Halal.
You can also use soybean milk (in cartons), but the taste will not resemble Lao Ban’s dessert. If wish to do it anyway, measure 700ml of the soybean milk and heat it up. Continue from Step 1d – just simmer the soybean milk.
Lao Ban-style Soya Beancurd: Step by Step guide
General Tips
If it’s your first time doing any form of cooking, I’d recommend measuring all the ingredients first and put them in saucers or small bowls.
Also, throughout the entire process, never let the mixture boil; just simmer. If it starts to boil, turn off the fire immediately.
While you must not let the mixture boil, you should not leave it to cool until they’re in the plastic containers. Especially after you’ve added the jelly powder – the mixture will start to coagulate as it cools.
1. Prepare the Soybean Milk Base
1a) Measure 60g of Polleney Soybean Powder and open one sachet of Unisoy’s Soya milk powder.
1b) Pour everything into the saucepan/pot.
1c) Measure 700ml of water and pour into the pot.
1d) Place the pot on the stove and start the fire. Use low heat.
1e) Whisk the mixture well to make Soybean milk. You’d want to break up the globs of powder floating around. Scrape the bottom of the pot to make sure nothing gets stuck on the surface. Don’t worry about the growing mass of bubbles. Just make sure that the powder mix is fully dissolved before you move on. Also, DO NOT BOIL the mixture. If it is getting too hot and you see the mixture leaving brown marks in the pot, turn off the fire for a while.
2. Add in sugar and coffeemate
2) Now that you have a nice warm Soya bean milk in the pot, simply add in 20g of sugar and 30g of CoffeeMate. Magically, most bubbles will disappear. Keep whisking, making sure you have a smooth mixture going on and everything is dissolved. From here, you want to keep the mixture as hot as possible without boiling. You should see (or feel) steam emanating from the mix. Stir for another minute and move to the next step.
3. Add the Instant Jelly powder
3) This is the tricky step, because you need to add the instant jelly powder only when the mixture is very hot. Right after you add it in, continue to stir quickly (but not whisk) for a minute. The trick is to make sure that the mixture is well-mixed AND very hot, so that it would not coagulate. When you’re ready, turn off the fire and prepare your sieve/strainer and a large cup to pour the mixture into.
4. Sieve the mixture
4a) Pour the mixture slowly into a cup (i.e. the measuring cup), through a fine sieve. The mixture should still very hot, so do be careful.
4b) If you have the “Magic Oil Sieve”, you can do a second round of filtering. You will need to pour it even slower because the flow is greatly reduced. DO NOT use a Magic Oil Sieve unless the mixture has been sieved before, otherwise the flow will become increasingly slow and the mixture will start to cool down and coagulate.
4c) There will be residual bubbles. Wash the sieve, then use it to scoop the bubbles out. The Magic Oil Sieve works wonders here.
5. Pour into containers
5a) Finally, you can pour the mixture into the bowls. Do it slowly and you won’t have any bubbles.
5b) Viola! Let it cool for a while, then put them in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours.
Completion!
There you have it. Your very own Lao Ban-style Soya Beancurd. If you feel that it is not sweet enough, increase the amount of sugar to 30g. Now then, it isn’t very difficult, is it? And 15 minutes is a lot less than the amount of time you’ll need to wait for your turn. But of course, do support the stalls from time to time (and get new containers!)
Is it possible to make more than 3 bowls at a go? Yes, but it is more difficult to ensure that the mixture has the right consistency, and also makes controlling the heat and the filtering steps more challenging. I’d recommend just sticking to 3 bowls in a batch. Just wash up and start over.
Instant jelly powder at poon huat (200G) is perpetually out of stock, so unless you stake out at their stalls like a stalker trying to stalk Justin Bieber, you will most probably fail. The last time I checked, I actually called the entire island of Poon Huat shops, and they were all sold out (yes the entire SIngapore). So, I went by another store under Bake King, the nearest at Haig Road! The usually have overflowing stock of the 200g instant jelly powder, but it is slightly more expensive at $6 ( I think Poon Hust sells theirs for slightly more than $5). On the bright side, no hair pulling when you hear teh addictive call of tao huay. Alternatively, you can buy the 1KG bottle of powder and split amongst your friends, that being very much more economical!
I tested the recipe. Its awesome. Thank you so much. My kids love it. Poon Huat have the jelly powder in stock.
Big thanks. You have done a great job.
Dude! you’ve published the world’s greatest secret! LOL. great post, btw 😉
Haha, thanks for dropping by, Dexter! 🙂
I am just here to support you this time, Dejiki…..
OMGGGG I JUST READ THIS LOL! Unfortunately I can’t find ANY of these ingredients here, well okay I think we do have instant soy milk etc but it’s probably overpriced and there’s definitely no halal instant jelly powder MUST TRY THIS WHEN I FLY HOME!!!
YES! Don’t worry – you’ll get unlimited supply of these from me LOL.
Hai ilyana…how to replace the ingredients if we cannot find any. Can you recommend other ingredient?
just finish making it
take note the Instant jelly powder price has gone up to $5.00 for 200g
wonder how my beancurd will taste like adding banana flavor xD
to get lao ban wrinkle texture
don’t keep whisking till it becomes smooth
whisk and rest till it forms a layer of “tofu skin” on the top of the liquid then slowly whisk and rest.
this takes time and practice to perfect it.
not sure if anyone realize Lao ban soy beancurd has a vanilla aftertaste
just add two vanilla pods or three (depends on individual preferences)
Thanks for the tips, Kevin!
Thanks for sharing!
Still it seems lack of something..
Realized there is a sweet nice fragrance aftertaste from Lao ban’s.
Any specific fragrace ingredient been missing here to make it complete?
Wonder anyone able to get the secret out.:)
its vanilla xD
Thank! Ive think of that too but try few kind of Vanilla still cannot get the fragrance right.
Do you know what brand and where to get it specifically?
try pure vanilla pods?
anyway laoban soy beancurd pudding is never a secret lolx
accidently discover that when i check in via Foursquare on their store! someone commented that this is somekind of Hong Kong Milk Pudding dessert
Key ingrediant -> Milk!
lao ban prepare its Soy beancurd by pouring the hot mixture onto a much-smaller bowl then let it cool..
once its cool and “wrinkle” they empty it into their signature plastic bowl and add SOY BEANCURD MILK to protect the precious cargo from hitting the side of the bowl.
I discovered this after my fiancee bought a bowl and i took it to observe the contents.
where to get vanilla pod?
what kind of milk does lao ban add?
Sorry, I don’t really understand what you mean by “adding SOY BEANCURD MILK to protect the precious cargo”
You mean after the soya bean curd is done they add the milk? where?
Or they use Milk as the ingredient for the soya bean curd instead of just water and soy bean powder?
I’m very curious about this recipe, thanks 🙂
hi, is there any substitute besides using coffee matte? I think coffee matte contains transfat.
Does any one knows? thank you for sharing.
I have try a few times. Y mine is watery n nv coagulate?
Thank you so much!! This taste like the real deal! Must add good quality vanilla!
Made this today and just took it out of the fridge to try. It is good but just a wee bit too hard, does not have the soft smooth effect. Could it be I put too much of the instant jelly powder? You did not mention on your recipe how much of the instant jelly powder to add to the mixture, hence I based mine on the proportion gtiven by Bake King 🙁 In any case, thank you very much for sharing the recipe. Much appreciated 🙂
Hi Jane, glad to hear about your attempt to make this dessert!
I mentioned that you should put in 13g of the Instant Jelly Powder. The original recipe from Hardwarezone suggested 14g, but I’d always end up with a more “solid” pudding. I usually put in 12-13g.
I did not add the vanilla as I thought it was optional.
anyone else tried using milk and vanilla? did it make the taste closer to Lao Ban
i also noticed that lao ban soya beancurd does not stick to the side of the container, it is very smooth
however the soya beancurd i make even if u turn upside down,it won’t drop because it is sticking to the side of the container
Hi, I just tried with 30g of sugar and compared to 51Soya Bean….
1) can feel the powder when eating it
2) softer
If those who wish to make it smell good can add vanilla powder to it. Taste wonderful!!
where to get vanilla powder?
thanks for sharing the recipe … had tried making it this evening and just tasted it.
Mine texture was quite close to Lao Ban but just as others mentioned something is missing .. the fragrance taste. But it’s nice … now wondering for other flavours ….
Hi may I know where did u get ur kitchen scale?
Takashimaya Department Store (Ngee Ann City Shopping Centre), Kitchenware section at B1.
Hi, I would like to know if the ingredients used in making the beancurd contains any gelatine?
Thank you.
mine is still watery after cooling. i don’t know where went wrong? 🙁
I used to buy beancurd from the soya ministry, not as perfect as lao ban, but sure taste great. Sometimes it is a bit watery too! I think that is because the powder mixing is not perfect or you add too little jelly powder
Hello! Thanks for sharing the recipe. I want to experiment using different flavours like almond or mango. What type of flavoring should I use? And where can I buy them. Thanks!
I tried replacing the soya powder with another 2 packet of unisoy. First trial , 80% satisfied.
Next try when NTUC has the stock for Polleney soya bean powder. Tried many NTUC stall but in vain. Appreciate if any one of you managed to get it let me know. Thanks !
There is stock in NTUC … Polleney Soya Bean Power
thanks for the recipe. really simple and my husband loves it. made twice the amount and turned out great!!
I tried few times but the texture is different from Lao ban…..!!!! 🙁
Can I use agar agar to replace instand jelly powder?
No, you should not! You will get Soya bean agar-agar instead!
Staff from Lao Ban @ clementi very attitude. one younger lady actually irritated me
Thank you for posting this! I have been trying to make this amazing desert but the texture of mine is not smooth at all. Is it because i’m using Konnyaku premix jelly powder? Can i somehow put enough of above mentioned jelly powder to have the same effect as that of the instant jelly powder?
Hi Javier,
Konnyaku Jelly powder will not give the dessert the smooth texture. You need to use the Instant Jelly Powder (by either two brands) stated in the guide.
Hi!
How long can I store the soya bean curd? Can I put it in the refrigerator up to 1 week?
Thx
I would advise keeping it in the refrigerator for up to three days only, to keep the soft and smooth texture of the beancurd.
Hi, for adding of vanilla, how much should I add? And where to get the pods vanilla? thanks!
Why is it that my beancurd is still kinda watery after cooling for 3 hours? Is it because i added too little instant jelly powder?
Usually the beancurd will reach the right texture/form within 3 hours. If it’s semi-solid/liquid like thick porridge, most likely you did not add enough.
Hi Dejiki, can you advise for almond flavour, what ingredient should i use and how much?
Thank you
Tried the recipe. It is great! Thanks for sharing Dejiki!
Those who want to try adding vanilla can try pure vanilla extract from poon huat. It’s called Nielsen Massey. It is recommended by the shop and is supposed to be better than regular vanilla essence. Poon huat sells vanilla pods as well.
Thanks for the tip, Elise!
hi. I try the same, but the smell of soya bean is way too strong which is very different from laoban.am i suppose to reduce the quantity? and how much to be reduce?
Thanks for sharing the recipe! It’s really nice and taste like laoban!
Hi, thanks for the recipe. May I know what’s the difference b/w the polleyney soybean and the unisoy soya milk?
There is a slight difference in taste, but when combined together, it creates something like what Lao Ban uses. The Polleney mix has a bit malty fragrance (if I remember correctly).
I’ve tried several times and the mixture doesn’t seems to turn into the beancurd texture. It is still very watery. hmmmm. When I sieve, there seems to be a layer of gluey thingie on it. Could it be that the instant jelly powder had not fully dissolved?
I tried using this recipe twice and I could not get the lao ban texture. After more than 5 hours, the beancurd is still watery. Please help.. I really want to make this beancurd as my family is a die hard fan of lao ban.
if all of the ingredients already in the right amount. then the problem should be in the temperature. especially after adding the jelly powder, it’s fine if you turn off the heat after you get the first “blob”. because the instant jelly powder needs heat to work. but still, don’t get it too hot – you just have to keep it in very hot state (max of 98C).
Hi Dejiki,
Thanks for the recipes. However, I tried using it twice and still failed. The beancurd is still watery after 5 hours. I had followed exactly the recipes given and yet could not get the texture.
Can you advise what went wrong?
Try and experiment with: Higher amount of Instant Jelly Powder; Keeping the temperature of mixture higher before adding the Instant Jelly Powder.
Hi Dejiki, I tried to make the beancurd based on your recipe but it end up not very smooth when I scoop in. It seems “grainy” like the powder didn’t dissolve completely. Although I think I whisk/stir it enough to dissolve all the powders. Everything else is good though.
Hi Dejiki,
At which stage of the preparation do I add in the almond or vanilla flavours?
Can I use vanilla extract instead of vanilla pod as a flavour?
How do I add the vanilla pod? Are they seeds? If they are do I crush it or just add it?
Thank you 🙂
Can I use gelatine to substitute jelly powder? I found other recipes using gelatine and others said it works as well.
Hi Momo, the Jelly Powder from Phoon Huat is made from gelatine, so using gelatine on its own should work as well. However, I’m not sure about the exact amount to use (as Phoon Huat’s Jelly Powder is a mix), so you may need to experiment.
Hihi! Just curious, how much vanilla (in grams) should I use for the serving size in this recipe? At which stage do I add in the vanilla powder?
I’m not completely sure about vanilla powder. I hope someone has a better answer for you because I’ve only tried adding a teaspoon of vanilla essence at step 2.
Anyway, for any additional ingredients for flavour, they should be added before the instant jelly powder.
well, if u intend to use vanilla in powder (there are 3 common vanilla products: pods/beans, essence and powder) u may add in phase number 2 and the amount of 1/2 teaspoon should be enough.
anyone has experience grainy and powery residue left in the bowl?
mine was like that. the top was very soft, but after that there so many grainy residue on the bottom of bowl. don’t know why 🙁
great job there to see a post like this one. i just want to add an information about your recipe here, which using instant jelly powder (contains carrageenan from red seaweed) as a gelling agent is a veggie product. but if some of you want to try using gelatin as a substitute, which obtained from animal then it will become a non-veggie product and in some conditions gelatin can’t replace jelly powder. so, dejiki’s recipe is great the way it is. keep on posting!
hello dejiki
do you happen to know the difference between gelatin, agar agar and jelly powder?
is it possible to substitute one for another?
i bought jelly powder to make your soyabeancurd recipe. but i am thinking of using the excess jelly powder to make other jellies and agar agar too.
Hi, I just wonder why can’t we let the mixture to boil? I saw the warning in every recipe out there but no one gives the explanation why…
And is there anyone who can recreate the tofu skin layer at the top of the soya bean curd? Tried Kevin’s suggestion above by not whisking it too much but still there was no tofu skin layer at all…
Thanks!
Would like to ask what’s the difference between the soyabean powder & soyamilk powder.
Am I able to use real soyabean to make it myself?
Thanks for sharing.. Gonna try it… Mmm
Wow , accurate instructions with spot on information about ingredients . I thought the length of the whole page was all the instructions but no , there were many good reviews more than instructions . 赞！
I tried this recipe twice and both times it failed. It came out really hard like making Agar-agar or like hard jelly. Can’t seem to figure out what went wrong. I did noticed on the packet of jelly powder (12 grams/packet) that 12g is used to mix with 1 litre of water to make regular jelly (which is rather firm). Therefore, 13g for 700ml is way too much. Is there any sense in what I am pointing out here? I’m not new to cooking but this does mean something to anyone?
I hope that someone can clarify the portion for me. The texture should be soft and silky. Anyway, I’m going to attempt another 2 times, both with only half the mentioned portion of jelly powder (7g). And one using regular recipe and the other with real soya milk. I will update after…
Hi Michael, are you using the same Jelly powder (that comes in a plastic jar)?
For the RED MAN Brand Instant Jelly Powder, 60g is needed with 1 litre of water to create regular jelly. Therefore this Lao Ban-style recipe uses only 13g for a soft and silky texture.
I would suggest getting the same jelly powder.
Hi Michael,
I just wondering how did you go with 7g of agar powder. Did you manage to get nice melt-in-mouth laoban style doufu hua?
🙂
Hi, Dejiki
I tried your recipe, agree with Michael, 13gm of jelly powder ? It’s too hard, just like eating jelly. Anyway thanks for the recipe. Will try with less jelly powder.
Hi there,
Jelly powders from different brands (or perhaps even different batches from same brand) would result in different outcomes with this recipe. The original writers of the recipe suggests using only the RED MAN Brand Instant Jelly Powder (specifically the type that states 60g is needed with 1 litre of water to create regular jelly). Other jelly powders are not tested with this recipe.
MAy i know how long this Beancurd can keep in the fridge?
Not longer than three days. After that the Beancurd will lose its texture.
1)May I know how would you make it such that it has an almond flavour? what do you use?
2)As for the vanilla, what do you use? vanilla powder, vanilla extract or what?
Hi – thanks for sharing this recipe.
It turned out perfect for me! I hope you don’t mind me linking your post in my blog..
Hi,Can I make soya milk from scratch instead of using the powder one? So the liquid should stay as 700ml? What is the purpose of adding coffeemate? Is this optional? Im making this for my 20 months son so Im trying to keep everything simple.
Hi, Dejiki! I am wondering why is there so many grainy things left not only at the bottom but also in the middle of the milk batter? I have tried to strain it using cheesecloth, but it became not so well-congeal. I want to make a very silky smooth of this beancurd where there are no bubbles and grainy things left. Thanks!
Any1 has any idea why the dao huay i made has this sticky feeling? different from lao ban. is it too much coffeemate? sugar? or jelly? i’m not sure. any1 had this problem and solved it?
Hi, any idea where can i buy bigger beg (30 kgs/beg) of organic soya powder in Malaysia ???
Hi I recently tried making lao ban using this recipe and since I’m in Malaysia I couldn’t get the same brands used for the ingredients. Does that affect the result of the taste? And also I followed all the measurements for the ingredient and followed all the instructions but it never turns out the same as the picture shown above and the end result gave me a different texture when eating and it’s not as smooth as Lao ban. And when sieving it’s too thick that it doesn’t sieve properly. Please help me as I can’t afford to cross the border whenever I crave for Lao ban and I’m making this because my partner and I really love it. 😭
Dear Sister,
If possible can you please the procedure to prepare same old bean curd style of SG based ” Lau pan Almond bean curd – red color box beancurd”.
I was searching in net, can’t find one receipt that is stay satisfying to same taste .
Thanks
Meena