HOW TO CHINATOWN: Tofu

Navigate deeper into NYC Chinatown’s culinary richness with our auntie & uncle guides. Find recipes, shopping guides, and a mini documentary starring the tofu makers of Chinatown.

Learn about the process of making tofu and get a behind the scenes look at the family legacies behind the artisanal tofu shops in the neighborhood.

Artisanal Chinatown Shops

Tofu 舖 pù/pou

is a no-frills shop that makes soy-based products like tofu, soymilk, and beansprouts. You’ll also find products that are freshly milled and/or steamed like rice flour noodles (changfen) and fermented rice cakes (baitanggao), along with grass jelly, medicinal herbal teas, and other Cantonese items. Everything is affordable and made day of. The ones you find here in NYC Chinatown are unique to our neighborhood.

Ingredients for tofu are simple… soybeans, water, coagulant and most importantly gongfu/technique. Day in and day out, these shops provide an affordable source of protein for the community with endless dedication to their craft.

The Think!Chinatown team is proud to honor these special shops with our “Artisanal Chinatown” designation.

  • This tofu manufacturer sells wholesale and retail. Along with your fresh tofu, reward yourself with made-to-order changfen or take home sheets of rice noodles made on site. They also sell tofu puffs, fried tofu, soymilk, herbal tea, and herbal jelly.

  • This tofu pudding eatery has a long multi-generation history in Chinatown. Take a seat and enjoy tofu pudding with sweet or savory toppings. They also sell tofu, soy milk, herbal tea, herbal jelly, and fermented rice cakes.

  • This old-school shop has it all. From fresh tofu pudding and soy milk, to mung bean congee and zongzi. There’s plenty to take home! Squeeze into the shop and join the fast moving line.

  • As an outpost of the Henry Street location, this is a great place to shop on the Grand Street corridor. Get your favorite soy items as well as soymilk, sheets of rice noodle, herbal tea, and herbal jelly. Hand-rolled zhuchangfen topped with curry fish balls are a go-to snack!

  • Step into the bustling Mott Street Eatery to find this small-eats stand serving fresh tofu pudding. There are so many sweet and savory flavors of tofu pudding to choose from. They also have delicious snacks like their sweet potato dumpling with a soy curd stuffing.

Shopping & Cooking in Chinatown

Our Chinatown aunties and uncles will guide you through making their favorite tofu dishes using their regional preparation styles. Tag along as they shop at their favorite Chinatown spots. Then stop by the neighborhood and follow their personalized walking tour.

Submit your tofu recipe

How do you tofu?

If you have a family recipe you’d like to share, we’d love to hear it! Tell us the story behind the dish, send us a photo, and also a list of your favorite spots in Chinatown!

Navigate deeper into NYC Chinatown’s culinary richness. Find recipes, shopping guides, and a mini-doc on Chinatown’s artisanal tofu makers.

Thank you to NYC Department of Small Business Services for supporting Think!Chinatown’s work in cultural wayfinding and for understanding how creative placekeeping strategies are essential to sustaining our vibrant commercial corridor. This project is funded in part by SBS’s Public Realm Grant.