If I could name a hot drink that called my childhood memories back is tauwa or tofu pudding. It has many names depending on area. In Solo it is called tahok, in Semarang is wedang tahu, and in Jakarta and Sumatera is kembang tahu. My childhood was in Surabaya, so I called tauwa.

At noon, tauwa seller will go around with his motorcycle in my neighborhood. I just waited of him to pass by and bought it. The price was affordable, not more than Rp 10,000. I will enjoy a bowl of tofu pudding with ginger, sugar, syrup infused with pandan leaves, topping with nuts, coconut milk, and mug bean paste. I like the complete variant.

However, we can choose for the toppings. My father like tofu pudding, coconut milk, and syrup only. My sister sometimes ordered just mug bean paste with syrup. In short, you can customize your order.

The white silky tofu was so soft and melt in my mouth. Combined with ginger syrup and tasteful of coconut milk made me warm and comfy. The mixed of nuts adding the texture in my mouth. It was delicious. Ginger is also good for health. Sometimes when I get cold, I order tauwa to relieve my pain.

Unfortunately, the seller was rare nowadays. It is harder to get it rather in my childhood. We should go to specific place to get tauwa.

Actually, tauwa is not originally from Indonesia. It was from Chinese and brought by some immigrants around 19^th century. Therefore, tauwa has many forms or name depend on the area. Even in Chinese, there are some dishes that is looked like tauwa, but very different. Some of them are not sweet dishes, but savory and spicy. Therefore, they are not dessert or drink, but main dishes.

Here are some tauwa recommendations that I have tried.

• Tauwa Surabaya

In Surabaya and surroundings area, tauwa is sold around by bike seller. Otherwise, they have a stall at side of road or in market. Therefore, locals have their own favorite seller. For me, the best tauwa is near my parent’s house at Sidoarjo. Some tauwa in Surabaya are served with cakue, a fried bread from Chinese also, but I never try. However, you can try Tauwa and Ronde Kitty at Pasar Atum Jl. Bunguran No. 45 Bongkaran Pabean Cantikan, Pasar Atum Lt II Thp II Stand 2058H. Culinary at Pasar Atum is one of the best in Surabaya.

• Kembang tahu Jakarta

At Jakarta this food is called kembang tahu. The last few years, kembang tahu became viral in Jakarta and some areas because of franchise Kembang Tahu dan Susu Jahe Merah Naomi. They open some little stalls in some side streets of Jakarta and Tangerang. This kembang tahu not only served with ginger syrup, but they innovate with the topping, such as cheese, cashews, honey, sugar palm fruit, pearls, and pieces of white breads. Actually, I never tried this franchisee. I just try a kembang tahu from seller around my rent house at South Tangerang.

• Soy bean curd Singapore

It was accident when I try this tauwa look alike at Singapore. I try Lao ban soy bean curd near my brothers flat at Punggol Singapore. I think it is franchisee because I can find it in other areas. They sold soy milk and soy bean curd. The soy bean curd is similar with tauwa, but without sugar syrup. They put at plastic cup like pudding. The soy was really soft without the strange smell from soy bean (in Javanese we called ‘langu’). Later I find out that in Singapore and Malaysia tauwa is called tau hua. 

pic: google