Fresh and high-quality, they are churned out from a century-old factory in the sleepy town of Bentong, writes Es Tung
ASK market traders in the Klang Valley where you can find the best tow foo pok (beancurd puffs) and chances are they will point you to Lai Seng in Kampung Ulu Perting, Bentong, Pahang.
P.C. Lai, who is in the 60s, is the second-generation owner of the family business. Better known among his peers and clients as “Hak Kwai”, Lai himself has over 50 years of making deep-fried beancurd puffs under his belt.
“I inherited the business from my father,” Lai says, at his factory, which is also his home. “Now my 35- year old son Hee Teng is the third-generation owner of this almost century-old business as I am also retired.”
The factory is located on a hillside on the fringes of Bentong Town.
“Making beancurd puffs the traditional way is labour-intensive and we need a big space to store wood to cook the soya bean milk. That is why we are located deep inside this village,” he explains, adding that to make good beancurd puffs, wood fire is used to cook the soya milk.
“In the old days, everything had to be done manually, including grinding the beans and deep-frying the beancurd puffs.”
The beancurd puff-making process begins with the soaking of good quality beans for four hours. Soaking time is dependent on the varieties of beans and only experience can ensure that the resulting soya milk is of high quality.
Once the beans are about twice their size, they are put into a mechanical grinder to extract the milk. The soya bean milk, together with the pulp known as gregs, is first cooked before the milk is strained and the pulp removed. Coagulants are then added to curdle the soya milk.
“Nothing is wasted. The pulp is not thrown away but sold to cattle farmers for use in animal feed,” Lai explains. “Soya bean pulp added into cow feed has been shown to increase not only milk production but also improve the quality of the milk.”
Once the soya milk becomes curd, it is then poured into a large mould that has been lined with a cotton cloth. The mould is then put into a traditional press and subjected to a 100kg weight to remove all the water.
When the process is completed, the beancurd slab is cut into standard-sized cubes, air dried, and then deep-fried in an electrical cauldron containing hot oil. The heat is controlled by a computer so that the temperature is just hot enough to cook and give the beancurd a uniform golden colour.
Beancurd puffs that are ready will float to the surface and taken out to be drained of excess oil. The beancurd puffs can be eaten plain or dipped in chilli sauce, or used in laksa and in yong tau foo.
On average, Lai Seng produces about 300kg of beancurd puffs a day and they are supplied to markets in and around Bentong and in the Klang Valley.
Lai also exports organic beancurd puffs to Singapore. “We have to refrigerate those that we are sending to Singapore to retain the quality and freshness,” he explains. “We have to meet the high criteria set by the buyers there in terms of quality.”
These days, Lai only supervises work at the factory. “My son Hee Teng is in charge now and he handles most of the marketing and delivery.”
Although Lai welcomes visits to his factory in Kampung Ulu Perting, he advises visitors to call first to find out if they are making beancurd on that day. The road leading into the village is only a car’s width, so tour buses and vans will have to park at a distance and visitors then have to proceed on foot.
Lai Seng Beancurd Factory is at 128, Ulu Perting, Bentong, Pahang. It is open daily from 9am to 5pm, except Sundays. Call 016-986 2660.