When is a Taufoo Pok not a Taufoo Pork

* Today , I'm still getting search queries popping up on this subject in my stats bar , so if you're reading this , hopefully you will walk away more informed *

All thanks to a misspelling by a chain restaurant , today some people are still ( after all these months !) convinced that this beancurd by product , contains pork. Taufoo pok is made in a similar manner as cheese is . Coagulants are added into soy milk then twice deep fried at different temperatures till they look like gluten puffs. If you take too much, obviously it's not the healthiest of choices .

It's delicious but should be eaten in moderation. 

And Pok is a Chinese word which means Puff by the way.

As there are many vegans in the country , some who are so fastidious they don't even consume garlic ,think about it .... if this ingredient so much as contained meat , 

they would see to it that life becomes very miserable for the manufacturer indeed. 

The question for the uninitiated is ....when is a taufoo pok not a taufoo pork .

When it's NOT stuffed. When it is stuffed with pastes , meat , shoots.....it could be a Tau Foo Pork.

Not on it's own ( refer to the pic above ) , then it's Taufoo Pok . Those sold at a wetmarket stall and in vegetarian restaurants are not Taufoo Pork . 

Why sell it then , if there's so much controversy and distrust  ? 

Because these greasy puffs are an acquired taste and once you acquire a liking for it and get past the oil well , some cells at the back of your head are triggered into making you crave for it whether you are in London or KL .That squishy juicy mass in a small puff, acts like an explosive time release sponge when stewed with Malaysian curry . The aroma once released....fuuuuhh. Unbeatable . Goes very well with long beans , salted fish and round cabbages. 

For those keen on Stuffed Taufoo Pok , those sold in Bentong and Raub 100percent contain pork , fishpaste and salted fish.The Penang version contains pork , fishpaste and 5 spice powder while those from Ampang contain fishpaste and bamboo shoots . Different towns in Perak have different recipes so it's best to ask first. The one I tried in Malacca , is not very good so I wouldn't recommend even though it is made from fishpaste.