Westminster's Dong Phuong Tofu
is a magical place. Literally. The place has to be run by wizards. This
is the only explanation as to how an establishment is able to make soy
products as ridiculously awesome as they do.
In all seriousness
though, you'll be hard pressed to find a place that sells fresher soy
products of such high quality for as low of a price anywhere short of a
soybean farm. Good luck doing that in the land of suburbia.
its steaming hot soy milk to its seasoned tofu steaks, all the products
at Dong Phuong are prepared on-site with no added preservatives or
artificial coloring. Everything is made daily and there's a good chance
you can even catch them preparing it right in front of you.
This week's Life on the Veg covers the sweetened soy milk, mushroom and onion tofu steaks and the newly introduced fried fish fillet.
More details on the what, how and how much after the jump!
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Vietnamese soy milk is completely different than anything you
find on the shelves of Mother's Market or Whole Foods. Meant to be a
standalone beverage rather than a milk-substitute, it comes either
sweetened or unsweetened and without added flavors. This allows
you to enjoy the natural flavor of the soy without being distracted by
thoughts of how much it doesn't taste like real milk. It's
naturally rich and creamy without being overwhelmingly so and has a
thinner consistency that doesn't weigh you down after the first half
glass. $2 gets you a half gallon of piping hot liquid gold!
Perfectly seasoned with visible shreds of black trumpet mushroom and onions mixed right in, these tofu steaks
are pre-fried and always served fresh. Ringing in at $1.50 a slab,
the steaks are light, springy (without being chewy) and don't come
saturated with oil. They hold their own without the need for soy sauce and
make the perfect protein accompaniment to any meal. The lemongrass
variation is also mind-blowingly delicious.
Each fillet comes with six sections conveniently packaged on a Styrofoam to-go
platter. The consistency is tender and yielding when you bite into it
and has a delicate flavor that is truly reminiscent of the real deal.
The ingenious thing about this dish is that a thin layer of nori (seaweed
paper) is used to recreate the effect fish skin. This adds aesthetic
value while simultaneously giving its flavor subtle hints of the ocean.
Soy protein is layered over the nori which crisps and browns beautifully when flash fried.
At $4.50 a package, the price of the fillet is a little steeper compared to the rest of the products at Dong Phuong,
but the extra effort is certainly worth the price!
15022 Moran Street
Westminster, CA 92683
714-894-7002
