Yong Tau Foo: No regrets

Among the many delicious but unhealthy local food, there is one which is truly considered nutritious but it is still up to the individual to create it. Yes, I am referring to Hakka yong tau foo. There are other variations like Teochew but well, you get the picture.

Although it is not as common as char kway teow or chicken rice, you can easily find a stall selling this dish at most food courts. To me, there isn't a scrumptious yong tau foo, normal yong tau foo or unsavoury yong tau foo. There is only healthy yong tau foo and how healthy one can make it to be.

Yong tau foo is the one and only dish which people can actually "build from scratch". You get to choose what vegetables you want to eat, whether to pick tofu or tau pok and even decide on the staple to go with your selection of food items.

During lunchtime on any weekday, you will see hordes of office ladies (the vainness in them giving orders to lose weight) ordering without any staple food. Occasionally, the elderly uncle who favours light palates or the slightly plumped male that is feeling guilty would make an order.

In recent years, variations like curry and laksa have appeared. If your objective of having yong tau foo is to stay healthy, then just stick to soup. Skip the dry version as well since it contains sauces which result in unexpectedly more calories.

Pick more greens when choosing your food items. If the stall you are patronizing happens to have tomatoes, do include one in your bowl to up the vitamin level. Try to refrain from selecting fried stuff like ngor hiang or fried wanton to reduce the amount of fat you consume.

Nowadays, I have been eating yong tau foo as one of my meals. The more I eat it, the better I learn how to make healthier choices with it. A typical bowl of yong tau foo for me would be bee hoon with xiao bai cai, tomato, brinjal, tofu stuffed with fish paste, lady's finger and a hard-boiled egg.

Sounds boring? Well, I can only say that the more I look at and eat this combination, the more I get used to it and my brain has already processed it into a habit. Do opt for bee hoon instead of noodles as the latter contains more calories and fat.

So, why not pick yong tau foo and make it a regular feature in your meals to stay healthy?