Takoah Serpong | Archive
Back in 2018, I went to an industrial area in Tangerang to capture the traditional making process of local tofu. I named this photostory project ‘The Traditional Recipe of Takoah Serpong’.
In the middle of the bustle of the city and industrial area, stands a family-run tofu industry where almost all the making process traditionally uses hands and firewood. Located at Setu District, Tangerang City, this industry is well-known with the name of 'Takoah Serpong' (Serpong Tofu).
Encang (64) is one successor of this tofu industry which has been established since 1987.
‘Takoah’ is the name for Chinese tofu, which means
‘a food made from white soybean’. Takoah Serpong does not use chemical leavening agents that will deflate the tofu when being pressed to release the water inside. The boiling soybean dregs are mixed with the water from overnight-cooked takoah (similar to fermentation) while being filtered and stirred. As a result, the takoah will still contain solid even though it is pressed.
After being pressed and shaped, Takoah Serpong boiled in turmeric and salt water. This makes the tofu tasty even before it is processed in the kitchen.
Everyday, Encang together with her wife, workers, and other residents who are willing to help, make Takoah Serpong based on order with the price of 500 rupiah per piece of tofu. Even though bigger and more modern tofu factories have emerged, some traders and residents still choose Takoah Serpong because of its traditional recipe.