A Family Business in Miri : Tofu

Mr. Pui has been the master tofu maker of Miri for a long long time.

His stall is so popular that by 7 or 7.30 his tofu would be all sold. Most of the time, his customers try to be there before 7.

His special tofu is made from skinless soybeans. And this is very special indeed. He has been doing this since 1960.

Unknown to many, he started with  a wooden machine which he made himself. It is a simple machine operated by hand. He decided to visit China to see if he could make another machine which would be fitted to electricity.

Indeed he made good winnowing machine. From that day onwards, he and his wife would make tofu from 8 bags of soy beans to meet the demand of a growing Miri town.

This winnowing machine, he called his wind blower is completely from wood. It is a great engineering innovation — and an unbelieveable piece of handicraft even to many 21st century people.

The Puis have five sons and one daughter. Interestingly, many people attribute this to the couple eating a lot of bean curds and other bean products. The third generation of the family is also predominantly male.