“Can you pass the tofu press?”
Tofu press? Isn’t this a class?
Yes, it is. But this is a class taught by Minh Tsai.
Growing up in Vietnam eating tofu with his grandfather inspired Minh to create Hodo Foods, whose plant-based, organic tofu are now found everywhere from Chipotle to Erewhon to Michelin-starred restaurants.
Minh has brought his love for entrepreneurship and food science to SCET, teaching about protein, nutrition, and markets. At his ENGIN 183C Challenge Lab course on plant-based food product development, Minh walks his students through the very tofu-making process he teaches to renowned Michelin-star chefs. Tofu is one of the oldest “traditional” proteins, and this session brings together their previous lessons on protein and coagulation.
Roll up your sleeves. Here’s two hours inside ENGIN 183C: Inventing Healthy Food in the Ozempic Era.
To prepare, Minh begins explaining the history of tofu—an accidental discovery. The students learn about the proteins, amino acids, coagulants, and fermentation.
The students then watch a few short videos of Minh teaching chefs how to make tofu. Watching alongside the class, he explains, “All of these guys have become really famous chefs. These chefs turn tofu into something I would have never dreamed of.”
Minh then turns to face the students.
“My job, as a tofu maker, just as it is in this class, is to put an ingredient in your hand, and inspire you to come up with whatever you come up with.”
He claps. “Let’s begin.”
Student to Tofu Maker
For the students, seeing a beloved everyday food being made was an exciting experience.
Sarah Phung explains, “This is such an exciting new concept for a class. It’s a mix of interactive cooking, startup businesses, and also how to become more conscious about your health. This is the only class where I feel like I can also take what I learn into my own hands.”
“I’ve never made tofu before. But I do love to eat it!”
Chloe Choi shares “I grew up eating a lot of tofu because I’m half Korean, half Taiwanese.”
“I think that this class is really exciting, because I feel like there aren’t a lot of classes that support my interest in doing food product development after graduation. A lot of the things that we learn about in this class are very hands-on and practical, and I feel like they’re helping me work towards my goals. And Minh is a very engaging professor and is very humble. If he’s not extremely knowledgeable in a certain area, he’s very honest about that and opens the class to a lot of discussions.”
Patricia Moon remarks, “I thought it was really cool! I feel like most of the time, in any sort of class, it’s very conceptual. So when Minh told us we’ll make tofu, it was very surprising. It was cool to do it with him.”
Since tofu is a large part of Korean culture, Patricia grew up drinking soymilk. However, “to actually hand press it and see how it coagulates in real time was a first time for me.”
“The reason I stayed in this class was because I actually really liked the open discussion. It’s a very conversation-based class. Minh is very hands-on. That made me want to stay. He’s also a professional. I think that is really, really cool.”
Patricia reflects on how starting a business seemed simple, but the class showed her what it means to actually build one. “Minh is very much involved within science, and outside of it. I think it changed my perspective of what it means to start your own business.”
When asked about her favorite part of the class, Patricia answers immediately. “Minh’s energy. He’s very hyped up. He always gives 120% every single time. He’s always ready to discuss. He somehow always has energy, which is pretty respectable.”
Tofu Maker to Lecturer
When asked why he included tofu-making in the course schedule, Minh explains that since the class is about traditional proteins, he wanted to give the students as many opportunities to learn about the various types of protein. Tofu was the perfect protein to start with since it’s one of the oldest traditional proteins. “The more they know about tofu, the better they understand other forms of protein.”
“What I just taught the students is essentially what I teach to a lot of chefs, except the difference is when I teach a chef, I apply more of the culinary concepts. Whereas here, I want to apply more of the protein and scientific concepts.”
However, it’s not just the science Minh wants the students to take away. “I actually want them to take this as a platform or a seat, and then really be more creative than anything that we’ve taught them. I’m teaching them the foundation. Think of it as if I’m planting the seed, and I’m expecting flowers and fruit. That’s essentially what I’m hoping for.”
As a successful startup founder, why does Minh teach?
To Minh, it’s simple. “I want them to know what I know, and use it to make something I don’t know. I want them to use what I teach them to make something better, something more interesting. That’s my goal.”
Minh’s philosophy is easily seen through the way the class is taught. Whether it’s a business, science, or tofu-making lesson, Minh views his role in the same way: he can teach students how to turn soy milk into tofu, but it’s up to the students to figure out how they want to season it, plate it, package it, sell it, or innovate it. Through ENGIN 183C, Minh gives his students the chef’s hat to design the plate of their own life.
Minh teaches the science. The students turn it into art.
“I’m going to teach you everything you need to know. Your job is to take these ingredients and turn them into something that will blow people’s minds.”
“Can you pass the tofu press?”
Tofu press? Isn’t this a class?
Yes, it is. But this is a class taught by Minh Tsai.
Growing up in Vietnam eating tofu with his grandfather inspired Minh to create Hodo Foods, whose plant-based, organic tofu are now found everywhere from Chipotle to Erewhon to Michelin-starred restaurants.
Minh has brought his love for entrepreneurship and food science to SCET, teaching about protein, nutrition, and markets. At his ENGIN 183C Challenge Lab course on plant-based food product development, Minh walks his students through the very tofu-making process he teaches to renowned Michelin-star chefs. Tofu is one of the oldest “traditional” proteins, and this session brings together their previous lessons on protein and coagulation.
Roll up your sleeves. Here’s two hours inside ENGIN 183C: Inventing Healthy Food in the Ozempic Era.
To prepare, Minh begins explaining the history of tofu—an accidental discovery. The students learn about the proteins, amino acids, coagulants, and fermentation.
The students then watch a few short videos of Minh teaching chefs how to make tofu. Watching alongside the class, he explains, “All of these guys have become really famous chefs. These chefs turn tofu into something I would have never dreamed of.”
Minh then turns to face the students.
“My job, as a tofu maker, just as it is in this class, is to put an ingredient in your hand, and inspire you to come up with whatever you come up with.”
He claps. “Let’s begin.”
Student to Tofu Maker
For the students, seeing a beloved everyday food being made was an exciting experience.
Sarah Phung explains, “This is such an exciting new concept for a class. It’s a mix of interactive cooking, startup businesses, and also how to become more conscious about your health. This is the only class where I feel like I can also take what I learn into my own hands.”
“I’ve never made tofu before. But I do love to eat it!”
Chloe Choi shares “I grew up eating a lot of tofu because I’m half Korean, half Taiwanese.”
“I think that this class is really exciting, because I feel like there aren’t a lot of classes that support my interest in doing food product development after graduation. A lot of the things that we learn about in this class are very hands-on and practical, and I feel like they’re helping me work towards my goals. And Minh is a very engaging professor and is very humble. If he’s not extremely knowledgeable in a certain area, he’s very honest about that and opens the class to a lot of discussions.”
Patricia Moon remarks, “I thought it was really cool! I feel like most of the time, in any sort of class, it’s very conceptual. So when Minh told us we’ll make tofu, it was very surprising. It was cool to do it with him.”
Since tofu is a large part of Korean culture, Patricia grew up drinking soymilk. However, “to actually hand press it and see how it coagulates in real time was a first time for me.”
“The reason I stayed in this class was because I actually really liked the open discussion. It’s a very conversation-based class. Minh is very hands-on. That made me want to stay. He’s also a professional. I think that is really, really cool.”
Patricia reflects on how starting a business seemed simple, but the class showed her what it means to actually build one. “Minh is very much involved within science, and outside of it. I think it changed my perspective of what it means to start your own business.”
When asked about her favorite part of the class, Patricia answers immediately. “Minh’s energy. He’s very hyped up. He always gives 120% every single time. He’s always ready to discuss. He somehow always has energy, which is pretty respectable.”
Tofu Maker to Lecturer
When asked why he included tofu-making in the course schedule, Minh explains that since the class is about traditional proteins, he wanted to give the students as many opportunities to learn about the various types of protein. Tofu was the perfect protein to start with since it’s one of the oldest traditional proteins. “The more they know about tofu, the better they understand other forms of protein.”
“What I just taught the students is essentially what I teach to a lot of chefs, except the difference is when I teach a chef, I apply more of the culinary concepts. Whereas here, I want to apply more of the protein and scientific concepts.”
However, it’s not just the science Minh wants the students to take away. “I actually want them to take this as a platform or a seat, and then really be more creative than anything that we’ve taught them. I’m teaching them the foundation. Think of it as if I’m planting the seed, and I’m expecting flowers and fruit. That’s essentially what I’m hoping for.”
As a successful startup founder, why does Minh teach?
To Minh, it’s simple. “I want them to know what I know, and use it to make something I don’t know. I want them to use what I teach them to make something better, something more interesting. That’s my goal.”
Minh’s philosophy is easily seen through the way the class is taught. Whether it’s a business, science, or tofu-making lesson, Minh views his role in the same way: he can teach students how to turn soy milk into tofu, but it’s up to the students to figure out how they want to season it, plate it, package it, sell it, or innovate it. Through ENGIN 183C, Minh gives his students the chef’s hat to design the plate of their own life.
Minh teaches the science. The students turn it into art.
“I’m going to teach you everything you need to know. Your job is to take these ingredients and turn them into something that will blow people’s minds.”