The Tofu Cookbook: Over 150 quick and easy recipes. Leah Leneman
Then slide a knife round the sides, fill the container with water, cover again and refrigerate until needed. In texture it will be similar to Chinese tofu (though unlike Chinese tofu it is not very satisfactory for deep-frying), but the taste is totally different, being quite sweet. Because of its taste and texture I have found converted Japanese tofu ideal for recipes – both savoury and sweet – which would normally call for a milk custard. One packet prepared in this way will yield approximately ¾ lb (340g, 1½ cups) tofu.
FIRM TOFU
This is the kind found vacuum-packed in shops throughout Britain. If it is the only kind available and is used in a recipe calling for soft or medium tofu to be puréed, then extra liquid should be added to make it as smooth as possible.
More Unusual Forms of Tofu
SMOKED TOFU
An enterprising individual in Britain discovered that smoking tofu gave it a new texture and delicious taste, and it has proved very popular indeed. It can be used ‘raw’ straight from the packet, sliced in sandwiches or diced in salads. Thinly sliced and grilled (broiled) or fried it becomes crispy.
MARINATED TOFU
One of the most popular ways of preparing tofu is to marinate it in a mixture of soy sauce and ginger, so someone decided to package tofu prepared in this way; this product too has become very popular in Britain, though I do not think it can be found in America. Its most obvious use is in a Chinese stir-fry, but I have found that after freezing it is delicious deep-fried.
FERMENTED TOFU
This can be found in jars and tins at Chinese supermarkets. Fermented tofu is said to be a little like Camembert cheese, but the salt concentration is much too high for it to be palatable on its own. It does, however, add a pleasant, distinctive flavour to a tofu dip. Put a packet of Morinaga silken tofu into a liquidizer with 2 tbs vegetable oil, 2–3 cubes fermented tofu, and 2 tsp lemon juice, and blend ingredients thoroughly.
FROZEN TOFU
Ordinary tofu can be frozen; when thawed it will have a ‘meatier’ consistency than when fresh. It is a good idea to slice the tofu before freezing it. It can be thawed by simply putting it in the refrigerator or leaving it out for a few hours, but the preferred way is to pour boiling water over it and leave for about 10 minutes. Drain the slices and then – very gently to avoid breaking them – squeeze them. This is an essential step as otherwise they will make a dish watery. Dried-frozen tofu, which is very convenient as it can be kept in the larder for emergency use at any time, is available at some wholefood shops.
DEEP-FRIED TOFU
Some Chinese shops sell tofu that has already been deep-fried, though this tends to be sold in rather large quantities. If done properly – i.e. at the right temperature deep-frying is not at all unhealthy, as very little oil is absorbed by the tofu. To deepfry tofu, either invest in a cooking thermometer and heat the oil to 350°F (180°C) before lowering the tofu cubes into the oil or, better still, use a deep-fat fryer, which automatically regulates the temperature.
SOYA (SOY) MILK
It is now very easy to buy this milk in Britain and the USA. In Britain there are cartons sweetened with raw sugar, with honey or with apple juice, and cartons of unsweetened milk, some made from organic soya (soy) beans. Plamil, the pioneers of British soya milk, fortify theirs with vitamin B12. America gets really tasty soymilks from Japan. There are also cartons flavoured with carob, chocolate, banana, strawberry and coconut. Thanks to the wide variety of soya (soy) milks available, if you try one kind and don’t like it there are plenty of others to choose from until you find one you like.
SOYA (SOY) YOGURT
It is now quite easy to obtain flavoured soya (soy) yogurts in Britain (though not in the USA). They are very tasty, but do remember that many of them are long-life and therefore do not have the beneficial effects on the digestive system that a ‘live’ yogurt has. At the time of writing there is one plain (natural) soya (soy) yogurt (imported into Britain from France under the Soyasun brand name).
Whatever one thinks of the health claims for yogurt, there is no denying that it is marvellous for the digestion and is particularly valuable in a high-fibre diet as it aids the digestion of such foods. The name of the commonest form of yogurt culture, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, may mislead some people into thinking there is a dairy derivative in it, but such is not the case. It is, however, necessary to check carefully the ingredients of the ferment you buy as some do have dairy derivatives added to them.
It is very easy to make soya (soy) yogurt at home, and a wide-rimmed vacuum flask is as effective as a yogurt-maker for the purpose. It can be made from any of the soya (soy) milks on the market, even the unsweetened ones. Just heat the milk to a lukewarm temperature (if it is too hot then cool it down to lukewarm) and follow the instructions on the packet of ferment. The first batch or two of soya (soy) yogurt is never very flavourful, but if you keep using a spoonful of soya (soy) yogurt to make the next batch, it gets better and better, and it will keep going for many months before a new packet of ferment is required. You can freeze a little yogurt when it is at its best or if you are going away on holiday and then defrost it and use it as a starter for a new batch when required.
SOYA (SOY) MAYONNAISE
Mayonnaise-type dressings made from tofu are now readily available in health-food stores. Tofu mayonnaise is easy to prepare; for an example see the recipe for Potato salad
BEAN CURD STICKS OR SHEETS
These can be found in Chinese supermarkets and are used in Chinese cooking to produce delicacies such as ‘mock duck’. In spite of their name they are not actually tofu at all; they are made from the skin which is skimmed off in the making of soya (soy) milk.
TEMPEH
Pronounced ‘tempay’ (with the accent on the first syllable), this food originated in Indonesia. Soya (soy) beans are bound together by spores which cause them to ferment and join into a solid mass. Tempeh is high in protein, low in fat, and cholesterol free. Unlike tofu, it has a high fibre content, and because of the fermentation process the fibre is easily digested. Tempeh is found in frozen-food compartments of some wholefood shops.
SOY SAUCE
The purest forms of this well-known Chinese seasoning are shoyu and tamari (the only difference is that tamari has wheat added). Soy sauces available at supermarkets are often inferior products with additives, so unless buying a product labelled shoyu or tamari check the ingredients carefully.
MISO
Miso is a high-protein fermented soya (soy) food used as a flavouring. It is a concentrated paste so, although it is expensive to buy, very little is needed for any one dish and therefore it represents good value for money. Ideally miso should be added to dishes at the last possible moment, or eaten uncooked, because boiling destroys the valuable digestion-aiding enzymes. After opening, miso should be kept refrigerated and airtight and will then last for months (if not years). There are several different types of miso available, the differences being in saltiness and flavour; any one of them can be used in a recipe calling for miso.
SOYA (SOY) CHEESE
As the biggest stumbling block for most people in giving up dairy products is cheese, it is not surprising that much effort is going into developing soya (soy)-based cheeses. Most of the American so-called soy cheeses contain casein, a dairy derivative, though there is one brand, Soymage, which does not. At the time of writing, a British firm is manufacturing an ever-increasing range of soya-based hard cheeses under the brand name Scheese. All of these products can be used in any dish calling for hard cheese, though none is particularly palatable uncooked. Plamil was the first company in Britain to produce a soft soya-based cheese, called Veeze, which is a sandwich spread rather like processed cheese but which can also