About Tofu

What Exactly Is Tofu Anyway

Tofu is an Asian food made from soybeans. Although an involved process, author Andrea Nguyen, demonstrates it how it can be made in any home kitchen. It begins with soaking soybeans overnight, grinding up the beans, straining away the pulp then adding a coagulant to fresh boiled soy milk. The coagulant (nigari or lemon juice) causes the curd to separate from the whey. Then the curd is gently removed and put into a block formed mold where it is pressed into a desired firmness.

Two Main Types of Tofu

Regular tofu (Chinese-Style) This tofu is the most common. It comes in various textures with soft (containing more water) to extra firm (containing less water). Compared to silken tofu, regular tofu has a dense and grainy texture. I tend to only use the firm or extra firm which can be used interchangeably.

Silken (Japanese-Style) Silken tofu is soft with a delicate texture and somewhat gelatinous. Like regular tofu it’s also available in soft, medium, firm, and extra-firm. I tend to only use the extra-firm. In the plant-based community this tofu works well to make creamy salad dressings, sauces and puddings. Some silken tofu will have egg in them so check the ingredients.

Although silken tofu can be found in the refrigerator section along with regular tofu, Nori-Nu is a brand packaged in an aseptic box. This is a nice option as it is shelf stable and doesn’t require refrigeration until it’s opened.

Wrapping Tofu

Many recipes will instruct you to use tofu straight from the package. Nonetheless, I still prefer to remove as much moisture as possible from the tofu. This is easily done by wrapping:

  • Open the package and drain away the excess water.
  • Using a clean kitchen towel, wrap the brick of tofu, as firmly as possible and allow it to rest for a minimum of 30 minutes. I tend to double wrap it and leave it in the fridge overnight. If in a hurry cut the tofu into slabs or cubes before wrapping.

Freezing Tofu

Freezing tofu will significantly change the texture to be spongy and chewy. Unless the block of tofu is too large for you, just leave it in the package and put it directly into the freezer. When ready to use, defrost it by placing it in the fridge (about 24 hours) or submerge the package in water for a few hours. Once defrosted drain away and squeeze out the excess water. You will notice the tofu structure will look more sponge like and the tofu is no longer delicate and it won’t fall apart when squeezed. In most recipes frozen tofu can be used as fresh. Also frozen tofu will soak up more flavor from marinades and sauces. 

Marinating

Tofu can be very bland and marinates are a great way to infuse flavor from the inside out. Using either fresh or frozen tofu, with excess moisture removed the tofu will soak up more flavor from the marinade. For the best flavor, marinate tofu for at least 30 minutes and as long as overnight.

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