The Tofu Cookbook
Leah Leneman
Contents
3 British- and American-style Dishes
7 Chinese-and other Far Eastern-style Dishes
Tofu – also known as soya (soy) bean curd – has been a staple food of the Orient for centuries. In recent years it has been growing in popularity in the West to a phenomenal extent. There are several reasons for this.
The first is its nutritional advantages. The modern Western diet, which is high in saturated animal fats and cholesterol, is strongly implicated in obesity and heart disease so many people are seeking alternatives. Tofu is high in protein yet low in calories and free of cholesterol. Puréed, it can provide a rich, creamy-tasting substitute for mayonnaise, soured cream, whipped cream and other dairy products, with a fraction of the calories. Mashed, it can be used in place of eggs with none of the cholesterol content. And, deep-fried or sautéed, it can provide the same service for dishes normally containing meat, fish or chicken.
Anyone tasting plain tofu for the first time is surprised at how bland it is, but it is this blandness which is one of its greatest assets since it can absorb any kind of flavouring. And, unlike soya (soy) beans themselves, tofu is very easy to digest, and can be eaten even by young children or the elderly with no harmful consequences. It is also low in cost.
Another reason more and more people are trying tofu is compassion. The public is gradually becoming aware of the full horrors of factory farming, and slowly realizing that even a lacto-vegetarian diet, which avoids slaughterhouse products, does not go far enough. The enforced continued lactation of cows, the separation of calf from cow (the former often going to the veal pen, the latter to produce milk for human consumption), and the battery cage are all part of the system. Cutting down on, or giving up, dairy produce is made much easier with the use of soya (soy) milk and tofu, and all the recipes in this book are dairy-free.
Not only animals, but human beings all over the globe would benefit from the change, for at present a large proportion of the world’s soya (soy) bean crop is fed to animals, an extremely inefficient use of global resources. Indeed, if the protein available from the soya (soy) bean crop grown today – let alone the additional amount which could be grown if more land were released from grazing livestock – were utilized directly by human beings, a large percentage of the world’s protein deficiency could be wiped out tomorrow. It should be emphasized that, unlike TVP-type meat substitutes, which require a fairly sophisticated technology, tofu is simple enough to be made in any home.
Of course, tofu sales would not be growing by such leaps and bounds were altruism the sole motive. People may care about their health, about animals, or about the world food problem, but few of them would care enough to go on buying ever-increasing amounts of tofu unless they actually liked it. Tofu is fun – it can be used in more interesting and varied ways than any other single food. The cook who is tired of tofu must be tired of life.
There are basically three types of tofu: silken tofu is very soft; medium tofu is firmer (you could lift it but would need to be careful as it is still delicate and a piece could break off); firm tofu can be held up as a block without breaking. In the USA any health-food store or supermarket that stocks tofu will normally offer all three types; this is not yet the case in Britain.
SOFT OR ‘SILKEN’ TOFU
Silken tofu is a Japanese product made in a different way from other types of tofu (the curds and whey are not separated). In Britain the only available form of this is a long-life product made by Morinaga. It is useful because it keeps for months (without refrigeration), and it is a pure, high-quality product, but it has a more distinctive flavour than most tofu, which may not please all palates. At delicatessens and Oriental shops it is sometimes possible to find boxes of do-it-yourself ‘House’ tofu, containing soya (soy) milk powder and a coagulant. This makes a large quantity of very soft tofu (but see below).
MEDIUM TOFU
If you make your own tofu using Epsom salts or lemon juice then you are likely to produce medium tofu (particularly if you do not press it for too long). If you buy fresh tofu at a wholefood shop it may also be medium tofu. However, most commercially produced tofu in Britain is vacuum-packed and firm rather than medium. Medium tofu is therefore the least readily available in the UK, though it is easily found in the USA. There is now a Morinaga ‘firm’ silken tofu available in some health-food stores which is actually medium in texture. Medium tofu is found in Chinese supermarkets in many large towns and cities in Britain. However, Chinese tofu has a strong flavour which makes it unsuitable for many recipes, particularly desserts, though naturally it is fine for Oriental dishes. Another way of getting medium tofu is to follow the instructions on a packet of Japanese ‘House’ tofu but use only ⅔ pint (340ml, 1½ cups) water. Immediately after adding the coagulant and stirring the mixture, pour it into