The addition of the word ‘style’ to every type of cuisine featured in this book is quite deliberate, and I make no pretence that the recipes are necessarily authentic. They were adapted by me using ingredients which were obtainable and which I liked.
All the recipes in this book are intended to serve four people for lunch or dinner (with perhaps a sweet to follow). However, this can only be a general guideline as appetites vary so much, and if you serve soup or side dishes then the recipes might feed more.
Many cookery books state that you must not mix Imperial and metric measurements since they are not exactly the same and could unbalance a recipe. However, the recipes in this book are sufficiently robust to allow you to be flexible and mix Imperial, metric and American measurements as you please.
As the recipes show, I tend to use canned beans rather than cooking them myself. Obviously using dried beans is very much cheaper, and canned beans have to be rinsed very thoroughly to get rid of the excess salt (and often sugar as well), but since I work full time and am busy at weekends as well, I find the convenience of using canned beans outweighs the other factors. If you prefer to use dried beans, as a rough guide 4–5 oz (115–140g) dried beans is equivalent to a 14–16 oz (400g) tin of beans.
Finally, a word about one ingredient likely to be unfamiliar to American readers and another unfamiliar to many British readers: yeast extract and nutritional yeast. Yeast extract is a thick, salty paste with a vaguely ‘meaty’ flavour; in the USA it is most likely to be found in health-food stores under its Australian brand name of Vegemite. Nutritional yeast comes in powder or flake form and has a vaguely ‘cheesy’ taste. Americans could order it from The Good-Tasting Food Co., PO Box 188, Summertown, TN 38483. Britons will find it in health-food stores as Marigold Engevita nutritional yeast flakes.
The method below does not necessarily make the smoothest tofu, nor the greatest quantity. It does, however, make a delicious firm tofu, and it is so much quicker and easier than any other method I have read about that I can’t imagine making it any other way.
There are various coagulants which can be used to curdle the soya (soy) milk, the commonest being lemon juice, Epsom salts, and a seawater product called nigari. All of these are suitable, but the most strongly recommended is nigari, for three reasons: (1) it makes the firmest tofu, (2) it makes the best-tasting tofu, and (3) it is virtually foolproof. Nigari has become readily available at wholefood shops, but anyone unable to get hold of it in Britain can order it by post from Real Foods, 37 Broughton Street, Edinburgh EH1 3JU.
In order to make tofu the following are required:
a large saucepan (holding at least 6 pints [3½ litres, 15 cups])
a liquidizer
a colander
a small box (about 6in × 4in [15cm × 10cm]) with small holes punched in the
bottom and sides (the holes can be punched into an ordinary plastic sandwich
box, and the sides cut off the lid so it fits in on top)
a large piece of muslin (about 2 ft [0.75m])
a small piece of muslin to fit inside the box
If you are making tofu to be mashed or puréed rather than sliced or cubed, you can omit the box and just use a colander lined with muslin.
1 The night before, cover ½ lb (225g, 1 cup) soya (soy) beans with boiling water and leave them to soak. In the morning drain and rinse. Place a cupful of the soaked beans in a liquidizer, add a cupful of cold water and blend. Then add about 2 cupfuls of boiling water to the liquidizer and blend again. If your liquidizer is not large enough then a smaller quantity can be done each time as long as the proportions are kept more or less the same – it is not necessary to measure with any great precision when making tofu.
2 Place the large piece of muslin over the saucepan and carefully pour the contents of the liquidizer into it. Pull up the sides to make it into a sack so that the soya (soy) milk runs through, and squeeze gently to get all of the liquid into the saucepan. (The pulp left in the muslin is called okara and can be used in savouries; it is high in protein but, unlike tofu, is not very easy to digest.)
3 Once all of the beans have been used up put the saucepan on to a medium to high heat and bring to the boil, stirring the bottom from time to time. Keep a careful eye on it because it can boil over very suddenly and dramatically. As soon as it reaches boiling point, turn the heat down very low so it is still simmering but no longer threatening to erupt. Leave it to simmer for about 3 minutes.
4 Meanwhile, put 1 heaped tsp nigari or other coagulant into a teacup. Fill it half full of boiling water and stir well. Remove the soya (soy) milk from the heat, then gently stir in the dissolved coagulant, trying to make certain it has been stirred through all of the liquid. Leave for about 3 minutes, by which time curds should have formed.
5 Place the muslin-lined box (if used) in the colander, then gradually pour the contents of the saucepan into it, so that the whey runs through and the curds settle in the box. Then put the colander over the empty saucepan to continue to drain, and place a heavy object (about 2 lb [900g]) on top. Leave for an hour or so before unmoulding. Half a pound (225g, 1 cup) soya (soy) beans will make about ¾ lb (340g, 1½ cups) tofu (though it can vary by 2 oz [55g, ¼ cup] either way).
If the tofu is not to be used immediately it should be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container of water, where it will keep for about a week. (Most instructions tell you to change the water every day, but if the container is left undisturbed then this really is not necessary.)
If the tofu has been stored and is to be sautéed or deep-fried rather than mashed or puréed it is best to drain it thoroughly first and then wrap it in a tea towel (dish towel) for a short while to get rid of surplus water. Deep-fried tofu will keep for several days longer in the fridge; store the cubes dry, in a polythene bag.
SOYA (SOY) FLOUR TOFU
Whisk 1 part soya (soy) flour into 3 parts boiling water. Simmer for 15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add approximately 1 tsp coagulant per 2 pints (1.1 l, 5 cups) liquid and proceed as above. Do not expect the result to be the same as when using beans. The curd will be much smaller, and no matter how long you press it, soya (soy) flour tofu never becomes firm enough to sauté or deep-fry. It can, however, be used in recipes requiring mashed or puréed tofu.
Cream of lentil soup
No additional fat is used for this soup, making it ideal for slimmers and others watching their fat intake. The combination of tofu and lentils makes it a high-protein dish.
| IMPERIAL/METRIC | AMERICAN | |
| 1 | onion | 1 |
| 4 oz (115g) | red lentils | ¾ cup |
| 2½ pints (1.4l) | water | 6⅓ cups |
| 2 | bay leaves | 2 |
| 2–3 tsp | yeast extract | 2–3 tsp |
| 8–10 oz | soft or medium tofu | 1–1¼ cups |
| (225–285g) | ||
| as required | sea salt | as required |
| as required | freshly ground
|