Tofu; Firm Tofu; Pressed Tofu

Tofu is called tohu in Burmese, or peipya. It is made of soybeans that are cooked, ground, pressed, and treated with a coagulant so that the pressed liquid gels. Tofu can be silky soft, with a fragile breakable custard texture. Silken tofu is not called for in this book; in Southeast Asia it is most often eaten as a sweet snack, bathed in a ginger-flavored syrup. Regular tofu is fairly firm; it can be sliced, but it does not stand up well to much stirring. A firmer version of regular tofu is now sold widely in North America, in vacuum-packed plastic bags that hold water and the tofu. Firm tofu and pressed tofu are both firm like a young cheddar, and can be sliced and stirred without breaking. You can firm up tofu by pressing it: lay it in a shallow bowl and place a cloth on top and then a bread board or other weight. The pressure will push water out of the tofu, causing it to shrink and to firm up. Drain off the water. It takes several hours for the tofu to get very firm.