Bean Curd, Seasoned

These processed cakes of bean curd are available domestically made or imported from China, mainly from Hangzhou. They begin as small, fresh cakes that are cooked in water flavored with soy sauce and five-spice powder, and often also with tea, until they turn brown. They are then pressed firmly to remove all moisture, dried, and packed 4 to 6 cakes to an 8-ounce package, which is variously labeled “soybean cake, ” “flavored tofu, ” “dried tofu, ” or “spiced thick dry tofu.” The cakes have a faint but distinct taste of anise from the seasoning in the five-spice powder. An unflavored white pressed bean curd is also available. Once plentiful and now rare are pressed cakes flavored with chiles. They have a brown exterior and a creamy white center and are quite spicy. Once you have opened a package of seasoned bean curd, store the unused cakes in a sealed plastic bag in the refrigerator. They will keep for up to 2 weeks.