Bean Curd

Made of soybean powder, fresh bean curd comes in square cakes measuring 2½ or 3 inches to a side. They are white and have the consistency of a firm custard. If you submerge them in water, and frequently change it, they will keep for about a week in the refrigerator.

Of all the vegetarian products, bean curd is the most versatile and important in the Chinese cuisine. Bland but absorbent, soft-textured but strong, it is conducive to all types of cooking. It can be scalded, boiled, simmered, steamed, stir-fried, shallow-fried, and deep-fried with beautiful results. Adding substance without intruding much taste, it combines well with everything. Highly nutritious and very inexpensive, bean curd represents such a good buy that the slang expression in eastern Chinese dialects for taking advantage of a person is “eating bean curd.”