Bean Curd

“My mother would grind fresh soybeans very fine, then combine them with water to make a kind of soybean “milk.” When she added a certain chemical (probably gypsum) to this, it coagulated instantly. Then she hung the mixture to drain in a cloth bag for several days; at the end there was a mild, creamy bean curd with a texture as smooth as silk. We ate it several times a week. For breakfast we might have pickled bean curd, pungent and highly spiced, with plain boiled rice. When there were no guests for dinner, we would just have vegetables and a stir-fried bean curd dish. For formal dinners bean curd would be part of a cold plate or in a soup. Along with eggs it was our main source of protein.”