Tofu

The great virtue of tofu is that it can be transformed into an almost limitless variety of dishes. In the same sitting, you can have it as part of a delicious creamy dressing on a salad, then go on to serve it roasted, braised, or sautéed for the main course, and finally end with it incorporated into a rich, satisfying dessert. Tofu has been called the cheese of Asia and in fact it’s made somewhat like cheese. Soaked soybeans are ground, added to water, and boiled. They are then strained to remove the skins and fiber; what’s left is soymilk, which is coagulated with a natural mineral coagulant like calcium sulfate. Very quickly curds form, which are removed from the liquid whey and pressed. The basic differences between various types of tofu are the size of the curd and the length of the pressing time.