Creating Dishes with Novel Textures

Soybeans are especially versatile and have been embraced to make a whole range of different products, each with their particular taste and texture. A prime example is soy milk, used to make tofu via a process that resembles turning milk into fresh cheese. The proteins in the soy milk are made to coagulate by adding certain salts—for example, calcium sulfate or magnesium chloride. The resulting curds are then pressed together to form a solid. Depending on the conditions governing coagulation and the amount of excess water squeezed out, the texture of the tofu can range all the way from soft and silky to that of a hard cheese.