Tofu or Bean Curd

General Information

Origin and Etymology: Doufu – originally from China, it has been used in Mongol cooking since the second century BC.

Tofu, a basic ingredient in Asian cooking (particularly Japanese) is made from soy beans that have been soaked, puréed, boiled and strained. The liquid is mixed with a coagulant and then set aside to gel. Rich in protein, it has no particular flavour, but takes on the taste of the foods and sauce with which it is cooked.

History
Mongol “doufu” was introduced to Japan in the 8th century by Buddhist priests and quickly became a staple of the vegetarian diet.

Marriages of hearts and minds
Tofu  pairs wonderfully with chives, soy sauce and broths. It goes well with mild spices and salty ingredients.

Use

Japan
served cold in sweet-sour sauces to accompany vegetarian salads
diced with noodles
chopped and cooked like scrambled eggs with mushrooms and herbs
used to garnish miso soup and other clear broths
in sukiyaki and shabu-shabu
fried as little cakes or balls, etc.

China
firmer than Japanese tofu, it is found in numerous steamed dishes
accompanies fish cut into strips
pressed with turmeric, green tea or red pepper and fried
fermented and seasoned with pepper, it is served with sticky rice

Other Asian countries
it is served seasoned with dried shrimps, mint, etc.
served plain, steamed or fried