Let's Look at Tofu

Tofu still seems to be quite an enigma in Western kitchens! It comes in such a lot of varieties and people know that it’s “good for you”, but what do you do with it? I remember back in my hippie days making my own (terrible!) tofu and feeling that anything I mushed it up into must be doing me good – I felt pretty self-satisfied but secretly always thought it looked and tasted dreadful! Well, it didn’t taste like much at all and that was the main problem.

Then I went to live in Japan where tofu, which is very high in protein, has always been an essential part of Japanese temple cuisine. There was an old-fashioned tofu shop nearby to where I lived in the shadow of Mt Fuji where tofu had been made for generations by the same family. It was here that I began my love affair with tofu! The old couple who ran the store, which was also their home, said that the best-tasting tofu was made in places where the water was pure and sweet: tofu is kept in running water so in olden times the tofu shop was always beside a natural spring.

Unfortunately, it is practically impossible to find really good fresh tofu here in Australia and if anyone knows of a place where high-grade fresh tofu is made in Australia I would love to hear about it. But this doesn’t mean we need to ignore this wonderful source of protein. We can get tofu at the supermarket, even if it is prepackaged; and most Asian food stores supply fresh tofu of the “cotton” variety.

Tofu in Australia, as a plain white block, is available as “soft” or “silk” and “firm” or “cotton” – the fabric names merely indicate the texture of the tofu. The texture is determined by how much “nigari” is added to the soy milk to make the final product. Nigiri is a byproduct of sea salt manufacture: a coagulant that has properties similar to gelatin. In Japan too these two forms are the basis of most tofu recipes, with the soft tofu being associated more with summer, and the firmer tofu being associated with winter.

Although soft tofu is generally eaten in summer, I’d like to introduce you to plain tofu by giving you a recipe for a deliciously light and simple dish that uses plain tofu as the main feature.

Hiyayakko Tofu

You’ll need:

1 block of soft (or silk) tofu, preferably organic and definitely NON-GM soybeans (check the label carefully!)

Nub of fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated

Spring onions, chopped

Soy sauce

(1 block makes two serves)

Peel back the plastic wrapper on top of the carton and rinse the tofu with running water. Gently slide around the edge of the carton with a knife, to loosen the tofu so it doesn’t get stuck and break. Remove the tofu by placing your hand over the top of the caron, turn the carton up-side-down and allow the tofu to slip onto your hand. Rinse again. Then gently slide it onto a cutting board. You need to be particularly careful in handling soft tofu because it breaks easily.

Cut the block in half and carefully slide it into the bowl you are going to serve it in. Place a pinch of grated ginger on each piece of tofu, followed by a sprinkle of spring onions. When placed on the table, drizzle a little soy sauce over the top and voila!

Variations:

Chopped cucumber

Sesame seeds

Karashi (hot mustard – use sparingly!)

Roasted sesame oil

ENJOY!