PDA

View Full Version : For Tofu Fans



John Connolly
5th May 2004, 18:50
A nice way to create meatier texture with tofu is freeze it. This works best with firm or extra firm tofu. After thawing, press out all the liquid, and marinate in your favorite marinade before frying.

Yum!

Anyone else have a favorite method/technique or dish for tofu?

Blackwood
5th May 2004, 19:26
Sweet and Sour Tofu.

Use your favorite Sweet and Sour recipe and batter up chunks of tofu.

Fabulous!
http://www.qiuqiudeqiu.com/resources/vanessa1.jpg

Earl Hartman
5th May 2004, 19:53
John, what you have described is a version of Koya-doufu, freeze-dried tofu, named, I believe, after the monastery on Mt. Koya. You can purchase it at any Japanese food store.

I have never tried to make it at home, but you're right, it is quite tasty.

You say that it works best with firm or extra firm tofu, but have you actually tried this with kinugoshi (soft) tofu? I can't imagine that it would work at all.

John Connolly
5th May 2004, 20:43
... but it does force alot of the extarneous moisture out.

I have tried it with soft and silken style tofu, and found the end result more crumbly than meaty.


Here's a favorite tofu recipe of mine, Chicken Fried Tofu:

Using a mixture of corn starch and seasoned vegetable stock, dip slices (about 1/2 thick) of firm, dry tofu. Then dredge in a mixture of bread crumbs, cornstarch, and seasoning. Fry until browned and finish off on a baking sheet in the oven.

What I like for the seasoning:
Salt
Pepper
Rosemary
Thyme
Oregano
Nutritional Yeast

Works great for portabellos too!

John Connolly
5th May 2004, 23:30
...whatever that might be.

Tri-ring
6th May 2004, 12:07
Konbanwa Connolly-san

Try placing some weight on the tofu for a hour or two.
The trick is to place the tofu on a slightly slant surface and displace the weight(150g or so) evenly on top of the tofu.
I think it will taste better with kinugoshi-type than momengoshi.

Yo can use it for miso soup and/or other chinese menus which need firm tofu.

Have fun!!

K.Miwa

John Connolly
6th May 2004, 18:50
Thank you Miwa-san!

Another recipe:

New England Chowder

1 large block of extra firm tofu (or more if desired), cut into small cubes
2 cans of lite coconut milk
2 Tbs olive oil
2 medium onions, finely diced
1 stalk of celery, finely diced
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 bag frozen corn
2 large potatoes, cut into small cubes
2-3 cups vegetable broth
1 Tbs Baco-bits
salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot--
Sweat the onions and celery in the olive oil over medium heat. Add the tofu, potatoes, garlic, Baco-bits, and the liquids(coconut milk and veg broth) and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook over medium-low heat until potatoes are soft. If you need it thicker, let simmer uncovered for a while, or for less thick add more veg broth. Add the frozen corn last and simmer for a final minute or 2. Season with fresh cracked pepper and salt to taste.

Voila! A comfort food treat!

Earl Hartman
6th May 2004, 20:42
I don't see how you could use a weight to press excess water out of kinugoshi as Miwa san explains above without completely squashing it.

Kinugoshi and momengoshi are made by different methods: for momengoshi the nigari is added to the soy milk and after the soy milk starts to coagulate, the curds are broken up to separate them from the whey, and the curds are pressed in a cloth-lined box to remove excess water and compress the curds into a mass. That is why it is called momengoshi, "strained through cotton".

With kinugoshi on the other hand, the curds and whey are not separated. The soymilk used to make kinugoshi is thicker than that used to make momengoshi, and the soymilk is allowed to solidify undisturbed. Thus, kinugoshi has never been strained at all (although kinugoshi means "strained through silk", it is really a misnomer, however poetic) and is more like a custard than anything else. It has a higher water content than momengoshi and is much more delicate. To remove excess water from kinugoshi you would have to crush it.

Perhaps Miwa san just got the terms backwards. If not, I would really like to hear how to press water out of kinugoshi without destroying it.

John Connolly
6th May 2004, 20:53
Maybe Miwa was referring to post-freezer method? Or perhaps left out the important step of wrapping the tofu in a cheesecloth?

Tri-ring
7th May 2004, 02:45
Konichiwa Hartman-san,

As a Japanese I understand the difference between a momengoshi and kinugoshi. I guess I was not clear on how you disperse weight on the tofu. You place a firm flat surface to disperse weight evenly on the tofu. It's like placing weight on thin sheet of ice, you may not be able walk on it but you may be able to lay on the ice since the weight is dispersed more evenly on a broader surface.
The trick is how much weight you place on top of the flat surface. I usually use a small bowel with water in it so I can adjust the weight more smoothly.
This way you will keep the creamyness but the tofu will become more firm since your squeezing out some water.
Hope it clarified things.

K.Miwa

Earl Hartman
7th May 2004, 02:57
OK. Thanks for clarifying.

I assumed, of course, that you knew the difference between different kinds of tofu; that's why I said I thought that maybe you had just been posting quickly and wrote kinugoshi where you meant momengoshi (what I wrote was mainly for the benefit of others who might not know the difference between how the the two types of tofu are made).

Are you talking about pressing kinugoshi after it has been frozen, or while it is still fresh? Since you talk about maintaining the creaminess I am guessing you are talking about pressing fresh kinugoshi.

I'll have to ask my wife about it; she presses momengoshi all the time but I've never seen her (or anyone else, for that matter) try it with kinugoshi.

How long do you press it?

Tri-ring
7th May 2004, 03:23
Konichiwa again Hartman-san

Yes definitely fresh.
Actually this is a trick I've learned from a chinese chef.
I was told that Japanese tofu are less firm than the chinese counterparts. So he pressed the tofu the way I wrote and was very please with the results. He cooks some mean Mabodofu (Tofu and minced meat Shisen style) and hot and sour soup.
I press about an hour or two depending on how firm I want the tofu to be.
Glad to be of help.

K.Miwa

Earl Hartman
7th May 2004, 04:02
Mmmmm....mabodoufu....

OK, I'll give it a try. Your chef is right about tofu; the Chinese tofu is much firmer. Also, I have been told that the Chinese do not make kinugoshi-style tofu. Maybe you can ask him next time.

My wife is from Kanazawa in Ishikawa-ken, and they use kinugoshi for everything except for abura-age and yaki-doufu (their food is heavily influenced by Kyoto-style cooking). We used to live right across the street from a tofu shop, so we could get it fresh very day.

It is really difficult to get good tofu of any kind here in the US, even in the San Francisco Bay Area. Fortunately, there is one shop here, San Jose Tofu, that makes it fresh every day, and so we can get it at a local Japanese market. All the other stuff isn't fresh enough.

Tri-ring
7th May 2004, 05:16
Here is the recipe for Mabodofu;

A block of kinugoshi tofu (with water squeezed out) cut into cubes
1 finely chopped negi(spring onion)
1~2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
Ginger finely chopped same amount as garlic
minced pork meat 250g

seasoning
2~4 dried red pepper chopped
medium grounded black pepper
medium grounded japanese pepper
salt
1&1/2 cups chicken stock(400ml)
1~2 table spoon soy sauce
generous helping oflouchu (Chinese rice wine)
1/2~2 tea spoon of seseame seed oil
1~2 table spoon starch mixed in water

1. Pre heat the pan and add a dab of cooking oil
2.Stir fry the meat till it turns brown add the garlic and ginger get the aroma going
3. Add the peppers and salt into the mix and stir
4. Add louchu into the mix and allow some alcohol to evaporate
5. Add chicken stock and soy sauce in written order
6. Add tofu and stir (Try not to crumble the tofu)
7. Add the starch mixture and stir to thicken evenly
8. Stop the heat and pour the seseame seed oil
9. Sprinkle the onion on top

Have a bite, if you have that unstoppable urge to grab a glass of water, you got it right. If not sprinkle some rayu(red pepper in sesame seed oil) or you can switch the sesame seed oil with rayu within the recipe.
That will get your sweat glands pumping. :D

Enjoy ! !

K.Miwa

John Connolly
7th May 2004, 22:32
Here is my version of a Thai favorite:

Tofu and Spinach with Peanut Sauce
1 bunch fresh washed spinach
1 large handful bean sprouts
1 block of medium firm tofu, cut into cubes and deep fried
1 can coconut milk (lite if preferred)
1 cup vegetable stock
4-5 Tbs dark soy sauce
2-3 Tbs sugar
The juice of 1-2 limes (to taste)
4-5 Tbs peanut butter (preferably all-natural, creamy style)
1-2 teaspoons hot chili flakes or chili paste
1/2 Tbs grated ginger
4-5 cloves garlic, crushed (more or less to taste)
2 Tbs peanut oil
1/4 cup crushed peanuts
Large pinch of fresh washed cilantro leaves (removed from stems)

In a saucepan over medium low heat: Add the 2 Tbs peanut oil, bring up to heat, and then add the chili flakes and ginger to infuse the oil with their flavor. Add the garlic-- do NOT let the garlic brown (nothing is more bitter) and immediately add the stock and coconut milk. Bring up to a simmer and add the peaunut butter. This sauce will thicken up after a few minutes of simmering. Incorporate the soy sauce, lime juice, and sugar(allow sugar to dissolve)-- adjusting to taste. Bring back up to simmer take off heat.

On a plate arrange tofu and spinach leaves, pour hot peanut sauce over the top, wilting the spinach, and garnish with bean sprouts, crushed peanuts, and cilantro.

Also great with rice noodles!