Zoley!
October 24, 2004, 10:40 AM
I have ventured into finding out about this food in which I had no real understanding of its use and were it came from. I thought I would try alittle of the vegetarian dishes, since everyone claims they are healthier. Even health advisor's say eating less carbs is better for you. So here is my findings about tofu. I bought some this weekend and I used it in some mix vegetables. It was ok, so I will be looking for more recipes to use the Tofu in.
An American's Introduction to Tofu
By John Ward
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Do you know what tofu is? Everyone has heard of it, every grocery store sells it, whether you know it or not, you have eaten it, yet if you are the typical American, you know nothing about it. I would venture to guess that most Shore Journal readers have eaten in a Chinese restaurant at some time. I just want to let you know, dear reader, that those cubes you thought were chicken all these years, were actually tofu.
As cheese is to milk, so tofu is to the soybean. As a cow gives milk, so does a soybean give soymilk. As animal milk is separated into curds and whey in the production of cheese, so soymilk is separated into curds and whey to form tofu. Consider the following composition of Soymilk, Dairy Milk, and Breast Milk,
Soymilk Dairy Milk Mother's Milk
Water (grams) 88.6 88.6 88.6
Protein 4.4 2.9 1.4
Calories 52 59 62
Fat 2.5 3.3 3.1
Carbohydrates 3.8 4.5 7.2
Ash 0.62 0.70 0.20
Calcium (mg.) 18.5 100 35
Sodium 2.5 36 15
Phosphorus 60.3 90 25
Iron 1.5 0.1 0.2
Thiamine 0.04 0.04 0.02
Riboflavin 0.02 0.15 0.03
Niacin 0.62 0.20 0.2
The protein from Soy is complete. It has all eight essential amino acids. In this respect, the soy bean is no ordinary bean. It is truly a gift from God. Ironically, the value of Soy is only partially understood in the West. The United States grows 2/3 of the World's Soy and squanders its protein on animal feed. Soy has the ability to provide 30% more protein per acre than any other crop, and 20 times the protein derived from an acre dedicated to beef cattle.
The hybrids of Soy Beans normally grown in this country are not suitable for making high quality Soy Milk or Tofu. A good Tofu Soybean is nearly twice the size of the typical American Chicken Feed soybean. The Tofu Soy Bean is higher in Protein and lower in fat that the typical American bean.
Often when preaching about Tofu to my fellow Americans, I am asked what Tofu tastes like and what it can be used for. I have finally come up with a good analogy. Tofu in the Orient is like the potato in the West. The potato can be baked, boiled, broiled, grilled, or fried. It can be eaten whole, smashed, in cubes, mixed with a thousand other things to form an unlimited number of dishes. Tofu is exactly the same. As for the taste of a potato, a boiled potato with no butter or salt is a little bland. Raw tofu actually tastes much better than a boiled potato. If you can eat Yogurt or Cottage Cheese, then you could eat raw tofu. There are some big differences between Tofu and potatoes though, Tofu never has black rotten spots like potatoes, or worms, or dirty peels. Also Tofu has digestible complete protein where the potato has none.
There are two broad categories of Tofu, Firm Tofu and Soft (or Silken) Tofu. Firm Tofu is the more versatile of the two varieties. It is truly like the potato in its utility. Silken Tofu is best eaten raw or used in Soups, most notably Miso Soup. Silken Tofu does not stir fry well. Because of its consistency, it will not absorb the flavors of the meats and vegetables being fried as Firm Tofu will, and also it tends to crumble. Both Firm and Silken Tofus are available in most grocery stores in the vegetable section. Tofu is like a dairy product in that it must be refrigerated and has a short shelf life. It is normally sold in plastic tubs, immersed in water. Naturally, the water should be poured off, the tofu rinsed and patted dry before using. Silken Tofu often comes inside foil packages from Japan. In this case, the Silken Tofu is ultra-pasteurized and so has a very long shelf life. Firm Tofu is always fresh.
Here is how Tofu is made in a nutshell:
Raw Tofu Grade Soy Beans are soaked in water overnight then drained.
The beans are then pulverized as a small quantity of boiling water is being poured over them. The resultant mash will have the consistency of mashed potatoes.
The mash is ladled into boiling water, like dumplings, and allowed to boil gently for about 10 minutes. This stage of the process is crucial as a certain enzyme in the bean is broken down during this time. If the enzyme is not destroyed, the Soy protein will not be humanly digestible.
The resulting slurry is filtered. The liquid is Soy Milk, and the pulp is called Okara. Okara is good for mixing with flour to make bread or for feeding to the Pigs, or as a last resort, fertilizer.
A small amount of either Calcium Sulfate or Magnesium Chloride is introduced to coagulate the Milk. The Chinese have used the Calcium salt for 2000 years, mined from mountain quarries, the salt is the pure form of gypsum. The Japanese traditionally used Sea Salt to coagulate the Milk, and it is the small quantity of Magnesium Chloride in Sea Salt that does the trick.
After the coagulant is introduced, the Milk will separate into Curds and Whey. The Curds will float to the top and the resulting Whey should be clear.
The Curds are gently scooped off the top of the Whey and ladled into a forming container lined with cheese cloth. The forming container has many small hole in it to allow leftover whey to drain. A lid is placed on the forming container.
A small weight is placed on the lid of the container and allowed to sit for several hours. Empty the resulting block of tofu into a tub of cold water and allow to sit for another hour.
An American's Introduction to Tofu
By John Ward
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Do you know what tofu is? Everyone has heard of it, every grocery store sells it, whether you know it or not, you have eaten it, yet if you are the typical American, you know nothing about it. I would venture to guess that most Shore Journal readers have eaten in a Chinese restaurant at some time. I just want to let you know, dear reader, that those cubes you thought were chicken all these years, were actually tofu.
As cheese is to milk, so tofu is to the soybean. As a cow gives milk, so does a soybean give soymilk. As animal milk is separated into curds and whey in the production of cheese, so soymilk is separated into curds and whey to form tofu. Consider the following composition of Soymilk, Dairy Milk, and Breast Milk,
Soymilk Dairy Milk Mother's Milk
Water (grams) 88.6 88.6 88.6
Protein 4.4 2.9 1.4
Calories 52 59 62
Fat 2.5 3.3 3.1
Carbohydrates 3.8 4.5 7.2
Ash 0.62 0.70 0.20
Calcium (mg.) 18.5 100 35
Sodium 2.5 36 15
Phosphorus 60.3 90 25
Iron 1.5 0.1 0.2
Thiamine 0.04 0.04 0.02
Riboflavin 0.02 0.15 0.03
Niacin 0.62 0.20 0.2
The protein from Soy is complete. It has all eight essential amino acids. In this respect, the soy bean is no ordinary bean. It is truly a gift from God. Ironically, the value of Soy is only partially understood in the West. The United States grows 2/3 of the World's Soy and squanders its protein on animal feed. Soy has the ability to provide 30% more protein per acre than any other crop, and 20 times the protein derived from an acre dedicated to beef cattle.
The hybrids of Soy Beans normally grown in this country are not suitable for making high quality Soy Milk or Tofu. A good Tofu Soybean is nearly twice the size of the typical American Chicken Feed soybean. The Tofu Soy Bean is higher in Protein and lower in fat that the typical American bean.
Often when preaching about Tofu to my fellow Americans, I am asked what Tofu tastes like and what it can be used for. I have finally come up with a good analogy. Tofu in the Orient is like the potato in the West. The potato can be baked, boiled, broiled, grilled, or fried. It can be eaten whole, smashed, in cubes, mixed with a thousand other things to form an unlimited number of dishes. Tofu is exactly the same. As for the taste of a potato, a boiled potato with no butter or salt is a little bland. Raw tofu actually tastes much better than a boiled potato. If you can eat Yogurt or Cottage Cheese, then you could eat raw tofu. There are some big differences between Tofu and potatoes though, Tofu never has black rotten spots like potatoes, or worms, or dirty peels. Also Tofu has digestible complete protein where the potato has none.
There are two broad categories of Tofu, Firm Tofu and Soft (or Silken) Tofu. Firm Tofu is the more versatile of the two varieties. It is truly like the potato in its utility. Silken Tofu is best eaten raw or used in Soups, most notably Miso Soup. Silken Tofu does not stir fry well. Because of its consistency, it will not absorb the flavors of the meats and vegetables being fried as Firm Tofu will, and also it tends to crumble. Both Firm and Silken Tofus are available in most grocery stores in the vegetable section. Tofu is like a dairy product in that it must be refrigerated and has a short shelf life. It is normally sold in plastic tubs, immersed in water. Naturally, the water should be poured off, the tofu rinsed and patted dry before using. Silken Tofu often comes inside foil packages from Japan. In this case, the Silken Tofu is ultra-pasteurized and so has a very long shelf life. Firm Tofu is always fresh.
Here is how Tofu is made in a nutshell:
Raw Tofu Grade Soy Beans are soaked in water overnight then drained.
The beans are then pulverized as a small quantity of boiling water is being poured over them. The resultant mash will have the consistency of mashed potatoes.
The mash is ladled into boiling water, like dumplings, and allowed to boil gently for about 10 minutes. This stage of the process is crucial as a certain enzyme in the bean is broken down during this time. If the enzyme is not destroyed, the Soy protein will not be humanly digestible.
The resulting slurry is filtered. The liquid is Soy Milk, and the pulp is called Okara. Okara is good for mixing with flour to make bread or for feeding to the Pigs, or as a last resort, fertilizer.
A small amount of either Calcium Sulfate or Magnesium Chloride is introduced to coagulate the Milk. The Chinese have used the Calcium salt for 2000 years, mined from mountain quarries, the salt is the pure form of gypsum. The Japanese traditionally used Sea Salt to coagulate the Milk, and it is the small quantity of Magnesium Chloride in Sea Salt that does the trick.
After the coagulant is introduced, the Milk will separate into Curds and Whey. The Curds will float to the top and the resulting Whey should be clear.
The Curds are gently scooped off the top of the Whey and ladled into a forming container lined with cheese cloth. The forming container has many small hole in it to allow leftover whey to drain. A lid is placed on the forming container.
A small weight is placed on the lid of the container and allowed to sit for several hours. Empty the resulting block of tofu into a tub of cold water and allow to sit for another hour.