This is an article celebrating silken tofu.
Tahu Recipe With Celebrating Silken Tofu, We’re delving deeply into tofu, one of our favorite ingredients, this week on Basically. Get our print magazine to receive all of this (and more) before it appears online.
Recently, I passed by a bold restaurant that was promoting its “tofu burrata.” I am conflicted about such analogies. It seems reasonable, of course, to associate less well-known meals with more widely consumed ones.
Furthermore, tofu is made in a manner very similar to that of cheese, except that dairy is replaced with fresh soy milk. That tofu dish would have been just set, smooth, and custardy, like fresh ricotta or a burrata, if I had ordered it.
Tahu Recipe With Celebrating Silken Tofu:
However, I can’t help but wonder if these kinds of comparisons are what have made some people despise tofu and created unreasonable expectations for it. Anyone expecting tofu to melt, ooze, or serve as a stunt double for steak or poultry would be disappointed. But even the most basic supermarket tofu can be dressed up or down for any occasion if you accept it for what it is. Nutritious, durable, and adaptable, tofu is truly a star in and of itself.
Tofu is available in a variety of formats, even at major supermarket stores like Whole Foods. But for now, I’m concentrating on the silken kind. To put it briefly, tofu is made from fresh soy milk that has been squeezed to produce variable hardness after being set into curds (traditionally, this is done in Japan with a mineral coagulant called nigari). The firmest tofu referred to as extra- or super-firm, is frequently used in Western cuisine as a kind of meat alternative, either marinated, breaded, or fried.
However, tofu is usually utilized as a stand-alone ingredient in soups, braises, and stir-fries rather than being heavily processed in Japanese dishes. On the other hand, silken tofu is so soft that it can be eaten with a spoon and is not at all squeezed. It’s a lovely accent to summer salads and winter hot pots, I find. It works well as a binder for meatballs as well as a supporting actor in sauces.
Tahu Recipe With Celebrating Silken Tofu:
A Japanese supermarket will have an aisle dedicated to tofu that could rival that of a Parisian Monoprix’s yogurt section. Brands like Otokomae, which is imported from Kyoto, are so tasty that they should be eaten plain with just a tiny bit of soy sauce. But even if your supermarket carries a more practical brand (like House), this ordinary boxed variety is still a helpful mainstay that you should always have on hand (and occasionally even one that stays on the shelf).
Here are five uses for silken tofu once you’ve obtained it.
1. Transform it into a silky sauce.
Shiraae, a dish in which silken tofu and sesame seeds are combined to create a nutty, sweet sauce for blanched vegetables, is my favorite way to utilize silken tofu. A dash of mirin and some sesame seeds elevate even the most basic carton of tofu. I use the following formula, which comes from my
mother. Take about 150 grams of silken tofu (about ⅓ of your block; store leftovers in the refrigerator and eat within a few days) and add 1 Tbsp of white miso and ground toasted sesame seeds to a large bowl of vegetables. Add about 1 tsp of mirin (you can substitute sake and a little sugar if you don’t have mirin). You can do all of this in a bowl using a spoon or chopsticks because silken tofu is so tender.
Tahu Recipe With Celebrating Silken Tofu:
This is all to taste, so play about with the amounts to suit your needs. For instance, white miso’s sweetness might vary greatly. Compared to white miso from Kyoto, American supermarket varieties tend to be much saltier. Though my family is from the west of Japan, and we tend to use sweeter seasonings, it’s typical for the shire to only contain sesame seeds, tofu, and soy sauce.
Spread the sauce over whatever blanched vegetable you have once it’s smooth, slightly nutty, and tastes good to you (it will have the consistency of a very light hummus). My favorites are green beans and spinach.
Cook it:
If you’re ambitious, use the remainder of your block to produce age dashi tofu. Apply katakuriko (potato starch) generously to firm silken tofu cubes (about 3 inches in diameter), then shallow-fry them in neutral oil. Keep in mind that silken tofu is delicate, so handle it carefully. Top with a heap of grated daikon and a warm bath of store-bought mentsuyu (or make your own with dashi, soy sauce, and mirin) after the cubes are golden.
Dive into the soup:
I’m more likely to sneak it into whatever soup I’m making because frying is a big task (typically miso-based). It tastes especially delicious warmed through in your next pot of hot pot.
Top it with something punchy:
Tahu Recipe With Celebrating Silken Tofu:
Classic hiyayyako topics include puckery ponzu, chili crisp, and soy sauce (topped with grated ginger and scallions) for chilled silken tofu.
My dream meal is silken tofu topped with toppings.
Hiyayakko is delightful, luscious, endlessly adaptable, and no-cook too.
Make it into dessert:
Turn custardy silken tofu into bouncy dango, a general catchall for rice flour–based Japanese dumplings
Two-Ingredient Chewy, Stretchy, Go-Anywhere Dumplings:
Tahu Recipe With Celebrating Silken Tofu:
The delicious chew of mochi + tofu’s gentle quiver.
Chihiro Tomioka, who writes about all things Japanese at Food, purchases chocolate chip ice cream just for the chocolate chips.
- Tomato and ginger sauce with tofu and eggplant (serves two as a main course or four as a side dish)
- One 250g firm tofu block, chopped into bite-sized pieces; raw sesame oil or rice bran can be used as vegetable oil for frying.
- One medium onion, chopped
- Three crushed garlic cloves and one to two finely chopped fresh red chilies, depending on how much you can handle the heat.
- Three Kaffir lime leaves, chopped tomatoes, 400 (or one can) coarsely shredded
- 1 tsp molasses OR 1 tbsp kecap manis (sweet soy)
- Two tsp tamari, one tiny knob of fresh ginger
- Sliced lime wedge and one medium-sized eggplant (or two Japanese eggplants) should be served.
- A handful of newly picked coriander leaves for decoration
