A Case for Tofu
I love meat, I even love meat a whole fucking lot. And yet I eat tofu twice a week. Not because I want to save the world or care about my health, but because I fucking love the taste.
Tofu has a dusty image. It’s supposed to be tough and tasteless, reminiscent of a sponge, and reserved only for vegans and nature hippies. Admittedly, I thought the same thing for years, while happily chewing on my steak or pork meatball. But ever since I tasted in Asia what you can do with a block of the white stuff, I’ve had weekly tofu cravings.
Tofu has very little flavor of its own. You need to know how to prepare it, but I’ll tell you all about that in a minute. First, it’s important to know that there are different types of tofu. Tofu is soy milk pressed into blocks. The more moisture that has been pressed out, the firmer the tofu.
Firm tofu
The variety generally sold at the supermarket is firm and does indeed become tough quickly. That’s why you need to prepare it properly. I prefer to get my firm tofu from the Asian grocery store: pressed tofu by the Unicurd brand is my favorite, as it’s a little less spongy. Although I get supermarket tofu just as often. Firm tofu is perfect for cutting into cubes and frying until crispy.
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Black pepper tofu
This recipe for Ottolenghi’s black pepper tofu is my favorite way to make firm tofu. For a crispy coating, first toss the cubes in cornstarch and fry them in oil or butter. Serve them in a sauce made with soy sauce, ketjap manis and lots of braised shallots, ginger, garlic and pepper. If you don’t like this dish, you might as well stop reading now. You’re never going to like tofu.
Miso soup
You can also bake tofu in the oven. In this recipe for miso soup with soba noodles you cut the tofu into cubes and marinate them in soy sauce, sesame oil and sriracha. Then scatter them over the soup like spicy croutons. This tofu is also delicious with noodles or rice and Asian vegetables, or over a salad.
Silken tofu
My absolute favorite is silken tofu. Less moisture has been pressed out of it, making the tofu much softer: both in texture and in flavor. It almost reminds me of custard, thanks to its silky (hence the name, duh) texture. You can’t fry this variety, as it immediately falls apart. It’s best added to dishes at the very end to warm through, or eaten cold.
Mapo tofu
Mapo tofu is the dish that made me fall in love with tofu. Cubes of silken tofu with ground meat in a super-spicy, fiery red sauce. Perhaps the best-known dish from the Chinese province of Sichuan. Okay, along with kung pao chicken. Mapo is the dish people always request when they come over for dinner, because it’s the most delicious thing in the world.
Hiyayakko
Silken tofu is so delicious on its own that in Japan it’s often served cold and whole, with a little sauce or a few toppings. It’s called hiyayakko, and it’s wonderful when it’s hot outside. Would you rather have warm tofu? This recipe for Fuchsia Dunlop’s breakfast tofu is also one of my favorites. You warm the tofu briefly in boiling water and serve it with, among other things, soy sauce, chili oil and crunchy peanuts.
Please…
Crispy, soft, hot, cold, spicy, with meat, without meat—the world of tofu is at your feet. Please try it just once; you’ll make both me and yourself very happy.
