Because of their East Asian origins and textures, many foods are called « tofu, » although their manufacturing processes are not technically similar. For example, many sweet almond tofu are actually gelatinous desserts that are dried with agar or gelatin. Some foods, such as Burmese tofu, are not curdled from the « milk » of legumes, but similar to soft polenta, Korean muk or jidou liangfen from southwest China`s Yunnan province. In the Philippines, sweet taho is made from fresh tofu with brown sugar syrup and sago. The Malaysian and Singaporean versions of Taho or Douhua are called Tofufa or Taufufa. Hot sweet tofu is served in slices (made by collecting from a wooden bucket with a flat spoon) in a bowl of pandan-flavored sugar syrup or palm sugar syrup. Tofu (豆腐; pinyin: Dòufu; Wade-Giles: tou4-fu), also known as bean curd in English, is a food prepared by coagulating soy milk and then squeezing the quark resulting in solid white blocks of varying sweetness. It can be silky, soft, firm, extra firm or super firm. In addition to these broad categories of textures, there are many varieties of tofu.
It has a subtle taste, so it can be used in savory and sweet dishes. It is often seasoned or pickled depending on the dish and its flavors, and because of its spongy texture, it absorbs flavors well. Another theory is that the method of making tofu was discovered by accident when a boiled and ground soybean porridge was mixed with impure sea salt. Such a sea salt would likely have contained calcium and magnesium salts, allowing the soybean mixture to curdle and create a tofu-like gel. Egg tofu [ja] (Japanese: 玉子豆腐, 卵豆腐, tamagodōfu) (Chinese: 蛋豆腐, dàndòufu; often 日本豆腐, Rìbĕn dòufu, lit. « Japanese bean curd ») is the main variety of flavored tofu. Whole beaten eggs are combined with dashi, poured into mussels and steamed (cf. Chawanmushi). This tofu has a light golden color due to the addition of eggs and sometimes food coloring.
This tofu has a fuller texture and flavor than silky tofu, due to the presence of egg fat and protein. Simple « dried tofu » can be flavored by cooking in soy sauce (滷) to make soy sauce tofu. It is common to see tofu from hot food stalls in this braised form with soy sauce. Today, the « Japanese » tofu egg is made from eggs, water, vegetable protein and spices. [68] The English word « tofu » comes from the Japanese tōfu (豆腐), a borrowing from the Chinese 豆腐 (Mandarin: dòufǔ; tou4-fu) « bean curd, bean ferment. » [4] [5] [6] [7] Perkedel tahu goreng (Dutch-Indonesian food based on tofu and Dutch cooking technique) tahu telor or tahu tek meatballs, tofu omelette served with vegetables, krupuk, peanut sauce, shrimp paste, sweet soy sauce and sambal Two types of freeze-dried tofu are produced in Japan. These are usually rehydrated by soaking them in water before being consumed. In the dehydrated state, they do not require refrigeration. Unpressed soft tofu with bitter jelly is Sun-dubu (순두부; « sweet tofu ») in Korean. Soy milk is mixed with seawater[45][46][47][48][49] or salt water from sea salt to coagulate. [50] [51] The curd remains loose and soft. Freshly prepared Sun-Dubu is eaten cooked with little or no seasoning. Manufactured sundubu is usually sold in pipes.
It is also the main ingredient of Sundubu-Jjigae (순두부찌개; « soft tofu stew »). Coagulants are usually added at concentrations between 1.5 and 5.0 g/kg. In all coagulants consisting of calcium or magnesium salts, the positively double-bound ions of calcium or magnesium are responsible for the coagulation of soy proteins that are part of tofu, thus increasing its nutritional value. Only 1 part per 1000 of the tofu consumed is curdled; Most of the coagulant reacts with soy proteins and is broken down into ions. The non-reactive part dissolves in the whey and is discarded. [41] Since it is made from soy, people with allergies to legumes should not consume tofu. Tofu is relatively high in protein, about 10.7% for solid tofu and 5.3% for « silky » soft tofu, with about 5% and 2% fat, respectively,[80] by mass. [81] Most of the mass of tofu is water, typically between 76% and 91%. [82] In the longer term, it would be possible for the European Commission to amend the law to expand the number of exemptions and allow the labelling of soy and tofu products such as milk and butter. Generally, firmer styles of tofu are used for kebabs, simulated meats, and dishes that require consistency that holds together, while milder styles can be used for desserts, soups, shakes, and sauces.
