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What is tofu?

In case you are wondering what tofu is precisely, you’re probably not alone. In the simplest recipe, tofu consists of soybeans, water, plus a coagulant like calcium sulfate or nigari. Dried whole soybeans are soaked, ground, and cooked to create a mixture that is certainly then broken into solids (pulp generally known as okara) and liquid (known as soy milk).

From there, the coagulant is added to the soy milk and gently stirred, resulting in the soy milk to make curds, similar to a cheese-making process. The nice and cozy curds are then pressed in a mold and cooled, and the resulting blocks are called tofu.

Tofu is a staple in East Asian diets. It can be shown to have originated in China over 2000 years back and it was brought to Korea and Japan around the eighth century. It is really an particularly crucial ingredient in Zen Buddhism, where practitioners don’t eat meat.

Under western culture, tofu began showing up in cities with large Asian populations from the late 1800s but used to be largely a mysterious food product. In the 1960s and 1970s, the hippie and natural food movement led to lots more people adopting vegetarian diets, increasing tofu’s popularity in the usa. Once only sold at health food stores and Asian markets, tofu is currently widely available at most grocers across the country.

1. Extra-firm tofu

Extra-firm tofu is usually pressed to a point where it’s got hardly any moisture left, leaving it with a hearty consistency that lends itself well to slicing, baking, frying, plus more. This amount of firmness is easily the most popular in the US, in accordance with Tsai.

Texture: Very dense, solid with almost no give along with a chewier feel kinds of tofu.

Preparation methods: Extra-firm tofu will often need hardly any to no additional pressing and is sliced, cubed, shredded, and crumbled effortlessly. Freezing the tofu can be an alternate way to affect the texture in the curd before using.

How to eat it: Extra-firm tofu is most beneficial used when you need your protein to carry its shape. Cubes will stand up well to stir-frying, while slices could be battered and fried, or pan-seared and flipped or grilled without falling apart. It’s also possible to crumble extra-firm tofu and utilize it as you would ground meat, great for dumpling fillings or vegan chorizo.

2. Firm tofu

Firm tofu is pressed so the curds are tight but nevertheless use a bit of give. This is the very versatile kind of tofu which can be pressed again in your own home to make it even firmer.

Texture: Solid with visible, tight curds that spring when gently pressed.

Preparation methods: Firm tofu supports well to frying, baking, searing, and may be eaten raw. Simply because this type of tofu has more moisture than extra-firm, it is usually pressed again if it still feels too “wet” for the recipe. This may be also frozen before preparing, that may give the tofu a meatier texture.

How to eat it: Firm tofu is useful in most savory recipes, much like extra-firm. Use this for Hakka-style stuffed tofu, or as a Japanese-style salad: cubed, chilled, and tossed with ginger-soy salad dressing and scallions.

3. Medium-firm tofu

Medium-firm tofu is a lot more delicate than its firm and extra-firm counterpart, however carries a denser texture than soft and silken tofu. This sort features a higher moisture content and can be pressed to expel water to get a meatier texture.

Texture: Rough in appearance, softer than firm but nevertheless holds its shape much better than soft tofu.

Preparation methods: Braising, boiling, baking, and deep-frying work best – such a tofu might break if utilized in a stir fry and it is too wet to support its shape when seared.

How you can eat it: Medium-firm tofu can function well in the salad, marinated and baked, or finished and used as an alternative choice to eggs in a vegan scramble or breakfast burrito.

4. Soft tofu

In comparison with other block-style tofus, soft tofu is short on the least timeframe, leaving it with a extremely high moisture content. It possesses a lighter plus more delicate consistency that works well both in sweet and savory applications.

Texture: Visibly smoother than firmer tofus but still features a little rough texture when separated.

Preparation methods: As this tofu needs gentle handling, it can’t be pressed to expel additional moisture. It is best boiled, braised, or battered and deep-fried, and will double raw or pureed.

The way to eat it: Enjoy this curd in Korean soft tofu stew (known as soondubu jjigae), puree it in to a smoothie for extra protein and the body, or eat it raw, dressed which has a soy-based vinaigrette and sesame seeds.

5. Silken tofu

Silken tofu is constucted from no pressing in any way – soy milk is coagulated in a mold without creating curds, forgetting an ultra soft tofu using a custard-like consistency.

Texture: Delicate and smooth, silken tofu feels much like pudding, with a fine texture.

Preparation methods: This type of tofu is not pressed and should be eaten raw, cubed and dropped into broth, or pureed.

The way to eat it: Silken tofu’s super smooth texture can make it an incredible ingredient relating to dressings and sauces to provide additional body, and can also behave as a substitute for eggs or as a base for creamy vegan desserts. Silken tofu may also be eaten out of the box, garnished with a certain amount of top-quality soy sauce, grated fresh ginger, along with a sprinkling of bonito flakes.

6. Fried tofu

Fried tofu is created every time a cube of firm tofu is fried in oil of sufficient length for that water inside the tofu to evaporate. “[This leaves] a sponge-like matrix so the tofu can soak up flavors,” says Tsai.

Sometimes located in the form of soy nuggets or Japanese aburaage, these hearty morsels are another enjoyable kind of tofu. Fried tofu usually can be discovered in the same section as tofu, or among other plant-based meat substitutes.

Texture: Spongy, with lots of chew because of the fried outer crust.

Preparation methods: Enjoy fried tofu by sauteing, marinating, stuffing, or slicing it into strips.

The way to eat it: Fried tofu may be put into stir fries like meat, sliced into strips to incorporate texture to salads or soups, or stuffed with rice to generate inar-izushi.

7. Smoked and baked tofu

Preparation methods: Website traffic forms of tofus are seasoned and able to eat, they could be consumed right out of the package.

How you can eat it: Use smoked and baked tofu since your main protein in salads, as a substitute for shrimp or pork in Vietnamese-style rice paper rolls, or sliced and eaten raw.

Insider’s takeaway

Tofu is an incredibly versatile ingredient. It’s really a nutritious way to obtain plant-based protein that comes in numerous formats, like extra-firm, firm, medium, firm, soft, and silken.

The varying types and textures of tofu make it easy to select a choice that can resist frying and braising, or one that can blend beautifully into smoothies and sauces.

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