To any non vegan tofu is tofu. It's that icly soy stuff that serves as a stand in to real meat and dairy. Yet , there are several different and delicious kinds that can turn a limited meatless diet into an unlimited buffet. It's amazing what it can do - and mimic.
First of all what is tofu? The most basic description is that it's a curd made from soy.Many have been introduced to it years ago under the unappetizing name of bean curd . It has been around for two thousand years, first being made during the Han Dynasty in China. The name tofu means fermented or bean. It's made from coagulating soy milk with magnesium chloride and pressing out the curds.The amount of time in pressing determines what kind of curd it is.The process can be over in about fifteen to twenty minutes. Just remember that the longer it's pressed the firmer it will be. There are various types.Block tofu is what's found at grocery stores. This is also called "cotton tofu" due to the fluffiness of the curds. Soft tofu is the kind that's pressed in the least amount of time. It's primarily used for desserts.It's not recommended for frying because it could break apart and splutter out of the pan.Medium firm tofu is the best for braising and boiling. Don't stir fry or pan fry it. It will break apart in creamy little pieces. The most versatile is the firm block kind. It can be battered, boiled , baked, pan fried, stir fried and deep fried.If you want a crusty , crispy kind, then go for the extra firm. These can be turned in kabobs or General's Tso's tofu.
Tofu can also have a soft and silky mouth feel. This is silken tofu and it, too, is a popular, kind, often found at many supermarkets.It's made in a similar process to block tofu except that the soy milk is coagulated without curdling the milk. It's also left unpressed so every cake retains its' moisture while cooling. Because curds never form, any kind from soft , to extra firm has a smooth and silky appearance If you want to make sauces and dressings, then try soft silken.It has the consistency of a poached egg.It can even be used as an egg substitute. There is firm silken tofu which cannot be confused with the firm or silken kinds. Firm silken is made from a thicker form of soy milk. One of the most delicate kinds is fresh silken or custard tofu.It can turn pretty quickly so try getting it fresh from the manufacturer. Don/'t buy the mass produced ones. The flavor can be flat and bitter. It can't be cooked but it can be served with miso and scallions for a savory treat or mixed with agave syrup for a sweet snack. for those who love spicy , there is the Chinese Five Spice tofu which is a dark purple in color. Smoked tofu is another tasty dish. It's smoked first in tea leaves giving it a light hue and smoky flavor. There is also deep fried tofu called aburaage that's puffy and sugary.Tofu can be sold in pockets or inarizushi. Both can be used for snacking while the last is good in salads.
Don't be put off by this versatile soy product. Tofu can be made into everything, from dinner to dessert. start cooking with this versatile ingredient now.
Showing posts with label Han Dynasty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Han Dynasty. Show all posts
Monday, March 19, 2018
Wednesday, March 8, 2017
Women In The Kitchen
With this being International Women's Day . it's time we celebrate the impact of women on food and nutrition. After all it's not our dads anf grandads that fed us but our mothers and grandmothers. Yet there seems to be more male chefs than female chefs, while it seems there are more waitresses than waiters. What gives?
Since the earliest of our days, it's been the females that have been providing food, whether from the earliest hunter-gatherers to the first "home chefs" roasting meat on wood spits over a fire. It's the women who ground the wheat to make the bread that fed the family. They made sure children had the best nutrition for the time, as they tended to gardens. Our sisters from antiquity probably introduced fruits and vegetables to their families diets, expanding both their husbands and childrens' palates. Some of these recipes exist today in the form of matzoh and pita, roasted lamb and dumplings . The home chefs that lived during the Roman and Greek empires and the Han Dynasty realized the importance of meals being eaten together too, and how it would strengthen family ties.They passed down themselves and their stories in dishes that the next generation of both girls and boys are making today with electric stoves and all sorts of modern gadgets .Believe it or not we're all eating some form of the Paleo diets thanks to our early female ancestors.
You would think that with women ruling the kitchen , they'd be ruling the culinary world. Not so much, even in this day and age.The cookbooks, were written by women, with the first real one penned by Isabella Beeton in the 1860's but a woman owning a restaurant was unheard of , unless she ran it with her parents husband, or children.It was a man who gave us the famed Gilded Age eatery Delmonico's in lower Manhattan.it was the great chef Auguste Escoffier , a Frenchman who was the world's first celebrity chef. It took a century later for the first female, chef, Julia Child who captivated American home chefs and foodies in the 1960's./. She also laid the groundwork for the celebrity chef culture that came thirty years later in the 1990s. Still, there seems to be an imbalance with the number of male chefs to female chefs today. The only successful female chef now is Lidia Bastianich who has her TV show , restaurants,products and cookbooks. She's on the same par as Bobby Flay, and Gordon Ramsey but she' really the only one. There's an imbalance lower down the culinary ladder too.. Most of the fast food managers are men, Assistant managers are women, but it seems that this is the highest they can go. The first tier workers are usually female also. Could it be that boys would rather work in the Apple stores as opposed to a Wendy's or McDonald's? Or that girls are just pointed to kitchens.?
Today is the Internatioal Women's Day. We have fed and nurtured the world for millennia. Yet in some sectors of the food industry we're still treated like underlings. It has to change- and we have to change it.
Since the earliest of our days, it's been the females that have been providing food, whether from the earliest hunter-gatherers to the first "home chefs" roasting meat on wood spits over a fire. It's the women who ground the wheat to make the bread that fed the family. They made sure children had the best nutrition for the time, as they tended to gardens. Our sisters from antiquity probably introduced fruits and vegetables to their families diets, expanding both their husbands and childrens' palates. Some of these recipes exist today in the form of matzoh and pita, roasted lamb and dumplings . The home chefs that lived during the Roman and Greek empires and the Han Dynasty realized the importance of meals being eaten together too, and how it would strengthen family ties.They passed down themselves and their stories in dishes that the next generation of both girls and boys are making today with electric stoves and all sorts of modern gadgets .Believe it or not we're all eating some form of the Paleo diets thanks to our early female ancestors.
You would think that with women ruling the kitchen , they'd be ruling the culinary world. Not so much, even in this day and age.The cookbooks, were written by women, with the first real one penned by Isabella Beeton in the 1860's but a woman owning a restaurant was unheard of , unless she ran it with her parents husband, or children.It was a man who gave us the famed Gilded Age eatery Delmonico's in lower Manhattan.it was the great chef Auguste Escoffier , a Frenchman who was the world's first celebrity chef. It took a century later for the first female, chef, Julia Child who captivated American home chefs and foodies in the 1960's./. She also laid the groundwork for the celebrity chef culture that came thirty years later in the 1990s. Still, there seems to be an imbalance with the number of male chefs to female chefs today. The only successful female chef now is Lidia Bastianich who has her TV show , restaurants,products and cookbooks. She's on the same par as Bobby Flay, and Gordon Ramsey but she' really the only one. There's an imbalance lower down the culinary ladder too.. Most of the fast food managers are men, Assistant managers are women, but it seems that this is the highest they can go. The first tier workers are usually female also. Could it be that boys would rather work in the Apple stores as opposed to a Wendy's or McDonald's? Or that girls are just pointed to kitchens.?
Today is the Internatioal Women's Day. We have fed and nurtured the world for millennia. Yet in some sectors of the food industry we're still treated like underlings. It has to change- and we have to change it.
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