Tofu

Posted by Fresh Fork Market on 8:53 am, Feb 13, 2012 in About Your Ingredients | 0 comments

What the heck is tofu anyway?

Tofu is bean curd.  It is made in a very similar way to cheese.  Tofu is made by coagulating soy milk and then pressing the resulting curds into soft white blocks.   It is a commonly used product in many Asian countries.  Tofu has a low calorie count, relatively large amounts of protein, and little fat. It is high in iron and, depending on the coagulant used in manufacturing, may also be high in calcium and/or magnesium.  The tofu that we are using in your bags comes from Cleveland Tofu Company.  It made in a kitchen that is downstairs from our warehouse, and uses locally sourced soybeans.  It is a very fresh product and has a soft, crumbly texture.

What do you do with tofu?

Subtly flavored, it reminds me of fresh farmer’s cheese.  Because it is not overly flavorful on its own, it will absorb the flavors used to cook it, and the sauces used on top.  The most common way to use tofu is in stir fry dishes.  Stir fry veggies with tofu cut into chunks.  It adds protein without meat, and will absorb the stir fry sauce that you choose.  I like to make a mix of cornmeal and flour and coat the outside, then fry in oil to make it a little crispy on the outside before adding veggies to the stir fry.

There are a lot of other ways to use tofu.  I have had it as a tofu cheesecake, scrambled like eggs, made into a type of sandwich salad (like egg salad), grilled, fried, baked-you name it.  It is very versatile.  Both in the newsletter and online, you will find plenty of recipes for using this ingredient.