Seven Typical Types Of Tofu And How You Can Prepare Them

What's tofu?
If you're wondering what tofu is precisely, you may be not the only one. In the most basic recipe, tofu is made up of soybeans, water, and a coagulant like calcium sulfate or nigari. Dried whole soybeans are soaked, ground, and cooked to make a mixture that's then separated into solids (pulp referred to as okara) and liquid (known as soy milk).
After that, the coagulant is combined with the soy milk and gently stirred, causing the soy milk to make curds, such as a cheese-making process. The warm curds are then pressed right into a mold and cooled, as well as the resulting blocks these are known as tofu.
Tofu is really a staple in East Asian diets. It can be considered to have came from China over 2000 in the past and it was unveiled in Korea and Japan round the eighth century. It is an particularly important ingredient in Zen Buddhism, where practitioners sweets meat.
Under western culture, tofu began appearing in cities with large Asian populations within the late 1800s but had been largely an unfamiliar food product. In the 1960s and 1970s, the hippie and natural food movement triggered lots more people adopting vegetarian diets, increasing tofu's popularity in the US. Once only sold at nutrition stores and Asian markets, tofu has become widely available essentially grocers across the country.
1. Extra-firm tofu
Extra-firm tofu is usually pressed to a degree where it has hardly any moisture left, leaving it having a hearty consistency that lends itself well to slicing, baking, frying, plus more. This level of firmness is the most popular in the united states, as outlined by Tsai.
Texture: Very dense, solid with almost no give and a chewier feel kinds of tofu.
Preparation methods: Extra-firm tofu will usually need almost no to no additional pressing and is sliced, cubed, shredded, and crumbled easily. Freezing the tofu can be another way to alter the texture from the curd before using.
The best way to eat it: Extra-firm tofu is better used if you want your protein to hold its shape. Cubes will stand up well to stir-frying, while slices can be battered and fried, or pan-seared and flipped or grilled without fallling. You can even crumble extra-firm tofu and utilize it because you would ground meat, just the thing for dumpling fillings or vegan chorizo.
2. Firm tofu
Firm tofu is pressed so the curds are tight but still use a little bit of give. This is the very versatile sort of tofu that may be pressed again at home to restore 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 even be eaten raw. Since this type of tofu has more moisture than extra-firm, it can be pressed again whether it still feels too "wet" for your recipe. This will even be frozen before preparing, that can supply the tofu a meatier texture.
The way to eat it: Firm tofu works well in most savory recipes, exactly like extra-firm. Utilize this for Hakka-style stuffed tofu, or as being a Japanese-style salad: cubed, chilled, and tossed with ginger-soy salad dressing and scallions.
3. Medium-firm tofu
Medium-firm tofu is a bit more delicate than its firm and extra-firm counterpart, but still has a denser texture than soft and silken tofu. This kind includes a higher moisture content which enable it to be pressed to expel water to get a meatier texture.
Texture: Rough in look, softer than firm but nevertheless holds its shape a lot better than soft tofu.
Preparation methods: Braising, boiling, baking, and deep-frying work best - such a tofu might break if used in a stir fry and is also too wet to support its shape when seared.
The best way to eat it: Medium-firm tofu can work well in the salad, marinated and baked, or split up and used as an alternative choice to eggs within a vegan scramble or breakfast burrito.
4. Soft tofu

When compared with other block-style tofus, soft tofu is tight on minimal timeframe, leaving it using a very high moisture content. It has a lighter plus much more delicate consistency that works well in sweet and savory applications.
Texture: Visibly smoother than firmer tofus but nonetheless has a little bit of rough texture when split up.
Preparation methods: Simply because 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 may be used raw or pureed.
How you can eat it: Enjoy this curd in Korean soft tofu stew (called soondubu jjigae), puree it into a smoothie for additional protein and body, or eat it raw, dressed which has a soy-based vinaigrette and sesame seeds.
5. Silken tofu
Silken tofu is produced with no pressing at all - soy milk is coagulated in the mold without creating curds, abandoning an ultra soft tofu having a custard-like consistency.
Texture: Delicate and smooth, silken tofu feels almost like pudding, which has a fine texture.
Preparation methods: This type of tofu can't be pressed and will be eaten raw, cubed and dropped into broth, or pureed.
How you can eat it: Silken tofu's super smooth texture makes it an excellent ingredient within dressings and sauces to add additional body, and will also become an alternative to eggs or as being a base for creamy vegan desserts. Silken tofu can also be eaten as is also, garnished with just a bit of top-quality soy sauce, grated fresh ginger, plus a sprinkling of bonito flakes.
6. Fried tofu
Fried tofu is made every time a cube of firm tofu is fried in oil good enough for your water inside the tofu to evaporate. "[This leaves] a sponge-like matrix so that the tofu has the capacity to take up flavors," says Tsai.
Sometimes perfectly located at the type of soy nuggets or Japanese aburaage, these hearty morsels are another enjoyable kind of tofu. Fried tofu typically be found inside the same section as tofu, or among other plant-based meat substitutes.
Texture: Spongy, with a lot of chew with thanks to the fried outer crust.
Preparation methods: Enjoy fried tofu by sauteing, marinating, stuffing, or slicing it into strips.
How to eat it: Fried tofu can be put into stir fries like meat, sliced into strips to add texture to salads or soups, or filled with rice to produce inar-izushi.
7. Smoked and baked tofu
Preparation methods: As these varieties of tofus are seasoned and able to eat, they can be consumed right out of the package.
The way to eat it: Use smoked and baked tofu since your main protein in salads, as an alternative for shrimp or pork in Vietnamese-style rice paper rolls, or sliced and eaten raw.
Insider's takeaway
Tofu is surely an incredibly versatile ingredient. It's a nutritious source of plant-based protein which comes in lots of formats, like extra-firm, firm, medium, firm, soft, and silken.
The varying types and textures of tofu allow it to be an easy task to select a possibility that can stand up to frying and braising, a treadmill that will blend beautifully into smoothies and sauces.
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