Tofu at its best

Tofu certainly isn’t alien to us Asians as it is to Americans and Europeans, who have only recently–with the increased emphasis on healthy eating and vegetarianism–discovered the wonders of soy. Tofu and its relations–like tokwa and taho–have been part of our diet–especially the Chinese diet–all along, making an appearance in soups and appetizers and throughout the meal all the way to desserts.

Thus I approached the book, "This Can’t Be Tofu!" by Deborah Madison (Broadway Books, New York, available at Fully Booked, Power Plant Mall), without the awe and wonder of the first timer encountering a strange and alien thing on the plate. That aside, the book is helpful and informative in many ways, not the least of which are the 75 recipes for everything from tofu mayonnaise, shakes and smoothies to tofu sausage, stir fries, pastas and more. While I must admit that I am not rushing to try some of the more unusual recipes (like Cheese, Chile and Hot Pepper Tofu), the book contains some pretty interesting concoctions that offer welcome alternatives to the braised, mapo, hot pot and other chinois recipes for tofu that I am familiar with.

I haven’t quite decided on whether tofu as a substitute for cheese (feta in a salad or mozarella in a lasagna–don’t ask me how) or eggs (in pancakes, muffins or even cakes–again, don’t ask me how) is a good thing or not, but tofu as tofu–i.e. as food–has definitely got my vote.

The author has two other cookbooks, "Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone" and "The Savory Way", both award-winning cookbooks. She is the founding chef of the celebrated Greens restaurant.

The book starts with a basic introduction to tofu that is very helpful, especially the chapter on the different types of tofu, and how tofu is made, which is something I never really thought about, except during the time there was this brouhaha on plaster of paris being added to taho.

Making tofu, it turns out, is sort of like making cheese or yoghurt. Soy milk is heated, then curdled or solidified. The curds and whey are separated; the curds are pressed and voila! You’ve got tofu.

I don’t go by water-packed or silken tofu, soft, firm or extra firm. At my friendly neighborhood Chinese grocery or at my suki for gulay in the palengke, it’s tofu or tokwa on wooden pallets wrapped in cheesecloth. At the supermarket there’s what we call "Japanese tofu", which is a lot softer and is a tube rather than a rectangular block.

Some up-market supermarkets sell water-packed tofu in varying firmness. I was forced to buy some for a salad recently and, not knowing which to get, I just bought one of each. I have to agree with the author that the firm or regular is the best bet.

Tofu has traditionally been regarded as a vegetarian food, a good source of protein for those with meatless diets. It contains no cholesterol, has few calories and is low in saturated fat. Lately it has become popular as a source of isoflavones instead of hormone replacement therapy (hrt) for menopausal women, following studies on adverse effects of prolonged hrt.

On the downside is high uric acid, contributing to arthritis and gout, a small price to pay, enthusiasts insist, for such a healthy–and delicious–food.

If you still can’t quite bite into tofu, here are two simple recipes from "This Can’t Be Tofu!" you can try. Just remember–tofu is good for you, but it can also taste great.

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Serves 4

To give the tofu some color and visual distinction, brown it in a nonstick or cast-iron pan just barely coated with oil, or, for more chewiness, deep-fry it until golden. The inclusion of snow peas, broccoli florets, yellow brightly colored and simply cooked vegetable added at the end make the dish much more vibrant.

The Sauce
2 heaping tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons molasses or brown sugar
2 tablespoon mushroom soy, tamari, or regular
soy sauce
1 tablespoon tomato paste
3/4 cup red wine
2 large garlic cloves, pressed
1/3 cup water
The tofu and vegetables
One carton regular or firm tofu, drained
5 teaspoons peanut oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large onion, diced into 1/2-inch squares
1 red bell pepper, cut into large,
irregular pieces
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
12 ounces mushrooms (mixed brown, white,
and shiitake are good)
2 Roma tomatoes, peeled and diced
2 cups snow peas, broccoli florets,
or other vegetable
1/4 cup chopped parsley or cilantro

Procedure

1. Combine all the sauce ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

2. Cut the tofu into 1-inch cubes. Heat a nonstick skillet and brush with 1 teaspoon of the oil. Add the tofu and cook over medium-high heat until golden-brown on the bottom. Turn and cook until the other surfaces are golden as well. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

3. Add the remaining oil to a wide pot, such as a Dutch oven. Turn the heat to high, add the onion, bell peppers, and thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to brown in places and a film appears on the bottom of the pot, after several minutes. Be sure to let the ingredients cook without stirring for 1/2 minute intervals so that they’ll brown. You can use this time to quarter the mushrooms and prepare the snow peas or broccoli.

4. Add the mushrooms and continue cooking, again stirring occasionally, until they are seared in places. Add 1 teaspoon salt and grind in plenty of black pepper. Once a number of the mushrooms have gained some color, stir in the sauce, scraping up the goodies from the bottom of the pan. Reduce the heat to low, lay the tofu over the vegetables, and cover the pot. Cook for 15 minutes. During the last 5 minutes add the tomatoes.

5. Blanch the snow peas or broccoli florets in boiling salted water.

6. Stir in the parsley and spoon the vegetables and their sauce over rice or noodles, adding the snow peas last.