Gill Meller
ALSO KNOWN AS
Bean curd
Tofu is made from the ‘milk’ pressed from soaked, dried soya beans. The creamy liquid is curdled by the addition of magnesium chloride and the curds are pressed to become tofu. Bland, pale and a little wet – looking rather like a block of soft cheese – it’s not the most promising of ingredients, but the texture can be very pleasing. It is particularly valuable in a vegetarian diet – as a non-animal source of ‘complete’ protein, having all eight essential amino acids, and a good source of minerals and vitamins.
Pressing tofu with kitchen paper to dry it as much as possible before cooking is a good idea. It pairs well with rice and crunchy vegetables, and dusting it in cornflour and frying it hard produces a lovely delicate crust. Tofu also has an amazing ability to soak up the flavours of other ingredients, such as chillies, ginger, garlic and lime. Just marinate tofu in a simple mix of soy sauce and aromatics (see the next recipe) before frying it.
Standard tofu is spongy and breaks down into crumbly curds if pressed. But you can also buy ‘silken’ tofu, which is very smooth, almost jelly-like, and can be puréed into dips and even smoothies.
Soya
In recent years, the amount of soya in Western diets has increased significantly. Of greater concern than traditional sources – such as tofu and soy sauce – is the ‘hidden’ kind: soya flour and oil are found in everything from bread to breakfast cereals and large amounts of soya (often GM) are fed to farm animals. This has led to environmental issues – the mass production of soya in countries such as Brazil has caused major deforestation, for instance. As soya is rich in hormone-mimicking phyto-oestrogens, there has also been much discussion about its potential effects on our health – good and bad – with research as yet being far from conclusive.
MARINATED TOFU WITH SPRING GREENS
If you marinate the tofu overnight, it will really take up the flavours, but just a few hours’ soaking is still worthwhile. Serves 4 as side dish, 2 as a main
250g firm tofu
250–300g spring greens
2–3 tbsp rapeseed oil
1 medium-hot red chilli, deseeded and finely sliced
FOR THE MARINADE
4 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
3 tbsp mirin (Japanese rice wine) or Chinese cooking wine
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp clear honey
1 garlic clove, grated
1 tsp freshly grated root ginger
A pinch of dried chilli flakes
½ tsp Chinese five-spice powder
TO FINISH
1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
A trickle of toasted sesame oil
For the marinade, combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix until well combined. Cut the tofu into roughly 2cm cubes. Add these to the marinade and turn gently. Cover and leave to marinate in the fridge overnight, or for at least a couple of hours.
When ready to cook, remove any tough stalks from the spring greens. Roll up the leaves and slice across into roughly 1cm thick ribbons.
Scoop the tofu from the bowl, reserving the marinade. Heat a large non-stick frying pan or wok over a high heat. Add 2 tbsp oil and, when hot, add the tofu. Cook for 3–4 minutes, stirring or tossing often, until golden and beginning to crisp. Remove and set aside.
Add the ribboned spring greens to the pan with a splash more oil if needed and stir-fry over a high heat for 3–4 minutes until wilted. Add the chilli and season lightly with salt and pepper.
Return the tofu to the pan, toss together with the greens for a minute or so, then transfer to a warmed serving dish.
Pour the reserved marinade into the pan, bring to a simmer and cook for 2–3 minutes until reduced by a third. Pour the reduced liquor over the tofu and greens. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and a trickle of sesame oil. Serve with rice or noodles.