Chinese Vegan Guide to Tofu

Tofu is possibly the most misunderstood East Asian ingredient! It takes a lot of abuse for such a versatile, nutritious and delicious ingredient. Quite simply, it is the curd of soybean milk — hence its other name, bean curd (tofu is just the anglicisation of the Chinese name).

Tofu comes in all varieties of textures and densities, and you can find it freshly made, vacuum packed, in cartons or even fermented. Nowadays you can get flavoured tofu that has been pre-smoked or marinated. You can also get it dried in sheets (perfect for stuffing or making rolls) or in knots. One of my favourite things to do when I visit Hong Kong is visiting the tofu sellers at the wet markets and seeing huge blocks of pillowy fresh tofu, wobbling and glistening, and indicating how much you want her to slice off for you.

In China and other East Asian countries, tofu is treated as an everyday food, rather than the vegetarian oddity that it is in the West. As is typical of the Chinese, it's very much appreciated for it soft texture, mouth feel and healthy properties. My favourite type of tofu is silken tofu, the softest and most delicate tofu which can be eaten raw. It's ideal for blending into raw vegan desserts in place of dairy products. I also love tofu puffs — tofu that has been pre-cut and deep fried to light and airy perfection, ready to add to stir fries, soups or even salads.

Here are three top quality tofu products, available in the UK, that I recommend starting with:

Taifun Organic Smoked Tofu with Almonds & Sesame Seeds. Ready to eat, ideal for quick meals and super versatile - use it like you would meat or cheese. A great place to start for people who don’t like the taste of tofu.
Mori-nu Silken Tofu. I use this when making vegan desserts. Sometimes I blend it with frozen berries or mango to make a healthy, high protein sorbet.

Dried tofu knots. These are a great store cupboard essential. Simply rehydrate for a few hours, and then chuck into stews, stir fries, noodle soups; whatever takes your fancy!

Benefits

Very high in protein (up to 20% protein content)
Low in calories and fat
Source of iron, calcium, magnesium, copper, zinc and vitamin B1

Tips

To get a really crisp, firm result when cooking firm tofu, drain properly. Remove the block from the package, place on a clean flat surface and lay paper towels on top of the tofu. Apply weight on top of the block, such as a heavy saucepan or cookbook, and leave for a few hours. The water will gradually be squeezed out of the tofu block.
If you’re feeling particularly hands-on, try making your own tofu with a tofu press. You will also need a high-powered blender, cheesecloth or nut milk bag, and gypsum or nigari for the coagulant. I use this tofu press by Tofuture.