Q&A: SOY

[eGCI Team]

Ask your questions about the eGCI course on SOY here.

[Suzanne F]

No question, other than: How did you write such an excellent, thorough lesson?

But in the spirit of free exchange of ideas, I do want to remind people of this piece from TDG. (I neither endorse nor disapprove of the author's premise.)

[Marco_Polo]

Just to say a HUGE thanks for such a thorough, well-written, well-photographed, informative and inspirational piece about one of my favourite foods on earth, tofu. I can never understand how people don't LOVE tofu (yes, there are some who don't) but I bet if they read this piece they will be converted.

Well done and thanks again.

Marc

[Yuki]

Thanks for your lesson.

I better dig out the soya milk machine from the garage to make some dofufa(chinese tofu dessert).

Tonight dinner will be steamed tofu with salty fish and pork.

Edited May 28, 2004 by Yuki (log)

[torakris]

I really wanted to do a class on tofu because it is really an incredible food and it is amazing how many times I hear "eeewww tofu...". There are thousands of ways to prepare it and I really want people to give it a try I am sure you will be pleasantly surprised.

[prasantrin]

That was a wondeful class! Will you be doing a part II? I would love to see your recipe for mabodofu if you have one!

Could I also add, re: soy milk, that there is a multitude of flavours available here in Japan? I recently discovered matcha-flavoured, coffee-flavoured, cocoa-flavoured soys as well as Royal Soy Milk Tea! Wonderful stuff for those of us who are lactose intolerant! I've been doing taste tests to determine my favourites. It's a tough job, but someone has to do it!

[Hiroyuki]

First of all, I'd like to say, "Thank you for your great work." I've been looking forward to this class since you mentioned it.

My only question will be:

Is tofu making really a simple task? I certainly do not think so.

But then again, I think that it will be fun to make tofu from scratch with your children when you have a day off.

[torakris]

That was a wondeful class! Will you be doing a part II? I would love to see your recipe for mabodofu if you have one!

Could I also add, re: soy milk, that there is a multitude of flavours available here in Japan? I recently discovered matcha-flavoured, coffee-flavoured, cocoa-flavoured soys as well as Royal Soy Milk Tea! Wonderful stuff for those of us who are lactose intolerant! I've been doing taste tests to determine my favourites. It's a tough job, but someone has to do it!

I am planning on doing a second part but it will focus on other uses of the daizu legume, miso and soy sauce. I do have a mabodofu recipe that is great! But for this class wanted to stick with Japanese foods, though mabodofu in Japan could almost be considered a traditional Japanese dish it is so popular.

Soy milk has really just become huge quite recently, the variety in flavors is really incredible. Just 2 days ago I had a soy milk-espresso shake at Tully's (coffee shop) that was wonderful!

[torakris]

Is tofu making really a simple task? I certainly do not think so.

But then again, I think that it will be fun to make tofu from scratch with your children when you have a day off.

No. Tofu making from the soy bean is not really a simple task. Though it isn't particularly difficult it is very time consuming and considering the low price of tofu in the stores it is not something would do regularly.

The version with soy milk is incredibly easy though and it does taste better than most supermarket varities, though you are limited by uses for the final product.

[jhlurie]

Wow, Kris, that was really nice. Of course I'm having trouble coming up with a question due to the fact that the course seemed to answer all of mine.

I actually used to be one of those tofu haters, but it was from years ago when the only examples I had were poor ones. Go back fifteen or twenty years in the U.S.--even here in the N.Y. metro area--and Tofu was exotic. I remember only having very bad examples, usually in Chinese restaurants.

Soy has come a long way in America, and now it's not that hard to find good examples.

So did you go through a Tofu conversion Kris, or were you always a fan?

[torakris]

For some reason, some of the pictures were left off, so while we are working to get that fixed here is a picture of the yuba (tofu skins)

This is really worth making for yourself, I paid only 100 yen ($1) for all the soy milk needed to make that and the same amount if bought from a tofu store here would cost about 700 yen ($7)! You can get it a little cheaper in the supermarket at $4-$5 but it doesn't taste nearly as good!

[torakris]

So did you go through a Tofu conversion Kris, or were you always a fan?

I was one of those people who turned up my nose at it before I had ever even tasted it!

Then in college a Friend introduced me to mabodofu (at a Chinese restaurant) and I was hooked! It took me many years to feel comfortable cooking it because I wasn't sure what to do with it. I have a pack of some type in my refrigerator at all times and now I love to think up new ways to use it!

One of my favorite lunches is a block of silken tofu cut into cubes with some cut up cucumber and topped with the Thai sweet-chile sauce.

[Yuki]

When I make soya milk at home, it does not taste as good as the one I find in traditional tofu store. Is it because of the beans or just the method is different?

I would like to get some higher qualities soya beans here but there is only different brand of soya beans that all look the same.

[torakris]

When I make soya milk at home, it does not taste as good as the one I find in traditional tofu store. Is it because of the beans or just the method is different?

I would like to get some higher qualities soya beans here but there is only different brand of soya beans that all look the same.

It is probably a combination of both and the fact that this is what they do for a living!

The age and quality of your soybeans are probably not the same as what a tofu shop would have access to.

I also noticed differences in the taste of soy milk when I varied the pureeing time in the food processor, tofu shops use machines that may crush them more efficiently.

Also don't forget to think about the water you are using.....

[Yuki]

I think in some store, they still use stone to grind up the beans. Some tofu store claims to make tofu with mountain stream water....

Also, plain soya milk taste really bad on the first try because it is totally different from the supermarket brought sweetened soya milk. I had to add one heaping teaspoon of sugar to a big bowl of soya milk to make it drinkable. Now, it is just plain soya milk.

The yuba recipe seems really interesting, the only yuba that I tried was the dried kind. Is there any other recipe that use fresh yuba?

It is almost summer, time to go back to Asia to eat all the soy products I want.

[torakris]

The yuba recipe seems really interesting, the only yuba that I tried was the dried kind. Is there any other recipe that use fresh yuba?

Then you MUST try the fresh kind! It is a completely different product. I have seen recipes for fresh yuba and they normally involve the yuba skin wrapping up something else and either being eaten as is, simmered or deep fried.

I am rather a purist when it comes to yuba and prefer the very simple way that it s served in the picture, with soy sauce and wasabi.

More information about yuba recipes can be found in this thread on yuba:

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=42292

[Jinmyo]

An excellent presentation, Kristin. Congratulations.

/cue applause

[torakris]

The rest of the pictures have been added!

Including pictures of iridofu (stir-fried tofu dish), koya-dofu (freezedried tofu dish) and the yuba making process.

[Hiroyuki]

In step 3 of the procedure for making tofu from scratch, torakris stated:

There will be a lot of foam on the top.

As I mentioned in the nigari thread, many professional tofu makers use an anti-foaming agent to prevent soy milk from foaming. I don't think you want to use such a food additive when making tofu at home, although anti-foaming agents are generally believed to be safe. The following is what I have learned from several websites:

A few drops of cooking oil reduces the foaming. You can also use a small amount of margarine or rice bran instead.

[torakris]

With the small amount of tofu you would be making at home I don't think you really need to add anything, it takes just seconds to skim off the foam.

[Andy Lynes]

The rest of the pictures have been added!

Including pictures of iridofu (stir-fried tofu dish), koya-dofu (freezedried tofu dish) and the yuba making process.

Apologies to all for not getting the course in its entirety up on day one. A fine piece of work in my estimation.

[Hiroyuki]

When I make soya milk at home, it does not taste as good as the one I find in traditional tofu store. Is it because of the beans or just the method is different?

I would like to get some higher qualities soya beans here but there is only different brand of soya beans that all look the same.

My preceding post is not meant to be an attack on torakris's great work; it was my attempt to answer this question of Yuki. Many tofu makers admit that they use an anti-foaming agent and say that they need it to get the most out of soy beans. (Anti-foaming agents are known to have effects other than the prevention of foaming.) One tofu maker who does not use an anti-foaming agent says that he needs to simmer soy milk for forty minutes to make it as good as the one made with an anti-foaming agent.

[Min]

thanks Kris, very informative as always

[Shalmanese]

This is really worth making for yourself, I paid only 100 yen ($1) for all the soy milk needed to make that and the same amount if bought from a tofu store here would cost about 700 yen ($7)! You can get it a little cheaper in the supermarket at $4-$5 but it doesn't taste nearly as good!

Yes, but for over an hours worth of work, your making just above minimum wage making these skins.

[gus_tatory]

...here is a picture of the yuba (tofu skins)

This is really worth making for yourself, I paid only 100 yen ($1) for all the soy milk needed to make that and the same amount if bought from a tofu store here would cost about 700 yen ($7)! You can get it a little cheaper in the supermarket at $4-$5 but it doesn't taste nearly as good!

thanks for a truly awesome class, Kristin~!

my preferred way to eat tofu is cut into mini-slabs, dusted with flour, and fried, served with dipping sauce of tsuyu (flavoured soy sauce: see footnote), lemon juice, green onions, and sesame oil. (drool...)

but i will be trying out the yuba prep from soymilk (i actually enjoy the "labour" of cooking, so the time spent skimming yuba will be restful and contemplative ), and *ALSO* thanks for including a green tea mousse recipe! all the eGullet classes are of a really high quality and this one is no exception!

thanks again,

gus

note: if you can't find tsuyu, i make a tasty approximation by adding one sachet of instant dashi (soup stock powder) to one litre of good, dark, abalone-flavoured soy sauce.