Made from soya bean, bean curd (or tofu as the Japanese know it) is a very rich source of calcium. Essential to Buddhist vegetarian food it is gaining in popularity in the West. The beauty of tofu is that it is quite bland to the palate and takes on the flavours of the ingredients it is cooked with. This versatile bean can be made into many by products, from fresh, deep fried, dried sheets, drinks, puddings to a fermented curd 'cheese'. There are many types of bean curd available in our superstore but the textures available from our website store are soft and firm as shown below.
Soft Tofu
Soft tofu is made extracting the 'milk' from mashed and cooked soyabeans and processing it into curd-like cakes. Used in soups, broths and steamed dishes, soft tofu needs to be handled carefully. A very soft form of tofu is also known as silken tofu, favoured for its smooth texture. The softest curd of all is served with a sugar syrup as a snack or dessert.
Firm Tofu
Easier to handle, firm tofu can be cut into cubes and deep fried. This may be eaten on its own, drizzled with a light sauce or added to braised dishes or hot pots. Indeed in a vegetarian hot pot tofu provides a vital source protein.
Bean Curd Sheets
A by-product of soyabean milk, bean curd sheets are made from the skin that forms in the cooking process. These bean curd sheets are dried in stick or flat form and need to be soaked in water to reconstitute them. The flat 'stick tofu' is added to hot pots or used as dim sum wrappers. One way the flat skins are used in the Far East is to fill them with a mixture of minced meat, five spice powder and water chestnuts to make a form of sausage, deep fried and served as a snack.
Beancurd Cheese
Here fresh beancurd is fermented with salt, rice wine and sometimes chilli. The result is an aroma not dissimilar to ripe Western cheese. It is often served to add flavour to a plain dish or eaten as an accompaniment to a plain rice congee. Sold in jars it needs to be refrigerated after opening.
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