How is it done?
Tofu is curdled and pressed soy milk (a legume). Low in calories, fat and salt free, it is an excellent source of protein, containing all the essential amino acids to replace meat and fish. But its soft texture, bland taste and immaculate color are not unanimous. A versatile food, it nevertheless becomes easily tasty “when seasoned with soy sauce, fresh herbs, spices or even twisted into a sweet version”.
Which one to buy?
First, you have to choose your degree of firmness. We distinguish between “firm tofu for sautéing, frying, braising… and silken tofu, gelled and very delicate, which replaces the custard-egg mixture in a pie or a gratin.”
Camille Oger’s advice? “Buy it in an Asian grocery store where there are more references offered with soy qualities dedicated to tofu and coagulants that taste better.” To avoid making a mistake, we rely on the calorie content. “The fewer calories the tofu has, the more diluted the soy is and the softer the tofu. To correct the texture of tofu that is not firm enough, drain it in a cloth; to soften it, mix it with water.”
How to cook it?
Silken tofu is revealed when used “like a yogurt to replace cream or eggs in a savory pie, a gratin or a dessert, but is also very refreshing served cold with wasabi, grated ginger and soy sauce,” says Camille Oger. Slipped into fried rice or braised with soy sauce and honey, firm tofu is succulent. And mixed like ricotta to stuff vegetables, it is sublime.
“Tofu, The Anthology”, by Camille Oger (published by La Plage, 2019).
