Easy Tofu Cookery

What Is Tofu and Why Is It So Popular With Vegetarians?

January 11th, 2007 Subscribe To Our Feed

Healthy eating is constantly in the news, adverts and magazines. We are being warned to watch our diets, especially in the western world where we eat far too much meat. Our cholesterol levels are soaring. Heart attacks, strokes, obesity and diabetes are on the increase. Add to this the “mad cow disease” scare and worries of damaging hormone levels in animals bred for meat and it is no surprise that many people are choosing a vegetarian diet or at least trying to decrease the amount of meat in their diet.

So is there a good replacement for meat?

You have probably heard about tofu from vegan or health conscious friends and may have wondered what it is like. Tofu is often called the meat of the vegans because it is full of protein and other nutrients that may be missing from a meat-free or low meat diet.
Normally, the standard size of 8 oz tofu has about;
465mg calcium,
36g protein,
330 calories
20g fat.
As you can see, it provides a very good source of nutrients but it can be an acquired taste. However, it is worth perservering.

What is Tofu?

Tofu is simply processed soybean. There are two main types - (i) silken tofu and (ii) normal tofu.
The process of making tofu is very similar to the manufacture of cheese. Soymilk is extracted from the soybeans and then curdled. The curds are then pressed to remove the water resulting in tofu.

Hard Or Soft Tofu - Which Is Best For Cooking?

The harder version is better for most cooking because it has less water content and is easy to cut, mix and fry while the silken tofu would crumble if handled too much. The soft tofu is useful for soups, desserts etc where its softness is an advantage.

When cooking with the hard type, you should always try to remove as much water from it as possible. The more water removed the more absorbent it will become and hence, more tastier when cooked in any gravyor sauce.

Some tofu is excellent for hard fry, some for blending and yet some strictly for desserts. This is why you will need some time to orient yourself and learn the properties of the varieties available. Each brand may have a different type and texture and so it is a good idea to research a little and try different brands before settling down to one particular one.

The research will help you identify which brand is good for the different types of food. Once you have done this, it will be extremely easy to cook this unusual, yet highly healthy food.