Like so many foods which have been identified as being particularly healthy, tofu, or bean curd as it is also known, has had its reputation in the West shattered by its association with stodgy, unappealing wholefood cookery.
Rather than appreciating tofu for its versatility and its subtlety, in the past we made the mistake of using it as a substitute for meat. Unlike the Chinese, in particular, who love to play games with it, creating artful "goose" and "chicken" and "pork" dishes with the curd, we never explored the ability of tofu either to be a star player in its own right, or to act as an engaging protein source.
But anyone who has eaten good tofu in Chinese restaurants knows just how fine it can be. The almond tofu served in Stillorgan's China-Sichuan restaurant, for example, is a dream dessert, and its dish of tofu with beef and black beans is one of my favourite.
When you come across real, fresh tofu, you realise that it is a subtle, energising food.
To see an expert tofu-maker at work, I went to see Vocky Reed, who lives near to Leap in west Cork, and makes tofu for her family and friends.
Reed makes tofu the classical way: she soaks organic soya beans overnight, then processes them to a milk with boiling water. The resulting mix, the okara, is then heated, before being strained. The purified liquid is them heated once again and mixed with a coagulant. From this, the bean curds float to the top, and are then lifted out and pressed with weights for an hour. It is a process remarkably like that of cheesemaking, and like a good cheesemaker, Reed creates a wonderfully fresh, lissom food, which takes beautifully to the strong, vibrant flavours of Chinese cooking.
The dishes we have selected below, to honour the Chinese New Year next week, give some idea of the scope and ability of tofu to create wonderfully special dishes. It is simple to use, and anyone who is trying to cut meat out of their diet should know that tofu is a fabulous source of protein. But don't just think of it as a replace- ment for meat. If you find a good source of high-quality tofu - Chinese shops sell superior tofu - then you will discover a delicate, food which responds well to having punchy flavours rained upon it.
Vicky Reed can be contacted at: 028-30102
Bean Curd with Spicy Beef Sauce
Pork cooked with tofu is a classic Sichuan dish, but here beef is used instead in a Hong Kong revision of the classic. It's from Ken Hom's book, Fragrant Harbour Taste. Bean sauce and chilli bean sauce can be found in Asian stores. 450g is a lot of bean curd, so I often cut the volumes of this dish in half.
450g soft bean curd, drained
2 dessertspoons groundnut (peanut) oil
1 dessertspoon finely chopped fresh ginger
1 dessertspoon finely chopped garlic
1 dessertspoon chilli bean sauce
1 scant teaspoon bean sauce
225g minced beef
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
4 tablespoons chicken stock
2 dessertspoons rice wine or dry sherry
1 scant teaspoon cornflour mixed with 1 scant teaspoon water
Garnish:
1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 dessertspoons finely chopped whole spring onions
Gently cut the bean curd into 4 cm cubes and set aside.
Heat a wok or large frying pan until it is hot and add the oil. Put in the ginger, garlic, chilli bean sauce and bean sauce and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add the minced beef and stir-fry for another two minutes. Then add the sugar, chicken stock and rice wine and continue to cook for further two minutes. Stir in the cornflour mixture and bring to the boil. When the sauce has slightly thickened, carefully add the bean curd and cook for two minutes or until the bean curd is heated through.
Drizzle with sesame oil, sprinkle with spring onions and serve at once.
Bean Curd with Tomatoes
Another Sichuanese dish, this version comes from a fabulous book of Chinese vegetarian cooking, by the Chinese-American writer Eileen Yin Fei Lo. Ken Hom also includes a somewhat simpler version of this dish in his book Wok Magic.
The sweetness of the tomatoes with the bean curd is knockout. Horse beans are lima beans, and come in jars mixed with chilli.
Sauce Ingredients:
4 teaspoons preserved horse beans with chilli
2 teaspoons Shao-Hsing wine or sherry
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons mushroom soy sauce
1 teaspoon white vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar Pinch of white pepper
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup vegetable stock
1 teaspoon sesame oil
To complete the dish:
6 cakes fresh bean curd
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 1/2 tablespoons minced ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 1/4lbs fresh tomatoes, cut into half inch cubes
1 tablespoon sugar
1 bunch scallions, trimmed, green and white portions separated and diagonally cut into half-inch pieces
1. Combine the sauce ingredients in a bowl. Reserve. Dry the bean curd with paper towels. Cut into half-inch dice. Reserve.
2. Heat a wok over high heat for 30 seconds. Add the peanut oil and coat the wok with a spatula. Add the ginger and salt, then stir. Add the garlic and stir. When garlic turns light brown, add the tomatoes. Stir and cook until the tomatoes are bubbling, (about two minutes). Lower the heat, add the sugar, and cook for about ten minutes, or until the tomatoes are softened.
3. Turn the heat back to high and add the bean curd. Stir until wellmixed and coated. Add the scallions and mix. Stir the sauce and add it to the wok. Mix until the sauce is bubbling. Turn off the heat, transfer to a heated serving dish, and serve immediately.
Serves 4 to 6.
Sauteed Bean Curd with Spinach
While our two previous recipes have assaulted the tofu with strong sauces, here it is cooked very simply, just crisped in the wok and then served on top of the spinach. I found that the pre-cooking of the spinach was unnecessary, and simply cooked the leaves in the oil and stock remaining in the wok after the bean curd is cooked. The recipe comes from Yan-Kit So's Classic Food Of China.
550-675g spinach
4 cakes bean curd salt
120ml peanut or vegetable oil
100ml chicken stock
1 tablespoon thin or light soy sauce
1. Wash the spinach thoroughly. If the stalks are thick, make a 5 cm-long split from the end of each to ensure even cooking of the spinach.
2. Cut each cake of bean curd into four or five rectangles. Pat dry with kitchen paper.
3. Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Add one teaspoon salt and two tablespoons of the oil. Add the spinach, submerging every stalk under the water. As soon as the water returns to a simmer, pour into a colander and rinse with cold running water. Drain thoroughly.
4. Heat a large flat frying pan (or wok) over a high heat until the smoke rises.
Add the remaining oil, swirl it around to cover the entire surface of the pan and heat until smoke rises. Add the bean curd, piece by piece, to the oil and fry for two to three minutes until golden on both sides, turning them over at half-time.
Reduce the heat, pour in the stock, season with the soy sauce and salt to taste and cook for about another minute so that the bean curd can absorb the stock.
Remove to a dish and keep warm nearby, leaving as much liquid and oil in the frying pan as possible.
Return the spinach to the frying pan and cook until very hot. Put in a serving dish, then arrange the bean curd pieces on top. Serve hot, immediately.