Diet Life

Tōfu (Soy beancurd )

Hi  everyone  how have you been?   I’d like to talk about one of Japanese representative “Cool Japan” food “Tōfu (soy beancurd)” today.

The word of Tōfu has been well known all over the world as it has a nutricious food and considered one of Japanese healty food.

“Tōfu”, it is one of the best favorite dish along with “Natto”.

As they are made from beans, both of them are very nutritiouns, protein in paticular because I’m a vegetarian, so I love it. So I take either Tōfu or Nattō for meal every day.

What’s Tōfu (soy beancurd)?

When it comes to a side dish served to accompany Sake (Japanese alcohol), it is absolutely No.1 as a relish for lovers of sake.

We can say it contains a lot of nutrition, to put it in other words, it’s a liver-friendly accompaniment for any alcohols.

Only a few decades ago, its sellers were often seen going around town, blowing a small horn to let everyone know that they were there.

Buying it on the street was very common. Today, most people buy it at supermarkets, but the significance in the Japanese diet has not changed a bit.

Tōfu,soy beancurd

It is made from soybeans. It’s nutritious and has long been an important source of protein for the Japanese.

One popular summertime when it’s hot days in particular, its dish is hiyayakko. Chilled one is served with various condiments on top, and soy sauce is poured over it.

Soy beancurd

Whereas, during the cold winter months, yudōfu makes frequent appearances. It is warmed in a pot and eaten with a soy sauce-based dip.

Tōfu

How is Tōfu made ?

It spoils quickly, so a new batch is made at local tōfu shops every morning.

First, soybeans that have been soaked in water overnight are mechanically mashed. Then they’re cooked in a boiler. The liquid extracted when boiled soybeans are squeezed is soy milk-a highly nutritious beverage in itself.

Nigari (the liquid residue from the process of removing salt from seawater), is then added as a coagulant. The soy milk solidifies and becomes tōfu.

Tōfu,Soybeancurd

How come tofu becomes so popular?

It came to Japan from China in the 8th century. Later, in the 13th century, the Buddhist prohibition on meat-eating gave rise to vegetarian cooking, and it became an essential ingredient. Monks considered it as their primary source of protein and invented many tōfu dishes.

In the 18th century, a book containging 100 tōfu recipes was published. It popularized its cuisine among the masses.

This is one of the dishes in the book. It’s called arare-tōfu. To make it, it is chopped into small cubes, which are are rolled around on a bamboo sieve until they become rounded.

These balls are then fried in oil. And this one is kori-tofusealed in agar. Pouring brown-sugar syrup on top makes it a wonderful sweet treat.

Soy beancurd

It is light in flavour and blends in nicely with other ingredients. Many one recipes have been developed over the centuries, and it remais a key element of Japanese cuisine today.

So which do you prefer, hiyayakkō or yudōfu for tonight dinner?

And last but not least, “Nattō” which is made from the same gredient beans and full of nutrition, to be well worth browsing, thanks

About the author

古林 茂樹(Shigeki Furubayashi )