STIFF OR SILKY, WE TALK TOFU
Soft or firm, stir-fried or smoked, sweet or spicy, tofu is a healthy staple that’s gaining steam with foodies. But as PATRICK LANGSTON discovers, it’s still an acquired taste.
The lowly soybean curd is a staple of the vegetarian diet, but for those who don’t know how to handle it, and want to, we offer some advice.
Tofu: Let’s start our exploration of this wildly popular and healthful food with a disclosure. Prior to this assignment, my sole experience with tofu was a tofu burger in the 1970s. I hated it — a bland, gummy concoction I’d like to forget, but can’t. I tried the soy-based food again recently by stir-frying firm, marinated tofu with vegetables and topping the dish with cashews. My reaction this time was … well, let’s first talk about tofu itself.
WHAT IT IS & WHY YOU SHOULD EAT IT — OR NOT
Tofu, an ancient Chinese creation, is made from soybean curd formed into blocks. High in protein, iron and other nutrients and low in fat, it’s all the rage among vegans and vegetarians and also those looking to reduce their meat consumption.
Health Canada says 150 grams of tofu equals one serving of meat and it’s included in the Canada Food Guide’s recommended meat alternatives.
Tofu is cheap — around $1.50 for 450 grams at the grocery store — and adaptable: it can be grilled, fried, chucked into soups, added to salads, used in desserts, whatever. It also works in sweet and savoury dishes.
“It’s great because it takes on flavours really well and it can be a ‘ hidden’ source of protein,” says Kyle Mortimer-Proulx, chef de cuisine at ZenKitchen, a popular vegan restaurant on Somerset Street.
He uses marinades and sauces with tofu. One of his favourites is a cheese-replacement recipe for ricottastyle pasta that uses soft tofu flavoured with salt, olive oil and lemon juice and zest.
Others add it to chicken, beef and other non-vegetarian dishes.
Ben Baird, owner of The Urban Pear in the Glebe and a committed carnivore, isn’t sold. The restaurant has offered a tofu-based dip and a grilled salad topping, but Baird says it’s a lot of work to make tofu tasty. “Why not just start with something that tastes good already?” he asks.
WHERE TO BUY IT & HOW TO USE IT
Buy local, says Mortimer-Proulx, who favours organic, genetically modified tofu from Soyarie in Gatineau. Rainbow Foods in Ottawa carries Soyarie products.
Other health food stores and supermarkets also sell tofu. An Ottawa company, TOFOOD, which recently formed a limited partnership with Signature Foods, sells its own fresh, marinated tofu at Metro, Loblaws and independent stores. It makes tomato, lemon, carrot and Thai flavours.
“I’m constantly shocked by how many people come up and say they love it,” says TOFOOD co-founder Diane Craig. “We thought it would just be vegetarians, but it’s young mothers with children, health-aware carnivores looking to augment their diet — it’s all over the board.”
Tofu is available in medium, firm and other consistencies for different uses.
Extra-firm, for example, works for barbecue dishes and in soups where you want it to retain its shape. Silken tofu — often called soft — is used in salad dressing, sauces and the like.
Mortimer-Proulx suggests using strong-tasting ingredients, like sesame oil, chili sauces and lime juice, for marinating firm tofu. For soft varieties, try lemonbased and similar marinades.
So-called “stinky” tofu, specially fermented in fish brine and other delights, is the darling of aficionados. You may not care enough to explore marinades for this tofu. When marinating, first cut tofu into small pieces or pierce it with a fork so it absorbs the flavours.
Craig says that novices, used to cooking with meat, often use overly large chunks of tofu in dishes. So even if it’s marinated, “You bite into it, and it’s just this big, tasteless thing.”
Recipes using tofu abound. Classics include Mapo Doufu (there are variations on the name), a spicy dish from Szechuan province to which some add pork or beef. Miso soup is a popular Asian dish made with tofu and other ingredients such as mushrooms.
It’s also used in Indian dishes, including curries.
TOFU TAKEOUT & RESTAURANTS
In Ottawa, the world’s your, uh, oyster when it comes to prepared tofu dishes.
Market Organics in the ByWard Market sells tofu sausages, burgers, nuggets, “chicken” fingers, cheesecakes and more. It also makes sandwiches using its own smoked tofu (you can buy smoked tofu at Rainbow Kitchen for $3.49 for 210 grams).
Pub fare at nearby Chez Lucien includes tofu burgers and a salad with grilled tofu.
The Hintonburger, a popular burger joint on Wellington Street W., offers the Skinny Kitty, a tofu hotdog dipped in batter, at $6.25.
Several other restaurants, from the Blue Cactus in the ByWard Market to The Green Door on Main Street serve the food in stirfry, noodle and other dishes. And, of course, ZenKitchen.
TOFU TIDBITS
Contrary to urban legend, tofu turkey, the chow of choice for vegetarians at Thanksgiving and Christmas, isn’t usually sculpted into a turkey shape. Instead, it resembles a meat loaf or melon. Fresh Tofu Inc. in Allentown, PA does produce a 735-gram product moulded into the silhouette of a turkey (“no bones,” the website trumpets); it comes with herb gravy.
Tofu should be refrigerated; an opened package will keep for three or four days. It can be frozen, although soft varieties contain a lot of moisture and will be mushy when thawed — use it for shakes and slurpees, advises one producer.
Studies reported in Scientific American say that overconsumption of soy could reduce sperm count in men, cause fertility problems in women and negatively affect the reproductive tract of infants. Other studies contradict those findings and some show eating soy may reduce the risk of breast and other cancers.
Wine and tofu can accord. Citizen wine columnist Rod Phillips, for example, has recommended pairing Lurton Pinot Gris 2011 from Argentina with spicy tofu dishes.
BACK TO THAT STIR-FRY
I tried to like it. Really, I did. I even washed it down with a decent Sauvignon Blanc. Alas, eating tofu still feels like chewing on a soggy ping pong ball.