Kinugoshi, a custard-like tofu often served in the summer, can be made with no fancy equipment and three simple ingredients: water, soybeans and Epsom salt. It's easy to screw up, but with this slideshow, easy to get right on the first try. Even if you lose interest halfway through making it, you've got your own fresh soy milk. More
Why should you seek out vegetarian chicken, when regular blocks of tofu are so much easier to find? Su ji has the silky tenderness of soft tofu with the density of firm tofu.Like a sponge, it readily absorbs the flavors of your braise and takes on a creamy, custard-like quality. More
Even the most full-fledged carnivore needs to take a break from meat sometimes. To fill the protein void, we turn to tofu, the coagulated soy milk block that often gets a bad rap. But if tofu could talk it would say, hey, I am tasty too! Try me with tomatoes and cilantro, or in the Sichuan dish mapo tofu. Let's hear it for that pale jiggly block. Take the tofu quiz » More
My love of frozen tofu began by accident. Stuck with a glut of half-used packages, I threw the tofu into the freezer and promptly forgot about them for weeks. Then, rifling through the fridge one day, I found the blocks tucked away. After tossing them into boiling water, what emerged was some of the most densely-textured tofu I've ever eaten. More
Not all tofu is created equal. Some tofu has a mild, sweet beany flavor and a smooth consistency, while other brands have flavor defects and strange textures. Our Seriously Meatless columnist Michael Natkin took one for the team and tried six brands of firm or extra firm tofu to help you out on your next grocery trip. More
These little soybeans can be soaked overnight, then stewed in dashi, sugar, mirin, and soy sauce. Tiny squares of kelp are simmered alongside the soybeans for an extra boost of umami flavor. It's a simple but utterly delicious dish. More
Barbara Fisher of Tigers & Strawberries put together a really useful post for people who like to cook Chinese food at home, Staple Ingredients of the Chinese Pantry, in which she discusses her favorite brands, what qualities to look for when buying a particular item and how they're generally used in cooking. What I liked most about her list is that she gives you a short but concise summary of why each item should be a regular fixture in your kitchen. For example, we all know about soy sauce, sesame oil and dried noodles, but have you ever considered fermented black beans? They're "black soybeans which have been cooked, salted and fermented, often with slivers of ginger, and this treatment... More
