Tofu, also known as “bean curd,” has been around for over 2,000 years! Legend has it that it was discovered by accident in ancient China when soy milk curdled during cooking. What started as a happy mistake quickly became a staple of Chinese cuisine. By the 8th century, tofu made its way to Japan, where it was further perfected, and then spread to Korea and other parts of East Asia. It wasn’t until the 20th century that tofu hit the West, gaining popularity among vegetarians and health-conscious eaters. Today, tofu is loved worldwide for its versatility and plant-based protein power—proving that a simple food can stand the test of time!
Growing up in Poland, tofu wasn’t readily available, and Asian cuisine wasn’t as popular back then. The first time I tried soy milk and tofu was probably when I was around 20 years old, but I don’t remember cooking with tofu at that time. It wasn’t until a few years later, when I moved to China to study, that I started eating and cooking tofu regularly. Unlike the West, tofu is an extremely affordable ingredient in China, costing less than a euro per kilogram, with many different varieties available in every supermarket. In Stockholm, tofu is becoming increasingly popular, with new brands and varieties popping up, but Asian supermarkets still offer the widest range of tofu types.
Yesterday, an ex-VegChef student and chef, Enlin, came to teach us about tofu and show us how to make our own silken tofu. He also brought several types of tofu and explained their uses. Here’s a short summary of the different types:
- Soft Tofu is silky and smooth, often used in sweet desserts with syrup or as a savory dish in soy-based broths and sauces.
- Tofu Skin (Yuba) is thin, chewy, and slightly crispy, commonly used in stir-fries, hot pots, or wrapped around fillings to make tofu skin rolls.
- Tofu Puffs are light and airy with a sponge-like texture, absorbing sauces beautifully, making them perfect for hot pots, curries, and stir-fries.
- Tofu Knots are firm and chewy, often tied into small knots, ideal for dim sum, stir-fries, or soups where they soak up the flavours of broths and sauces.
- Firm Tofu holds its shape well, but is still soft and chewy, making it ideal for stir-fries, scrambles, marinated dishes, grilling, or pan-frying.
- Extra Firm Tofu is very dense and holds its shape well, best used for grilling, baking, or pan-frying. It can be cubed or sliced into tofu steaks and is perfect for dishes that require a meat-like texture.
- Pressed Tofu is firm tofu with excess moisture squeezed out, giving it a chewier texture, perfect for tofu stir-fries, tacos, or skewers.
Personally, I love all the different types of tofu and could eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, so I was super happy that yesterday our class challenge was to cook delicious dishes using this amazing ingredient. In the end, I recreated three Chinese dishes that I really like:
Cold Tofu Skin Salad (凉拌豆腐皮) – made using tofu skin simmered and cut into noodle strips, tossed with a simple homemade chili oil, garlic, ginger, julienned veggies, soy sauce, and some vinegar for added acidity.
Tomato and Tofu Stir-Fry (西红柿炒豆腐) – originally made with eggs, but I love this tofu version. It’s saucy, tangy, and hearty—perfect with rice or as a tofu scramble alternative for breakfast.
Fried Mung Bean Noodles with Tofu Puffs – this is my go-to dish on a weekday night, made with noodles and any veggies I have on hand, julienned into thin sticks, mixed with aromatics, fermented soybean sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil
This dish turned out to be our teacher’s favorite, and he even asked to take some for dinner! It really makes a world of difference when I cook food that I actually enjoy eating myself. Even though this is the simplest dish I’ve made so far, my belief in the dish shines through.
The day before, I had a rather tough day in the kitchen, so going back to the roots and cooking from the heart was much-needed. I’ll share all the recipes shortly! 😊