tofu, what excatly is it?

Answer 1

staple in Asia for 2,000 years, tofu is known for its extraordinary nutritional benefits, as well as its versatility. Tofu, also known as soya curd, is a soft cheese-like food made by curdling soya milk with a coagulant. Tofu is a rather bland tasting product that easily absorbs the flavours of the other ingredients. Tofu is sold in water-filled packs or in aseptic cartons. Fresh tofu is usually packaged in water and should be refrigerated and kept in water until used. If the water is drained and changed daily, the tofu should last for one week. Tofu can be frozen for up to three months. Freezing will change its texture however, it will make the tofu slightly chewier.


Types of tofu
Firm tofu - Firm tofu is dense and can be cubed and stir-fried, grilled, scrambled, pickled, smoked, baked, barbecued or served in soups. Firm tofu is higher in protein, fats and calcium than other types of tofu.

Soft tofu - Soft tofu is more suited for recipes in which tofu needs to be blended.

Silken tofu - Silken tofu has a creamy structure and is also used in blended dishes. In Japan, silken tofu is consumed as such with some soy sauce.

Benefits of tofu
Rich in Nutrients - Tofu is rich in both high quality protein and B-vitamins. Tofu is, therefore, an excellent substitute for meat in many vegetarian recipes. As opposed to soya milk, tofu contains a lot of calcium. This calcium originates from the coagulant (nigari). When making tofu, the soy proteins are precipitated with calcium, providing tofu with a ready source of calcium. Calcium in tofu contributes to the prevention of osteoporosis.

Easy to digest - An additional benefit of tofu is that it is extremely easy to digest. This is because the soybean’s fiber is removed during the manufacturing process.

Reduce cholesterol - As most other soyfoods, tofu reduces heart disease by lowering the level of the "bad" LDL cholesterol, and as the result maintaining the level of "good" HDL cholesterol.

Rich in isoflavones - Tofu is rich in isoflavones. When making tofu, the soy isoflavones, genistein and daidzein, remain bound to the soy protein. Firm tofu contains about 35 mg isoflavones per 100g. Isoflavones will reduce the risk of osteoporosis, a disease associated with reduced bone density and increased bone fractures. Isoflavones will also lower rates of breast cancer and prostate cancer, and reduce menopausal symptoms including mood swings and hot flushes.

Answer 2

Tofu, also known as soya curd, is a soft cheese-like food made by curdling soya milk with a coagulant. Tofu is a rather bland tasting product that easily absorbs the flavours of the other ingredients. Tofu is sold in water-filled packs or in aseptic cartons. Fresh tofu is usually packaged in water and should be refrigerated and kept in water until used. If the water is drained and changed daily, the tofu should last for one week. Tofu can be frozen for up to three months. Freezing will change its texture however, it will make the tofu slightly chewier.


Types of tofu
Firm tofu - Firm tofu is dense and can be cubed and stir-fried, grilled, scrambled, pickled, smoked, baked, barbecued or served in soups. Firm tofu is higher in protein, fats and calcium than other types of tofu.

Soft tofu - Soft tofu is more suited for recipes in which tofu needs to be blended.

Silken tofu - Silken tofu has a creamy structure and is also used in blended dishes. In Japan, silken tofu is consumed as such with some soy sauce.


Benefits of tofu
Rich in Nutrients - Tofu is rich in both high quality protein and B-vitamins. Tofu is, therefore, an excellent substitute for meat in many vegetarian recipes. As opposed to soya milk, tofu contains a lot of calcium. This calcium originates from the coagulant (nigari). When making tofu, the soy proteins are precipitated with calcium, providing tofu with a ready source of calcium. Calcium in tofu contributes to the prevention of osteoporosis.

Easy to digest - An additional benefit of tofu is that it is extremely easy to digest. This is because the soybean’s fiber is removed during the manufacturing process.

Reduce cholesterol - As most other soyfoods, tofu reduces heart disease by lowering the level of the "bad" LDL cholesterol, and as the result maintaining the level of "good" HDL cholesterol.

Rich in isoflavones - Tofu is rich in isoflavones. When making tofu, the soy isoflavones, genistein and daidzein, remain bound to the soy protein. Firm tofu contains about 35 mg isoflavones per 100g. Isoflavones will reduce the risk of osteoporosis, a disease associated with reduced bone density and increased bone fractures. Isoflavones will also lower rates of breast cancer and prostate cancer, and reduce menopausal symptoms including mood swings and hot flush

Answer 3

Tofu is a versatile food. It is made from soya bean curd. It can be made into all sorts of things sausages, chunks, mince style pieces even a tofurkey, an American turkey - shaped soya creation eaten by people in the USA for Thanksgiving or Christmas, meat or egg substitutes and can be purchased in most supermarkets. I don't use it very often. It can be very tasty when you use it in Chinese style dishes!

Soya products in the West are very high in phyto-oestrogens so although they are delicious, consume them in moderation!!!

Answer 4

Also known as bean curd, tofu is made from soy milk. It has a slightly nutty flavor that gives it the ability to absorb the flavor of the food with which it's cooked. It can be sliced, diced or mashed and used in a variety of dishes including soups, stir-fries, salads, sandwiches, salad dressings and sauces. It is considered a health food as it is low in calories, calcium and sodium and high in protein. It is also cholesterol-free!

Answer 5

Tofu, also called doufu (often in Chinese recipes) or bean curd (literal translation), is a food of Chinese origin, made by coagulating soy milk, and then pressing the resulting curds into blocks. The making of tofu from soy milk is similar to the technique of making cheese from milk. Wheat gluten, or seitan, in its steamed and fried forms, is often mistakenly called "tofu" in Asian or vegetarian dishes.

Answer 6

nicely, my prominent tofu dish is somewhat unusual. It developed from my liking fried okra, yet desiring something extra important to eat with the okra. even as i replaced into breading the okra with cornmeal, salt and a touch bit raw sugar i keen to slice up a small block of tofu and to bread it to boot and stick it contained in the frying pan with the okra. for this reason, the tofu variety of picked up the flavoring of the cornmeal and such, ended up tasting like a scrumptious cornmeal pancake. So then I placed a touch bit maple syrup on it. Wow, did that flavor solid. Makes for a desirable breakfast. i favor to placed tofu in a good number of diverse issues besides the undeniable fact that, stir frys are the most difficulty-loose and interesting to make. purely take your prominent greens and some tofu and warm temperature it up in a wok or frying pan. I continually placed peppers in my stir fry, so sure they could flavor solid. also in case you purchase tofu crumbles, you may upload them to a chili to grant it extra protein and texture. in case you purchase some smooth tofu you may scramble it in a pan and upload a touch soy-cheese, it seems very like how a scrambled egg might want to be (texture sensible), yet a lot fit.

Answer 7

Well, it is a soy-based protein. It starts out as soy milk and then it is pressed into blocks, which are the curds. It doesn't have much of a taste by itself, but one of my favourites is cutting it into rectangular cubes and covering them in breadcrumbs. They make a great snack! Hope I helped.

Answer 8

tofu is a type of beancurd made from soya beans. usually its white and its flavourless and so you have to add your own flavours to make it taste good, such as using oyster sause or soy sauce. there are various ways of cooking it: you can put it in soups, fry it with meats and vegetables. you can also get fried beancurd in chinese supermarkets, particuarly those in chinatown. they are in clear transparent bags and look yellow in colour because they have been already fried.

Answer 9

you know soya milk?
well like cows milk if you put acid into soya milk the soya proteins come out of solution like curdled milk these are collected and processed
so tofu is sort of like cheese made from soya milk

but only sort of

I'm sure its very healthy but i cannot stand it

Answer 10

Soya