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August 25, 2006

edamame tofu

In an effort to expand my tofu horizons, I've been scanning the shelves for interesting-looking products, and this green and lovely cake of edamame (fresh soybean) tofu caught my eye. Unlike plain tofu, it has a fairly pronounced flavor, kind of sweet and nutty, helped along by the actual beans studded throughout. To prepare it, I just patted it dry, added some grated ginger, chopped myoga and green onions and a splash of tsuyu. Oishii, yo!

The texture is soft, more like a kinugoshi (silk) tofu, because it was made using nigari*, a coagulant derived from seawater. Since it is so delicate, it's officially okay to eat this type of tofu with a spoon, but -- as when I eat sushi with my fingers -- I never feel quite right about doing it. I feel like, if I were a real chopstick master, I'd be able to manage it with ease. So I usually end up using chopsticks anyway and sacrificing the little bits of errant tofu that end up at the bottom of the bowl for the cause of my future chopstick champion status.

*For a truly interesting read/listen, check out the The Food Issue of The New Yorker, which has an article about artisanal tofu makers in Japan. It's where I first learned about nigari.

Posted by anjali at 9:41 AM | Comments (1) | Categories: Ingredients | Soy | Summer