Contents
Soy milk curdled with a coagulant and pressed into blocks — cheese-making applied to soybeans, and about two thousand years old. In cold food it is the most reliable vegetarian protein because, unlike beans, it takes on whatever it is marinated in.
Firmness, and why it decides everything
| Type | Coagulant | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Silken | usually GDL, set in the pack | Blended dressings, chilled hiyayakko, desserts. Falls apart if handled |
| Soft / medium | nigari or gypsum | Soups |
| Firm | pressed | Cubes for bowls, marinating |
| Extra-firm / super-firm | heavily pressed | Frying, poke bowl substitute, anything that must hold its shape |
For a cold bowl, buy extra-firm unless the recipe says otherwise.
Pressing
Water in the block is water the marinade cannot get into. Drain, wrap in a towel, and put a weight on it for 20–30 minutes; a heavy pan works. You will pour off a surprising amount.
The freezer trick: freeze a block of firm tofu, thaw it, and press. The ice crystals leave a spongy, chewy structure that absorbs marinade dramatically better and eats far more like a meat substitute. It is the single best thing you can do to cheap tofu.
Marinating for cold food
Tofu needs an hour, not the fifteen minutes raw fish takes. Soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, ginger, garlic. Salt and acid penetrate; fat and aromatics mostly sit on the surface, which is why frying or roasting afterwards helps.
Keeping
Unopened, to the date on the pack. Opened, 4 days refrigerated submerged in fresh water, changed daily. Marinated and cooked, 4 days.
Elsewhere on the site
Used in: poke bowl · cold soba bowl · rice noodle bowl · banh mi · mezze plate
Related: soy sauce · edamame · toasted sesame oil · Glycine Max (growing)