Lightbulb moment: dofu is tofu

[Binky Profile]

I mentioned on another thread that I didn't have a Chinese cook book. That has been rectified and I now have 'Chinese Food Made Easy' by Ching He Huang. Her recipe for Fish Fragrant Aubergine is more or less the Fuschia Dunlop version, so I felt that she would be a reliable guide to further Chinese dishes. Plus it was only £2 in the local Barnardos shop (and unused).

I was puzzled by her reference to the ingredient 'dofu' which crops up in many of her recipes. I then realised that it is the Chinese version of tofu (which I take to be Japanese). Bingo!

[Alexandria Profile]

Binky,

Tofu and Doufu ( Mandarin ) are beancurd and this product has been used for over 2,000 years in China.

This info and the spelling is confirmed by Wiki.


Have fun with your Chinese Cuisine ..

[Binky Profile]

I know it must seem obvious to anyone with a knowledge of Asian cuisine, but it was new to me.

The recipes in the book look very tempting, and I will try Grandmothers Fried Rice as soon as I have bought some jasmine rice and some Five Spice Powder.

[Renee Profile]

Thank you for the reminder about the word 'dofu'. I did know, but had forgotten.

Have fun with your cooking!

[Joanbunting Profile]

Have fun Binky. I can't stand the stuff myself.

[Badger's Mate Profile]

Ching used to cop a lot of flak on the old BBC board, I recall. I thought the criticism was excessive - as with you Binky, I was struck by the similarity between some of her recipes and the Fuchsia Dunlop equivalent. None of the critics would have said the same things about FD.

We like tofu here, either stir fried with various veg, or braised (Ma Po, or with oyster sauce & mushrooms for example)

Good luck with the Chinese cooking. I got into it many years ago thanks to Ken Hom, the original BBC series and the book that accompanied it.

[Amyw Profile]

I’ve only had tofu once and wasn’t that impressed . Someone did say to me it’s totally different with the moisture squeezed out and fried . I know silken tofu is used a lot in vegan desserts

[Binky Profile]

Amy, it sounds like you haven't prepared the tofu properly.

You need to take the block and squeeze out the majority of the liquid. Then take some paper towels, or a tea towel, and wrap the tofu. Squeeze again.

Tofu needs to be lightly fried for a good 10 minutes (5 minutes on either side) and you will end up with a firmer crisper product. We do this for our stir-fries, and OH who needs to eat a lot of protein, fries slices most mornings to eat with a tomato salsa.

[Sakkarin Profile]

Tofu come's in a wide range of guises, Amyw, my local oriental store stocks at least four "strengths" of fresh tofu, from very soft which is almost like jelly, to very firm which is almost as firm as cheddar.

There's also the fermented tofu in jars, a complete thread on its own, from the disgusting stinky grey tofu to the gorgeous red fermented tofu which is drenched in a wine marinade.

Tofu also comes in dried sheets, for wrapping. I've got some in my cupboard but never got round to trying it.

I'd say Sunflower's is the first port of call if anyone wants in-depth info on tofu, she even makes the stuff on there.
http://sunflower-recipes.blogspot.com/2 ... -tofu.html

Here's Stuffed Fried Tofu, made with bought ready fried chunks, which I think I made from a recipe on Sunflower's site.

[Stokey Sue Profile]

I use tofu/dofu quite a lot

I like ma po dofu but actually prefer the veggie version that uses chopped reconstituted shiitake mushrooms in place of the mince, just because of the texture

I buy it from the oriental supermarket where they sell different grades of firmness, anything 4 or above needs no pressing, it can easily be stir-fried just after draining

I don’t much like silken tofu (texture), and I don’t generally like soy milk or soy based desserts as I find there’s a nasty aftertaste

This is what I buy. Cheap and cheerful

263A598E-102C-4E52-8690-0FA1F452A8F6.jpeg (141.66 KiB) Viewed 5657 times

[Alexandria Profile]

Binky,

Have alot of fun.

I understand it is nice fried in Evoo ..

However, I am with Joan, and do not care for it at all.

Have a lovely weekend.

[Otterspocket Profile]

I used to make a fake bacon sandwich during my veggie years using the smoked version dry fried til crispy but haven’t enjoyed it since until I had it as part of an expensive omnikase recently - it was soft like an egg custard and accessorised by various salts and their signature smoky soy I could have eaten my share all over again

[karadekoolaid Profile]

I really must make an effort to try some properly prepared tofu one day.
Up until now, I´m not impressed, but then I´m not impressed by ricotta, either.
It evidently depends on how it is pprepared.

[Joanbunting Profile]

Ching used to cop a lot of flak on the old BBC board, I recall. I thought the criticism was excessive - as with you Binky, I was struck by the similarity between some of her recipes and the Fuchsia Dunlop equivalent. None of the critics would have said the same things about FD.

We like tofu here, either stir fried with various veg, or braised (Ma Po, or with oyster sauce & mushrooms for example)

Good luck with the Chinese cooking. I got into it many years ago thanks to Ken Hom, the original BBC series and the book that accompanied it.

The same way as I got into Chinese cooking. I haven't used the tofu very much because it is simply not available here.

[Sakkarin Profile]

I started with Kenneth Lo's "Encyclopœdia of Chinese Cookery" in 1979, but it was difficult to follow, as many of the ingredients were hard to identify, even though I had access to them as I worked next to Soho's Chinatown and its many oriental groceries.

1984: Ken Hom made it all accessible and opened our eyes, he's the one I consider my ultimate guru. Many of the classic dishes were in that very first book of his. Still got them both, falling to bits they are so thumbed. Most (if not all) of those old programmes are on YouTube now.

Don't like much of what he does now though.

[Stokey Sue Profile]

I enjoyed the series Ken Hom and Ching did going round China together but more travelogue than recipes

I had Chinese friends and flat mates at uni and just after, so picked up a little bit from them, then there was the Buwei Yang Chao book How to Cook and Eat in Chinese and a couple of Kenneth Lo books before I really paid attention to Ken Hom from 1984 on - I have one of the first Ken Hom Woks

But I think I cooked more from Kenneth Lo than any other source until Fuchsia came along

Learning from other students had the advantage that the only fancy ingredients we used were soy, ginger, garlic and spring onion