On 12/2/2013 12:59 PM, Timo wrote:
>
> Other fun tofu stuff:
>
> Soft tofu works well in lots of soups.
>
> Hard tofu: slice or dice, and deep-fry until puffy, and then it's a porous sponge for flavour. I mainly do this for stirfries, but sometimes in soup.
>
> Tofu is basically curdled soymilk. Strain and drain, and the hardness depends on how much water is pressed out of it. You can get it undrained, and it can make nice soup like that. Super-soft tofu!
>
I met some guys that used to make tofu in Hawaii years ago. They also
made natto too as well as other soy products. One guy was a haole so it
would blow people's mind to see a white guy make these things using the
old style Japanese method. When he bought the business, he knew nothing
about making tofu but learned on the job. They got the coagulants and
cultures from Japan. He said it was quite expensive. These days they use
gypsum and mineral salts to coagulate tofu.

The other guy started marketing King's Portuguese Sweet Bread over here
and on the mainland. I said they call it King's Hawaiian Bread on the
mainland and he gave me a sly smile. He also started a Hawaii foods
manufactures association. We started talking to them because they were
analyzing my wife's salad. These guys were into food! I suspect that
they might have been giants of the Hawaii food industry.