Silken Tofu

Name: Silken tofu — soft, smooth, custard-like tofu that is not pressed, but set in its own container, with a very high water content and a delicate, creamy, jelly-like texture. It comes in soft, regular and firm silken types.

Description

Tofu is made by curdling soy milk with a coagulant and pressing the curds into blocks, much like making cheese. It originated in China, and tradition credits the Han dynasty prince Liu An over 2,000 years ago, though this is unproven. It spread with Buddhism to Japan, Korea and Southeast Asia, and is now eaten worldwide.

Silken tofu is made by coagulating soy milk directly in its package, without pressing out the whey, so it keeps its water and has a smooth, wobbly texture. It is called kinugoshi in Japan, meaning “silk-strained,” and is a delicate food, used in miso soup, in cold hiyayakko topped with soy sauce, ginger and spring onion, and in Korean sundubu jjigae, a spicy stew.

Its softness makes it unsuitable for stir-frying, but it blends easily into smoothies, dressings, creamy sauces, desserts and vegan mayonnaise.

Main nutrition value

Silken tofu provides plant protein, calcium and iron, but has fewer calories and less protein per gram than firm tofu, because of its higher water content.

How best to be consumed

Silken tofu is delicate, and used cold, or gently heated.

1. Serve chilled in cubes with soy sauce, spring onion, ginger and sesame oil, as hiyayakko.
2. Slide gently into miso soup or hot pots, at the end of cooking.
3. Blend into smoothies, creamy sauces, dips, puddings and chocolate mousse.
4. Use in vegan baking as an egg substitute.
5. Drain carefully, and handle gently, since it breaks easily.

Overconsumption could cause…

Silken tofu is healthy in food amounts.

1. Soy allergy, which can be serious in some people, particularly children, so anyone allergic must avoid soy and check labels.
2. Possible effects on thyroid medicine absorption, so people taking levothyroxine should leave several hours between it and soy foods, and soy can matter for people with low iodine intake or an underactive thyroid.
3. Isoflavones, plant compounds in soy that weakly mimic oestrogen, which research suggests are safe in food amounts for most people, including those with a history of breast cancer, although very high supplement doses are not advised.
4. Food spoilage quickly once opened, so keep in water in the fridge and use within a few days.

GroupsSoy FoodsLegume family

Made fromTofu

Related foodsEdamameExtra-Firm TofuFermented TofuFirm TofuMisoNatto

Wikipedia — Tofu, used for origin, naming and history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tofu