Bean curd names:

extra soft:

doufunao (Mandarin),
Douhua (Singapore),
tau huay (Hokkien),
tau foo fa (Cantonese)
Oboro-dofu (Japanese)

Soft:

Doufu (Mandarin),
tau foo (Cantonese),
tau hu (Hokkien)
Kinu-tofu (Japanese)

firm:

Doufugan (Mandarin),
tau foo kon (Cantonese),
tau kwa (Hokkien)
Momen-tofu (Japanese)

deep fried:

youzha doufu (Mandarin)
tau foo pok (Cantonese)
tau pok (Hokkien)

Soya bean curd

A product of soya beans made by extracting soya milk from soaked soja bean and then cooking and adding a coagulating agent, fresh soya bean curd has a wonderful aroma noticeable from a distant and should be used whenever available in stead of packaged products.

Firm bean curd

Bean curds are bland but certainly not tasteless and versatile as an ingredient. They come in various firmess and maybe flavoured. Generally, three basic types of bean curd are called for in recipes: soft, firm and deep fried. Soft bean curd breaks apart easily when handled and is usually used for soups or served as a cold dish topped with a sauce. Firm bean curd could be cooked in any number of ways - stir fried, stewed, grilled or pan fried. It absords flavours more readily and is often sold spiced.

Spiced bean curd is ready to be served.

A beancurd never used in cooking is an extra soft beancurd which melts in the mouth instantly. It is usually served as a breakfast with a syrup in Southeast Asia, and with soya sauce, sometimes spiced with chilli, in China. In Taiwan, it is served with syrup and spiced with ginger juice.

Extra soft bean curd served with plam sugar syrup

Firm bean curd when deep fried, turns puffy and is ideal when stuffed and grilled. Should fried bean curd appears greasy, blanch to remove excess oil before use.

Buying and storing

Traditionally made bean curd contains no preservative and is highly perishable. To prolong shelf life, it is often sold submerged in water. Give it a good sniff and buy only if it has a pleasant odour, avoid any with the slightest hint of sourness. Bean curd maybe stored in the fridge for a day or two covered in water with the water changed at least once a day. Freezing turns a doufu porous and somewhat chewy, resulting in an ancient delicacy known as Dong doufu(frozen doufu). Deep fried bean curd maybe stored in the freezer without a noticeable change in texture.

A simple way to enjoy a good fresh piece of beancurd is to pan fry it with a little oil till golden brown and serve it with your favourite sauce.

Furu, fermented bean curd

Furu, or doufuru, are little squares of fermented beancurd usually come neatly stacked in a glass or earthen jar. They are soaked in a liquid which contains rice wine, salt and various spices such as Szechuan pepper and chilli. Naturally cream in colour, a variety named nanru, is dyed red with a natural dye made of rice. With a distinct and complex flavour, it is often used as a marinate or seasoning ingredient in meat dishes and stews. It may simply be served with plain rice porridge with a splash of sesame oil and sugar.

Laba doufu: a special fermented bean curd made during the winter months

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