Bean curd fermented with rice wine and spices, coloured red or white and kept in brine. It has a strong cheesy flavour and is served as a side dish or condiment.
Bean curd, dried and formed into thick, creamy yellow strips, boiled and served as noodles with a chewy texture.
The film which forms on bean curd when it is left to stand. It is lifted off and dried. When ready to use, it is softened by soaking and is used for wrapping foods prior to cooking or cut into strips and made into noodles.
The skin which forms on bean curd when it is left to stand. It is lifted off and dried. When ready to use, it is softened by soaking and is used for wrapping foods prior to cooking. If it is cut into narrow strips it is used to make noodles.
The skin which forms on bean curd when it is left to stand. It is lifted off rolled into quills. When ready for use they are softened, cut into pieces, deep-fried or left as they are and added to cooked dishes.
Tofu. Soya bean curd which is rich in protein, calcium and vitamin B12. It is produced by boiling ground soya beans with water, straining them and then coagulating the mixture and pressing it. It is used as a meat substitute. The flavour is bland, so that it takes on the flavour of the food around it. The texture is woolly when in its softened form, but can be hardened by pressing and becomes more cheese-like in texture. It is a versatile foodstuff which can be fried, stewed or used in salads and sandwiches. If it is stored in the fridge it should be covered in water, which should be changed daily. However, it is quite perishable so don't keep it too long. It is suitable for vegans.
A flavourless, rather rubbery jelly made from mung beans, rice or buckwheat. It is eaten as a snack or incorporated into Chinese dishes as it readily absorbs flavour.
Many pastes are made from fermented soya beans, either yellow or black, salted and dried or mixed with brine, used in cooking and as a salty condiment. The pastes can be thin or thick, smooth or contain whole beans. They are intensely flavoured and are used to enhance the flavour of many dishes. They keep well, have a strong flavour and are used in the cuisines of Japan, China, Korea, Viet Nam and other countries of South East Asia. The important varieties are yellow or brown bean sauce, which is thick and made from fermented yellow soya beans; black bean sauce, which is a thin, salty, full-flavoured mixture made with mashed fermented black beans and flavoured with garlic and sometimes star anise; chilli bean paste; Hoisin sauce; hot black bean sauce, which has a medium consistency and is a combination of black beans, chillis, garlic, sesame oil and sugar; Dhwen-jang; soya bean paste; sweet bean paste, which is made with fermented soya beans with sugar, is quite thick and has a sweet-salt flavour; and miso.
