KMS asked:


I love going to Vietnamese restaurants and getting vermicelli dishes with the fresh veggies and tofu. The tofu doesn’t seem like it’s fried (I hope it’s not!), but it has a really great texture and it’s not oily at all. It’s just slightly chewy. It’s also like this in the tofu spring rolls w/ peanut sauce that I enjoy. I can’t seem to replicate this at home. Does anybody know the method that might be used to make the tofu like this?

Thanks for any tips!

Vernon

Nicholas Tan asked:


Most milk is mucous forming.  When a cold develops or pneumonia sets in, the last thing offered should be a milk product due to the mucous in it. Soy is still milk, even though it is called a “vegetable milk.” Children under two years of age are being advised not to drink cow’s milk due to the high protein in it. Yet soy milk is high protein also, and is seriously being promoted for children today, especially those who have had milk allergies.  The soy milk is curdled and hung in a cheese cloth, this forms a sold curd which is called tofu or soy cheese.  Processed soy products is the most mucous forming food on the planet!

It has been proven in Japan that soy has goitrogens in it, which depresses thyroid function. It also is high in phytic acid and is 99% genetically modified, plus having one of the highest percentages contaminate of pesticides there is.  Scientists are beginning to agree that grain and legume based diets high in phytates are helping spread mineral deficiencies in 3rd world countries. 

Soy has come to us from the Orient where it is called “the meat without a bone.”  Tofu is a very natural protein based product from soy that replaces meat in the Orient. Traditionally, it was eaten by the Japanese as part of a mineral-rich fish broth.  Recent studies show vegetarians who eat tofu and bean curd as meat substitutes for dairy products and meat, are at risk for mineral deficiencies. Supplements need to be added to compensate for this deficiency.  Vegetarians who consume tofu and bean curd as a substitute for meat and dairy products risk severe mineral deficiencies.

The Chinese did not eat soybean as other legumes and lentils. They felt that the soybean contained large amounts of harmful substances.  Many reasons are cited for it, but soy products continue to grow in the United States at an alarming rate. Chocolate soy milk and vanilla soy milk are just a few products that we find in our grocery stores today.



Keith

teddy_bear_from_texas asked:


The brand of tofu I buy very logically says ??? on the cover of the medium tofu container. However, the firm tofu says ???. What is is about firm tofu that it’s called old in Chinese? Can ? mean hard or firm in addition to old?

Sharon

Sunflower G asked:


I sort of invented a recipe with tofu. I cook mushrooms, bean sprouts, shrimp, a little onion and lots of pineapple in pineapple juice, but my tofu always turns to mush. I buy the firm kind and cube it, but it still ends up mushy. Should I precook it or something like that? Any suggestions?

Michael

Greg Rush asked:


One of the cheaper and more popular types of sushi in the market nowadays is the Inari Sushi. It is made by stuffing sushi rice, and even some vegetables into small pouches of deep fried bean curd or tofu, also more popularly known in its Japanese term as aburage. Instead of the usual Nori seaweed or soybean paper, aburage is used in this sushi. Aburage can either be sold in packets or packaged in cans, and is widely distributed throughout most Japanese specialty stores or supermarkets. This type of sushi is also called by some famous nicknames, like pocket-sushi and brown-bag sushi. But whatever the monikers may be, this type of sushi is easy to make, less expensive, and tastes really good!

Following the simple procedures below can have you making your own Inari sushi in no time.

Inari Sushi Rice Recipes

Ingredients:

4 deep fried tofu pieces, cut into half

2 cups prepared sushi rice

3 tablespoons sugar

4 tablespoons soy sauce

3 tablespoons Mirin or sweet Japanese cooking wine

1 and ¼ cup Dashi or fish stock

Salt

¼ cup shredded carrots (par-boiled)

1 teaspoon sesame seeds (toasted) optional

Pickled ginger (for garnish)

Steps

1. Since the tofu is deep-fried, it is necessary to get rid of the excess oils. Do this by soaking them in boiling water. Cool for a while, and then cut them into half. This makes 8 tofu pouches in all.

2. Combine soy sauce, sugar, dashi and mirin in a small pan. Bring to a boil over slow to medium heat. Add the tofu pockets to the boiling sauce. Let it simmer for about 15-20 minutes, over slow heat, and completely covered. After 20 minutes, turn off heat, and drain the tofu. Squeeze them dry and set aside.

3. Combine sushi rice, carrots, and the toasted sesame seeds.

4. Stuff the rice mixture into the cut tofu, carefully folding over the ends to secure it.

5. Arrange in a plate and garnish with the pickled ginger.

This recipe yields 8 servings of Inari Sushi

Some useful tips:

• Some canned tofu are seasoned and already cut into serving pouches. Therefore, you can do away with the simmering in soy-sauce and mirin mixture. However, boiling the tofu in the sauce is most ideal, as it will ensure more flavor.

• Mirin is a kind of Japanese cooking wine, sort of a sweeter version of the usual sake. The mixture in making this wine usually consists of steamed mochigome rice, shochu (Japanese liquor), and komekoji (rice yeast). These are then fermented to make mirin. There are actually two types of mirin available in the market. Hon mirin contains 14 percent alcohol. Shin mirin has less than 1 percent alcohol, and is therefore more ideal for cooking. Shin Mirin is often bottled and has a yellow gold color. Mirin is also used to prepare seasoning for sushi rice.

• Aburage is often confused with Atsuage. While both are soybean products, and are deep fried, aburage is of the thinner variety. Atsuage is also triangular in shape, thick, and ideal for simmered soups, added in stir fries, or served with soy sauce. Aburage is often shaped into squares and rectangles. This makes the aburage perfect when stuffed with sushi rice and made into Inari Sushi.

• Dashi or fish stock is relatively easy to make. A cup of Katsuobushi or dried fish flakes can be combined with 2-3 cups of water, and then boiled over low heat. Then the fish flakes can be strained to retain the fish stock.



Steve

Raymond Lee asked:


Can tofu help prevent ****** cancer? Increasingly, it looks that way. Soy foods – soybeans, tofu, miso, tempeh, soy milk, soy protein and textured vegetable protein (TVP), but not soy sauce – offer all the healing benefits of the other beans. In addition, they contain unusually large concentrations of chemicals – isoflavones and phytosterols – with cancer-preventive value. These chemicals may help account for the low rate of ****** cancer among Asian women, who eat soy foods as staples.

Breast cancer. Soy isoflavones and phytosterols first came to American scientific attention at a National Cancer Institute conference in 1990. isoflavones, also known as phytoestrogens show the most powerful anti-cancer effects. They are structurally similar to the female *** hormone, and they bind to the same receptor sites on ****** cells. But unlike hormonal estrogen, isoflavones and phytosterols do not spur the growth of ****** tumors. When the soy chemicals bind to estrogen receptors, they prevent hormonal estrogen from doing so, which in turn prevents tumor growth. Soy foods’ marked influence in estrogen metabolism was demonstrated on six women in their twenties with regular menstrual cycles add two ounces of TVP to their usual diets. Within a month, their menstrual cycles were two to five days longer. Longer menstrual cycles mean less lifetime exposure to estrogen and, many scientists believe, less risk of ****** cancer. It was also then substituted the same amount of miso, a fermented Asian soy food, for the TVP and found an even greater effect.

Hot flashes. In Japanese, there is no word for “hot flashes,” the uncomfortable feeling of heat that plagues many women during menopause. Hot flashes develop as production of hormonal estrogen declines. It is suggested that the estrogen-like chemicals in soy replace declining hormonal estrogen and prevent hot flashes. Japanese who eat a traditional Japanese diet consume about 24 pounds of soy a year. Americans consume about 3 pounds annually, mostly because soy protein is added to many processed foods. Eat as much soy as you can, as long as your soy foods are low in fat.

High cholesterol. As beans replace meat in the diet, cholesterol levels decline. Research showed that, compared with other beans, soy foods are effective cholesterol cutters. In a study, volunteers whose average cholesterol levels were very high (353 mg/dl) and who were already on low-fat diets. Some continued eating as they had been, while the others’ diets were modified to include generous amounts of soy. After four weeks, the ones whose diets were unchanged showed no change in cholesterol levels, but among the soy eaters, average cholesterol levels plummeted 27 percent, to 257 mg/dl.

Prostate and colon cancer. Tofu and its soy cousins may also help prevent prostate and colon cancer. A study showed that those who ate the most tofu had the lowest rate of prostate cancer. It was also discovered that as soy food consumption rises, colon cancer risk falls. Scientists theorize that in addition to soy’s direct anticancer effects, people tend to use it to replace the meat in the diet. Meat’s high fat content has been linked to both prostate and colon cancer.



Amanda

Minh Nguyen, D.d.s. asked:


Fresh beets, ruby-red, crunchy, and sweet, are an appetizing addition to your table. If you’ve been exposed only to canned beets, our fresh beet recipes will be a revelation. And since beets offer a variety of health-improving benefits, we hope you’ll find one of our recipes to be a great way to reintroduce yourself to them.

Beet roots are especially rich in folate, which is essential for normal tissue growth. In fact, during pregnancy, a woman must get enough folate to protect her baby against defects of the spinal column. And betacyanin is the pigment that gives beet roots their vibrant color. Several studies have shown that this antioxidant is an impressive cancer-fighter.

Beet greens are an important edible part of the beet because they are a rich source of calcium and potassium. Calcium is a necessary mineral for the health of teeth and bones, and not getting enough can be harmful to health. In fact, according to the American Academy of Periodontology, those who get less than 500 milligrams a day of calcium are about twice as likely to have periodontal disease. And, as a part of a reduced-calorie eating plan, calcium has been recently shown to help control abdominal fat, which has been linked with higher risks for cardiovascular disease.

Potassium, also abundant in beets, is significant, too. Potassium is an electrolyte. Electrolytes have several functions, but an important one is regulating the metabolism. Although most Americans get more than enough sodium, which is another electrolyte, we may not be getting all the potassium we need to keep our electrolytes in balance, so eating beets can be a good strategy.

Recipes

Beet juice, beautiful as it is, will stain almost anything it comes in contact with. As you prepare these recipes, you might want to use an apron, disposable gloves, and cutting board that can easily be washed. If you get beet juice on your hands, try washing them with lemon juice to remove the color.

Roasted Beets

Small- to medium-sized beets

Canola oil

Dried thyme

Dried oregano

Salt

Cut off the root and stem ends of the beets, and then slice. Toss slices in enough canola oil to coat, and sprinkle with the dried herbs. Spread slices out on a roasting pan. Roast at 400 degrees for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until easily pierced with a knife. Sprinkle with salt and serve.

Honey Mustard Beets

1 lb. beets

1 Tb. lemon juice

2 Tbs. butter

1-1/2 tsp. dry mustard

1/8 tsp. cinnamon

Pinch of powdered cloves

2 Tbs. orange juice

2 Tbs. honey

Salt to taste

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Gently wash beets just before cooking. Trim leaves from beets, leaving about 1 inch of stem. Put beets in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Add lemon juice and a dash of salt, and then bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for about 30 to 40 minutes until easily pierced with a knife. Drain, and then add cold water to the pan. While they’re warm but not hot, peel the beets (the skins should come off easily). Move on to the next step, or store the beets in the refrigerator until you’re ready.

Melt butter in saucepan over low heat. Add mustard, cinnamon, cloves, and juice and stir for several minutes until dissolved. Add honey, salt, and pepper.

Cut the cooked beets into cubes, and add to the sauce. Toss gently, and stir occasionally until beets are heated through.

Tofu with Beet Greens

1 cup baked tofu cubes

1 lb. beet greens

1 Tbs. olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, mashed

Soy sauce to taste

Wash the beet greens and drain. Then remove the stems and shred the leaves.

Heat the olive oil in a pan. Add the onion and saute until translucent. Add the tofu and cook until the tofu just begins to turn brown.

Add the beet greens and stir fry about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 more minute, or until the greens are cooked. Add soy sauce and cook for another minute.

Tip: If you don’t enjoy tofu, substitute cooked, cubed potatoes, and use salt instead of soy sauce.

Beet Salad with Cheese and Pine Nuts

5 medium beets

1 Tb. lemon juice

1 bunch beet greens, leaves not longer than about 8″

3 Tbs. olive oil

2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar

3/4 tsp. Dijon mustard

Freshly ground pepper to taste

1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

2 cups arugala

2 scallions, finely chopped

1/4 cup soft goat cheese or feta cheese

Gently wash beets just before cooking. Trim leaves from beets, leaving about 1 inch of stem. Put beets in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Add lemon juice, and then bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for about 40 minutes or until easily pierced with a knife. Drain, and add cold water to the pan. While they’re warm but not hot, peel the beets (the skins should come off easily). Allow beets to cool completely, and then cut into cubes.

Wash beet greens, remove stems, and chop leaves into bite sized pieces. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Drop greens into boiling water, and cook for 30 seconds. Remove greens, place in colander, run cold water over them to stop the cooking process, and allow to drain. When drained, gently squeeze excess water from greens.

To a small jar, add olive oil, balsamic vinegar, mustard, and pepper, and shake well to mix. Put beet cubes, beet greens, toasted pine nuts, arugala, and scallions into a salad bowl. Pour over the oil and vinegar mixture. Slice cheese thinly, and scatter on top of salad.



Elaine

zen34000 asked:


Yes, this is exactly what happened: Tibet, though victimized and devastated by the Chinese, has kept the spirit of truth alive and has managed to show the world, and the Chinese themselves, how very cynical and corrupt their leaders are.

In fact, as Paul Tapponnier of the Institute of Geology of Paris explained, is that Tibet caused the earthquake. Tibet is moving eastward in the direction of southern China and towards the Sichuan province. This is due to the movement of the tectonic plates, whose origins go back to the continental collision which created the Himalaya mountain range itself.

A coincidence? The fact is that this earthquake and the terrible damage that it has caused has unmasked just how very corrupt this regime is. Schools and hospitals were the constructions which suffered the most damage. Many of them fell, even when the surrounding buildings remained standing. Thousands of children lost their lives. In Dujiangyan the people gathered on the sites where the schools had stood, yelling “tofu, tofu!”. The reinforced concrete of the low quality constructions were as soft as tofu. In Chongqing, where the earthquake did not cause major damage, the only building that fell was a school in the suburbs, causing the deaths of 4 children. The rest of the city suffered no other visible damage.

In the area of the earthquake’s epicenter, 90% of homes were destroyed. Obviously, thousands of deaths could have been avoided if the constructions had followed even the most basic standards. (In 1978, stricter building requirements were put into place. The latest were imposed in 2001.)

Chau Kam-tim, professor of geotechnical engineering at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, is quoted by Bloomberg as stating, “China has very clear laws. Whether the local government or individuals implement them remains a question. Obviously, there’s a problem.”

The anger of the population has begun to increase. It is concentrated on the school buildings. Local media can no longer be controlled. The desperation of the victim’s families have led to many queries of great embarrassment to the authorities.



Charles

xandra242002 asked:


I understand that soymilk/tofu makers are better if they squeeze out the maximum amount of liquid from the soybeans. Is this true? What has been your experience with this machine? And where can I buy non-GMO soybeans?

Edna