The soft, tender, nutritious, and affordable tofu is a popular everyday food for many chinese.

Tofu was originally eaten by monks and taoist priests who are vegetarians. It was later spread to the general public because of its versatility. It can be used in different ways to create varied dishes including delicious and healthy chinese soups.

What exactly is tofu?

Tofu is made from curds of fried soy beans, which is why it is also known as bean curd.

Nutritionists claimed soy beans as the only vegetable containing a complete protein, which is why it is also known as meat without bones. And it is cheaper than meat.

Tofu is considered a health food. It is high in omega-3 oils, essential amino acids, vitamin A, B, D, E, and also contain calcium, iron, phosphorus, potassium and sodium.

Fresh bean curd readily absorbs flavours and aromas and is a popular vegetarian ingredient.

I have been talking about tofu as if it is a single product. It is not. There are many products made from soy beans. Just like there are different types of dairy products.

Everything starts from the milky tofu liquid that is extracted from the soy beans. To get the liquid, the beans are soaked, pureed, and then boiled with water. It is then made into a wide range of products:

1. Soft tofu or soft bean curd

Soft tofu has a delicate soft smooth texture. It is usually in squares soaked in water. This variation is a key ingredients in chinese soups and spicy mapo tofu.

A more popular and smoother variation of the soft tofu is the silken tofu. The name is a direct translation from the Japanese kinugoshi tofu.

The smoothness is achieved by straining the coagulated milky liquid through fine mesh, then allowing it to settle without pressing. The consistency is closer to pudding.

Soft tofu can be mashed and added to other ingredients. It can be steamed or used in soups.

You can also find pre-fried soft tofu. The skin is brownish and crisy while the interior is still soft and smooth.

2. Firm tofu (dou gan)

As the name suggests, firm tofu is firmer than soft tofu.

The soy curds are transferred to cloth-lined wooden tubs and pressed with weights until compressed into small cream-coloured squares.

These are then stored in cold water and packed.

It is a fairly solid square of tofu and holds its shape better than the soft tofu. Some manufacturers have added spices to firm tofu to make variations.

Great for stir-fry and salads. Cut into thin slices, pan fried till brown. Add to washed mixed greens, drizzle with salad oil and TOSS.

They are also great for braised dishes especially using dark soy sauce and spices.

3. Fried beancurd puff (dau pok)

Bean curd puffs are firm beancurds deep-fried until the surface is crisp and golden with the interior looking like a soft white beehive.

It has a dry chewy texture.

Because of the puffiness, it can be stuffed with meat fillings or fish paste for niang-dou-fu.

It is also commonly added to braised pork and soups where they soak up the flavor and becomes ultra yummy. A must-have in bah ku teh.

4. Dried beancurd sheets: skin and sticks (dou fu pi)

There are also a few kinds of tofu sheets.

Tofu skin is a thick cream-coloured "skin" forms on the surface of hot soybean milk if the milk is allowed to stand for a while. This skin can be lifted off and dried to become beancurd skin.

The skin has a bland creamy nutty flavour and is used mostly in sweet soups.

Another types is larger, firmer and has been pre-fried. This type can be used neat in dishes or act as wraps for meat, seafood and vegetables.

The hokkien prawn rolls (wu xiang) is made with dried beancurd sheets.

Some tofu soup recipes

Most soy products have a rather bland beany taste. But when paired with other ingredients, they seem to magically take on the flavour of the other ingredients.

There is an estimated 400 recipes of distinct tofu dishes, not counting all the different variations of the same dish. A famous representative is the Sichuan pockmarked lady's tofu (ma po dou fu), the Zhejiang Dongpo tofu, the Lanxi Five spices tofu and the Jiangsu Eight Treasures tofu.

Time to cook! I hope you will like these soups made with various tofu products.

Firm tofu soup with carrot and bamboo shoot
A yummy thickened tofu soup recipe using firm tofu, ground pork, carrot and bamboo shoot.

Fish tofu soup
A recipe from Everything Bean Curd! by Betty Saw.

Korean tofu soup
This korean tofu soup features one of the most famous korean food kimchi. Kimchi goes so well with tofu in hot soup.

Seafood tofu soup
A thickened soup recipe with the freshness of seafood.

Silken tofu soup with dried scallop
A warm smooth silken tofu soup recipe with minced green leafy vegetable and dried scallop.

Silken tofu soup with prawn
A light fresh clear tofu soup recipe with just silken tofu and fresh prawns.

Silken tofu soup with tomato
A light clear anti-oxidant tofu soup recipe using silken tofu and fresh tomatoes.

Tofu wakame seaweed soup
This tofu soup recipe produces a light clear soup with the taste of the ocean and the goodness of healthy ingredients. It will make a wonderful starter.