Those who search for versatility in their food ingredients often go for Tofu or Silken tofu. Commonly called Bean curd, it is a soya product that is prepared by the process of curdling of fresh soya milk, then applying pressure upon it, and then finally cooling it, a procedure much similar in nature to the way dairy cheese is prepared by curdling and solidification of milk. While the ‘Whey’ or the liquid is removed, the process of solidification of curds is done so that the final milk product is obtained. Used for several types of preparations in Thai or Chinese kitchens, tofu is being cooked in various ways so that its texture might change; sometimes soft and sometimes prepared with an extra bit of crunchiness as well as crispiness. There are extra calories in tofu that make it a dynamic food.
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What are the coolest facts about Tofu?
Benefits of tofu include that it’s a wonderful source of amino acids, iron, calcium, as well as other micro-nutrients; therefore its uses cannot be negated at all. Born out of Chinese legends wherein a simple case of serendipity or accidental discovery took place, one cook curdled soy milk all of a sudden post the addition of nigari seaweed into it. The result was found to be quite amazing. Tofu or okabe got its first introduction into the Japanese culinary world in the Eighth century. Brought forth into continental cooking, Tofu and soya both are cooked these days as ingredients in various dishes relished by people from around the world.
Nutritionally speaking
An enormous source of protein along with essentially important eight amino acids, tofu has iron and calcium plus all the minerals like manganese, selenium and phosphorous. Also, tofu contains magnesium, copper, zinc and vitamin B1. It’s considered as a great health food for people of all the ages and offers protection against cancer or heart diseases of all kinds. What R & D done in this regard show is that tofu lowers down cholesterol levels, as it gets bind to oestrogen receptors; it minimizes the chances of any female getting breast cancer.
Tofu’s contents show that it is good for women undergoing stages of menopause. It is a fact that during various stages of menopause, the human body stops the natural production of oestrogen and it gets reduced that the symptoms might show.
Tofu is a boon for those who prefer to consume it
Genetically speaking, the role of the environment around us might show how human bodies might show ‘stimulus to response generation’ to certain foodstuff. It has been concluded that the diet that is enriched with phytoestrogenic food contents is considered to be beneficial in certain cases. A vegetarian might like to have soya containing foods like tofu that are extremely nourishing for the body.
Preservation of tofu
Tofu is meant to be refrigerated and used when required. Preserved in sealed containers, tofu is sold to the target audience and might be stored at generic room temperature, as and when the seal is removed, it ought to be refrigerated for preservation. Homemakers rinse tofu, cover it with water and then store it in a refrigerator. Care is taken that the water in which tofu is kept, ought to be changed frequently. One of the best advantages of tofu is that it can be frozen for a time period of up to five months.