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« Local Tofu Gems in Seattle, Vancouver, Portland |Main
September 26, 2012Fermented Tofu Misozuke Recipe
I came home on Sunday and inspected a couple of tubs of tofu thatI‘d left sitting in the fridge while I was away on the Pacific Northwest tofu tour. One contained creamy salty tofumisozuke, an old school type of fermented tofu from Japan that I’d made about 6 weeks earlier. I smeared a piece on bread to taste. It had mellowed and matured nicely while I was traveling.
The other tub of tofu – a block of super-firmtofu, had slimy white and orange stuff on it. I threw it out as it had clearlygone bad. That’s the difference between tofu that’s been preserved and not. Oneyou want to eat and the other you discard.
A while back, I posted a Q&Awith Dang Vu, a Vietnamese-American who’d started making and selling tofumisozuke in the Bay Area. A couple of Twitter friends suggested that I make thestuff so I did. There’s a fermented tofu recipe in Asian Tofu (see page 41) soI wasn’t daunted. Note that some people call tofu misozuke "vegan cheese." To me, it's just an Asian type of fermented tofu.
If you’ve had Chinese fermented tofu (fu ru in Mandarin, chao inVietnamese, tao hu yi in Thai), tofumisozuke is similar, though relatively obscure in Japan. Its use seems to berelatively limited to eating it as a nibble or spread. In Washoku,Elizabeth Andoh suggests it as a snack food with drink. Chinese fermented tofu, on the other hand, is used as acooking seasoning for marinades, sauces, braises, stir-fries and roast meats.
What’s thelow-down? In a nutshell, if you salt tofu and then let it sit around, itwill break down into a creamy texture. Whereas Chinese fermented tofu sits in asalty and rice wine brine for months, Japanese tofu misozuke is coated withmiso, sake and sugar. Without these elements, the tofu grows mold and turnsslimy – just like regular cheese does.
The ideais this: Block tofu is basically a dairy product. It’s made from the curdsthat result from coagulating soy milk, like how cheese is prepared. Let the soy or animal milk curds go bad in agood way and you get something rather tasty.
To make tofu misozuke, I applied concepts that I learned from developing the Chinese white fermented tofu recipe in the book:
Using firmer tofu makes prettier, sturdierchunks but they take longer to turn creamy because the curds are morecompressed.Waiting is the hardest part. It takes 6 to 8weeks for the stuff to mature.Taste on a weekly basis to monitor progress.The stuff was burpy to me at the front end.Ferment in the fridge for food safety’s sake.Tinker with the flavor. I made 2 trials andfound that going a little saltier was better. Blend your favorite misos.The trickiest thing about this recipe is wrapping up the tofu incloth. The Japanese often marinate foods by wrapping it in cotton cloth andthen slathering the marinade on the outside. I used a piece voile (a thincotton fabric sold at fabric stores) so I could wash and reuse it. Muslin wouldbe a little too thick so yes, you could use a double layer cheesecloth. Youwant just a thin layer of fabric between the tofu and the tofu mixture.
So I spread some miso marinade on the bottom of my container thenlined it with the fabric. Then, I put the tofu in, cover it with fabric, then themiso.
This is a great recipe for people who like to do science experiments in the kitchen. Or, if you just want to do something cool with tofu. I suppose you could also gift this for the holidays if you get started soon.
RECIPE
TofuMisozuke
Yield: about 10ounces
Ingredients
10 to 12 ounces (280–336 g) medium-firm or firm tofu, organicor non-GMO preferred2/3 cup (7 oz, 200 g) white miso1 1/2 tablespoons (1 1/4 oz, 35 g) red miso1/4 cup sake3 to 4 tablespoons mirinInstructions
Cut the tofu into two 1-inch-thick slabs. Place on a dry dishtowelor paper towels and set aside to drain for 15 minutes. Pat the tofu to remove excessmoisture.In a bowl, combine both kinds of miso with the sake and mirin.Adjust the flavor for a salty, sweet finish.Select a container to snugly contain the tofu in one layer. Spread1/3 of the miso mixture on the bottom. Arrange the voile (or cheesecloth) ontop. Place the tofu on the fabric. Then fold the fabric over the tofu. Spreadthe remaining miso mixture over the fabric to cover the sides and top. If needed,fold any excess fabric over the miso mixture. Cover the container and refrigerate for 3 or 4 days. If watergathers in the container during this period, pour it off. Nick and taste thetofu after this first period and it will seem really salty. Unwrap the tofu andtransfer it to another container lined with parchment, cover and refrigeratefor 5 to 8 weeks. (Discard the miso mixture and recycle the voile or discardthe cheesecloth.)You can eat the tofu after the first 3 or 4 days of marinating butit will mellow and transform as it sits longer. Put it in the back of thefridge and forget about it. You can cut off bits to monitor its progress. Ifound that at 6 weeks, mine was nice. I'm sure it'll be even better at 8 weeks. Enjoy as a cheese-like spread – onbread or a cracker.Related links:
My Q&A with Dang Vu of Rau Om on his Tofu MisozukeRau Om's recipe for tofu misozukeRecipe Renovator's recipes for tofu misozuke (Stephanie Weaver has variations)Posted in Asian Tofu, Recipes: All, Recipes: Appetizer and Snack, Recipes: Gluten-Free , Recipes: Gluten-Free Adaptable, Recipes: Tofu, Recipes: Vegan, Recipes: Vegetarian | Permalink | |
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Comments Fermented Tofu Misozuke Recipe
I came home on Sunday and inspected a couple of tubs of tofu thatI‘d left sitting in the fridge while I was away on the Pacific Northwest tofu tour. One contained creamy salty tofumisozuke, an old school type of fermented tofu from Japan that I’d made about 6 weeks earlier. I smeared a piece on bread to taste. It had mellowed and matured nicely while I was traveling.
The other tub of tofu – a block of super-firmtofu, had slimy white and orange stuff on it. I threw it out as it had clearlygone bad. That’s the difference between tofu that’s been preserved and not. Oneyou want to eat and the other you discard.
A while back, I posted a Q&Awith Dang Vu, a Vietnamese-American who’d started making and selling tofumisozuke in the Bay Area. A couple of Twitter friends suggested that I make thestuff so I did. There’s a fermented tofu recipe in Asian Tofu (see page 41) soI wasn’t daunted. Note that some people call tofu misozuke "vegan cheese." To me, it's just an Asian type of fermented tofu.
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