Soy-free “Tofu”

What is soy-free “tofu” ?

According to the definition, the essential criterion for something to be called tofu is the occurrence of a protein coagulation during the manufacturing process. In theory, apart from soy milk, any other bean milk that can undergo the same protein coagulation and aggregate into a solid state can be called tofu. This is actually the view of the Chinese pharmacopoeia "Běncǎo Gāngmù" (Compendium of Materia Medica).

The issue is that among all the beans known to humans, currently only soy milk stands out because its chemical composition contains a high proportion of protein, which is the basis for undergoing a protein coagulation.This also means that if we want to solidify other bean milks ou bean pastes into a solid state, we must rely on other coagulants such as starch, gelatin, agar, and so on.

Although the appearance of the final product is similar, there is a fundamental difference between this type of coagulation and the coagulation of soy milk: in the coagulation of soy milk, the entity undergoing the coagulation reaction is the soy milk itself, and the added coagulant only serves to catalyze the coagulation. However, in the coagulations involving starch, gelatin, agar, and the like, the entity undergoing the coagulation reaction is the coagulant itself that has been added; other bean milks or bean pastes do not actually participate in the coagulation. They are merely hitching a ride, being fixed in place while the additives coagulate.

Furthermore, in addition to other beans, various plants and even certain animal-derived ingredients are also used to produce foods with a similar appearance to tofu. We collectively refer to this type of food as "soy-free ‘tofu’,” to distinguish it from authentic tofu made with soy.

Shui Mianjin

The Chinese term "mianjin" means gluten, which is a highly elastic protein found in wheat, barley, and rye, as well as their derivatives. The production of mianjin-based foods relies on this structural characteristic. In Chinese vegetarian culture, mianjin-based foods are considered an alternative to tofu. They are categorized into three main types based on production processes: shui mianjin (boiled gluten), you mianjin (fried gluten), and kaofu (fermented gluten). The production process of shui mianjin includes kneading dough to form a stable gluten structure, washing the dough with water to remove starch and impurities to obtain raw gluten, and then cooking the raw gluten in boiling water to produce shui mianjin. It’s suitable for sautéing, braising, and stewing.

You Mianjin

The Chinese term "mianjin" means gluten, which is a highly elastic protein found in wheat, barley, and rye, as well as their derivatives. The production of mianjin-based foods relies on this structural characteristic. In Chinese vegetarian culture, mianjin-based foods are considered an alternative to tofu. They are categorized into three main types based on production processes: shui mianjin (boiled gluten), you mianjin (fried gluten), and kaofu (fermented gluten). The production process of you mianjin includes kneading dough to form a stable gluten structure, washing the dough with water to remove starch and impurities to obtain raw gluten, and then frying the raw gluten in hot oil to produce you mianjin. It’s suitable for stewing in soups and hot pots.

Kaofu

The Chinese term "mianjin" means gluten, which is a highly elastic protein found in wheat, barley, and rye, as well as their derivatives. The production of mianjin-based foods relies on this structural characteristic. In Chinese vegetarian culture, mianjin-based foods are considered an alternative to tofu. They are categorized into three main types based on production processes: shui mianjin (boiled gluten), you mianjin (fried gluten), and kaofu (fermented gluten). The production process of kaofu includes kneading dough to form a stable gluten structure, washing the dough with clean water to remove starch and impurities to obtain raw gluten, fermenting the raw gluten, and steaming the well-fermented gluten, which then becomes kaofu. It is suitable for braising and cold tossing.

Mafu

Mafu is a food made from sesame seeds and mung bean starch. The earliest written record about it appeared in the 12th century in China. Later, during the late Yuan and early Ming dynasties (13th to 14th century), Han Yi's “Advice of Late Yi Ya”(Yi Ya Yi Yi) detailed the production process, specifically including the following steps: grinding sesame seeds with water to obtain sesame paste, filtering the paste to obtain sesame milk, cooking the sesame milk similar to how soy milk is cooked, adding mung bean starch, and cooling to solidify into tofu-like form; the ratio of sesame seeds to mung bean starch used in the recipe is 2:1. By 1818, during the Qing Dynasty, Gu Zhong wrote the "Culinary Collection on Health Preservation" (Yang Xiao Lu), which recorded an improved recipe. This version added a step of pre-roasting sesame seeds. It can be inferred that this step was added to more effectively release the aroma of sesame seeds. In addition, "Culinary Collection on Health Preservation" also recorded the usage of mafu, recommending treating it as a vegetarian ingredient, and cooking it by frying or boiling.

Liangfen

Liangfen* is typically made from pea starch, mung bean starch, or potato starch, among others. The production process involves mixing starch with water, heating it until it reaches a gelatinous state, and then molding and cooling it. The final product is a white gelatin. Compared to tofu, it has a semi-translucent, shiny appearance resembling jelly, and an elastic texture. It is usually consumed without reheating, often cut into blocks or strips, and served with savory, sour, or spicy sauces. Liangfen is particularly popular in the northwestern region of China.

*liang : (served) cold ; fen : originally powder, extended to mean foods made from powder.

Burmese Tofu

Burmese tofu, also known as chickpea tofu, is made from chickpeas or chickpea flour. The process involves soaking, heating to form a gel, cooling to set, and then cutting into pieces. It may seem that no additional coagulant is added during its production, that’s because chickpeas themselves have a high starch content, which acts as a natural coagulant. The gelatinous texture of Burmese tofu is due to starch solidification, while its bright yellow color comes from the addition of turmeric powder during production.

Almond Tofu

The main ingredient of almond tofu in traditional Chinese recipes is solely apricot kernels, while modern recipes may use either apricot kernels or almonds. The basic preparation steps include grinding the nuts into a paste, mixing it with water and a coagulant, boiling, then cooling to solidify. The choice of coagulant is quite flexible, ranging from agar, gelatin, to konjac gel, among others. Additionally, since almond tofu is primarily consumed as a dessert, sugar or other sweeteners are added to the recipe; and to increase smoothness, the addition of milk is also common.

Mesona Jelly

Mesona jelly is produced from the leaves of the Chinese mesona plant (Platostoma palustre). The leaves contain natural compounds such as polysaccharides and proteins which, when extracted and processed correctly, have the ability to form a jelly when mixed with water and heated. Traditionally, the jelly-making process typically involves boiling mesona leaves in water to extract the gelling compounds. Then, this solution is filtered to remove solid particles. Finally, the solution is cooled, forming a black jelly with a slightly bitter and herbaceous taste. However, in modern mesona jelly preparations, additional gelling agents such as agar-agar or starch may be added to ensure consistency or speed up the gelling process. Originating and popular in southern China, mesona jelly is typically consumed during the summer to fend off the heat and is often served cold with syrup, honey, or fruit.

Water Chestnut Jelly

The principle of water chestnut jelly manufacture lies in the fact that water chestnut flour itself has a high starch content, which undergoes starch gelatinization at high temperatures to form a jelly. The most traditional and basic method includes the following steps: grinding water chestnuts into paste, removing water and drying, milling them into flour, mixing water chestnut flour with heated water sweetened with brown sugar, and solidifying it into water chestnut jelly. In practice, to enhance the smoothness and flavor of the finished product, fat is often added during the step of mixing water chestnut flour with heated sugar water. Additionally, to enhance the visual appeal of the finished product, fresh water chestnuts that have been cut into small pieces are added at the same step, giving the finished product an amber-like appearance.

Yufu

Yufu literally means fish tofu and is a food made from fish, usually mud carp, and has a tofu-like appearance. The basic production steps are as follows: the fish is chopped into fish paste, then mixed with egg whites, starch, water, and salt to form a mixture, then the mixture is shaped into balls of approximately 2 cm in diameter with a spoon and plunged into oil for frying. During frying, the fish balls expand to 2-3 times their original size. After cooling, they shrink back down. The final product closely resembles fried tofu. It can be eaten directly or used as an ingredient in hot pot or soup.

Tamago Tofu

Tamago tofu is nothing more than steamed eggs, that's why it's also commonly referred to as “egg tofu”. Its production principle lies in the coagulation of egg protein at high temperatures. In the practice, to achieve a smooth and delicate texture, eggs are often mixed with other liquids, which can be water, soy milk, or even broth. Additionally, to increase the protein content of the finished product, plant protein powders, including soy protein, may also be added.