Tofu, ah, beautiful tofu

One of my favourite things on earth - TOFU (well, regarding food that is..)

Came across this great article in The Japan Times and thought I would share it with you..
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/fs20060829a3.html
Tofu, magic for both body and taste buds
By YUKARI PRATT

When the summer heat sets in, my Japanese mother religiously serves hiyayakko (chilled tofu) sprinkled with katsuobushi (bonito flakes) and soy sauce. Just looking at this simple dish, I feel myself starting to cool down, knowing that tofu actually helps lower your body temperature. Soy products have many reputed health benefits and conveniently comes in an astonishingly wide variety of forms, including noodle-like somen tofu (left) and "Charisma" tofu with whole soy beans. Natural refrigerant, anticancer agent, cholesterol combatant -- the list of tofu's reputed health benefits is long.
It is difficult to overrate just how good tofu (made from soybeans) can be for your health.
"I think soy has the potential to be a magical ingredient," said Jacqueline B. Marcus, RD, a food and nutrition consultant from Northfield, Ill. "Research in several areas of health has shown soy may play a role in lowering risk for diseases such as heart disease, osteoporosis, diabetes and cancer."
"Soybeans contain five classes of compounds that have been identified as anticarcinogens," Marcus said. "Further, research indicates soy protein may help lower blood cholesterol."
"As little as 40 grams of soy protein consumed daily for six months can increase bone mineral content and bone density," Marcus said. (Forty grams of soy protein is the equivalent of one cup of soy milk, 4 ounces of tofu, or 4 ounces of edamame.)

Tofu is a versatile ingredient that comes in a wide variety of forms ranging from savory to sweet. Of course, it often gets a bad rap for being plain, and that is no surprise.

One of my summer favorites is tofu somen, which comes as delicate, thin strands of tofu that could easily be mistaken for somen (wheat) noodles. Another unique tofu is edamame-studded and curiously named "Charisma" tofu.
The production of tofu is surprisingly simple. Soy milk is coagulated with nigari (magnesium chloride, which can be extracted from sea water), explains Yukiko Hayashi, author of the cookbook "Tofu Zanmai (Tofu Obsession)."

Running through the four main types of tofu, Hayashi explains that Momen dofu is firm and good in stir-fries or rolled in almonds or sesame seeds and sauteed for tofu steak. Kinugoshi dofu (silken tofu) is her recommendation for miso soup. One (adapted) dish from her cookbook that packs a lot of punch is garlic, peanuts, chirimen jako (baby sardines) and sakura ebi (dried shrimp) sauteed in oil and poured over kinugoshi dofu and seasoned with Thai nam pla fish sauce. For a Korean twist, try a dressing of chopped raw tuna, kimchi, soy sauce, sesame oil and salad oil.
Zarudofu and yosedofu have a high water content and therefore are very soft on the palate. Zarudofu is served in a zaru, or woven basket, hence the name. Both have an inherent amami, or sweetness, to them, and Hayashi suggests serving zarudofu with top-quality olive oil and sea salt, or alternatively grated ginger or nerigarashi (Japanese mustard) with soy sauce.
Liquid form

Make your own
Homemade tofu may be the easiest Japanese dish you will ever make, bar none. You may find yourself, as I did, shaking your head at the pot thinking, "it's that easy, and this delicious?"
Kyoto business Yubahan has been making yuba since 1716.
* Check the tofu corner of your supermarket, not the dairy section where you find regular soy milk, for a bottle of soy milk with a small packet of nigari (magnesium chloride) attached to it.
Warm the soy milk over medium heat until bubbles start to form. Take it off the heat, add the little pack of nigari, stir a bit and, as it starts to curdle, stop and let it rest. Spoon it into serving bowls and top with a citrusy-soy ponzu.

*Yuba - The first step is to get good quality tonyu soy milk from your neighborhood tofu shop. In a large Teflon pan, add the soy milk -- a large pan gives you a larger surface to make the yuba from and the Teflon coating helps prevent the the soy milk from burning. Apply strong heat and, just before it begins to boil, drop the heat to low simmer. Be patient as the skin slowly forms on the soy milk. With a pair of long chopsticks, gently pick up your piece of yuba and set aside in a serving dish.

Photo below is of Rikugien. Just taken today. Very beautiful place and hope you get a chance to check it out and wander in the delicate gardens. Definitely a worthwhile trip if you are around Bunkyo-ku.

Happiness belongs to the self-sufficient

Aristotle

Autumn is coming

Autumn is in the air, the wind has changed direction and has brought the rain with it. These are the days you don't mind being in the office and I am actually looking forward to the cooler winter days.. I can also get to wear my winter clothes.. Looking forward to them, especially, my new acquired long black cashmere coat from Theory... As much as I dislike the cold, I do like dressing for the warmth.

As for other things, my mother has left Japan and was quite upsetting for a while. Even the locals (flowershop, bakery girls) were in tears! Seems she connected so well with the Japanese and found it hard to say goodbye. No doubt she will be back again soon and I will be complaining about my lack of privacy once again..!

Now getting back into my routine and socialising a bit more with my friends. Looking forward to what Autumn is going to bring.

Yesterday, my good friend N and I ended up walking from Rikugien (really neat Japanese garden based in Komegome, Bunkyo-ku, to Yotsuya. We had so much to talk about that we just decided to keep walking to the next station. I haven't worked out the distance yet, but over the day, we worked out that we walked for 5 hours. Not bad huh...! Just have to find a way that I can earn cash from these expeditions! hee hee.. Rikigien is really beautiful and hard to imagine that there is all this nature in the middle of Tokyo! It is close to Tokyo University and it was a garden of the owner and founder of Mitsubishi. If you like to sit back and contemplate the meaning of life with a very good quality cup of macha, I highly recommend this garden. It's a bit of the beaten track, so not a lot of people there either. (Since it was a week day?) Anyway, check out the link www.pbase.com/mpascoe/rikugien has some good photos of it (not only of Japan either..)

When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace.
Jimi Hendrix

been a while

Wow, can't believe it is almost the end of August. The days have been going by quickly, and the first way of telling that is how quickly the light is changing in the late afternoon. By 5.30 the sun has almost gone down now, a sign that Autumn is not that far away. Gone will be those days of finishing work when the daylight is still there.

A number of things have changed, and one of them is that my mother will be returning back home after four months here. Has been wonderful having her here as we have been hanging out and exploring new places. People have been great to her and she always tells me these deep and interesting conversations she has with the locals. I ask her if they spoke English, and she said they didn't. It's amazing how much can be communicated without the need of being billingual. Ahh, those days.. Sometimes, it would be nice to be back in the non-billingual world and see the difference of how people treat you. I guess I can always go back into that box, since I am recognised as always being a foreigner, until you say a word in Japanese. Maybe I will just do that for now on, and be a non-bilingual girl in Tokyo.

My paper is being marked as you read this. I hope for a good mark. Another paper is started, with the dead line being at the end of this week! Perhaps, you won't here from me again for a while... Will try and write in here a bit more and keep you dated about what has been going on. So much to fill you in on and tell you what we have been doing. But for now, this will have to do and it is nearing 11pm, which by all means is almost past my bed time!.. Need my beauty sleep that is for sure.

Rest well and will be back again soon! Stay tuned!

Small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises.
Demosthenes