Lose those pounds — Part 1

Now that the holidays are over, it’s time to think lean:  Try soy for delicious dishes

By: Pat Tanner

Staff photo by Mark Czajkowski

Cookbook author Angela Chang: "This is the fun part of cooking tofu, which can be made to taste like anything you cook with."

   After the rich excesses of holiday dining, I just naturally find myself ready for a diet of light, clean-tasting, even spare foods. The family of Asian soy foods fits the bill perfectly. Not only do I enjoy eating dishes made with tofu, tempeh and miso, and but their widely recognized health benefits make me feel almost virtuous.
   The Food and Drug Administration recommends that diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol also include 25 grams of soy protein a day to reduce the risk of heart disease. To give some idea of how much soy that entails: Three ounces of tofu contain 8½ grams of soy protein; four ounces of tempeh (half a cup) contains 16 grams, and an 8-ounce glass of soy milk holds 8 grams.
   In addition, soy protein helps conserve calcium in the body, is high in fiber and B vitamins (especially folate), and is high in iron, although that iron is absorbed well only from fermented soy foods such as tempeh, soy sauce and miso. Soy consumption has been tentatively linked to the prevention of breast cancer, prostate cancer and osteoporosis, and to helping reduce the symptoms of menopause.
   Cookbook author Angela Chang of Princeton praises tofu, not only for its healthful qualities but also for its versatility. About her recipe for the crispy patties, below, she writes, "Few people would recognize that this is a tofu dish since it looks like a burger and tastes like seafood. This is the fun part of cooking tofu, which can be made to taste like anything you cook with. In this recipe, sautéing and adding a light sauce both play an important role in transforming the tofu from plain to fancy."
   A new cookbook by Ms. Chang, "The Intriguing World of Chinese Home Cooking" (Lifestyle Publishers), has an entire chapter on dishes featuring soy products. The book is currently being distributed to bookstores nationwide.
   Tempeh, a favorite of mine, is fermented soybean cake, widely used in Indonesian cooking. Similar in texture to tofu, it has a distinct nutty taste that makes it appealing even to those who disdain tofu.
   Miso is familiar to many from the soup served at Japanese restaurants. A fermented bean paste, tofu adds richness and flavor to any dish, a quality the Japanese call umami. The "breakfast" soup recipe, below, provides warm nourishment any time of day and takes just minutes to prepare. Dashi, another of the soup’s ingredients, is a stock made with dried bonito (tuna) flakes, seaweed and water. It — as well as miso and tempeh — can be found in most Asian markets. Dashi also comes in granulated, powdered and concentrated forms. For the soup recipe, use five cups of reconstituted dashi.
   Herewith, then, a trio of restorative recipes that taste as good as they are healthful.
MISO BREAKFAST SOUP
from Steven Wheeler’s "Taste of Asia" (1994, Smithmark Publishers’ Creative Cooking Library)
   3 shiitake mushrooms, fresh or dried
   5 cups dashi or light vegetable stock
   4 tablespoons miso
   4 ounces tofu, cut into large dice
   1 scallion, green part only, sliced
   1. Slice the mushrooms thinly. If they are dried, soak them first in boiling water for 3 to 4 minutes. Set aside.
   2. Bring the dashi or light vegetable stock to a boil. Stir in the miso, add the mushrooms and simmer for 5 minutes.
   3. Ladle the broth into 4 soup bowls and place the tofu in each. Add the scallion and serve.

Staff photo by Mark Czajkowski

Most soy products are widely available, in general supermarkets and in Asian stores. On plate: silk tofu (white) and tempeh (brown), a soy cake. Around the plate are other popular soy products.

TEMPEH IN CHINESE-STYLE CARROT & SPROUT SALAD
from William Shurtleff & Akiko Aoyagi’s "The Book of Tempeh" (Ten Speed Press, Third Edition, 2001)
   2 cups slivered carrots
   3 cups mung bean sprouts
   1 cucumber, slivered
   Seasoned Crisp Tempeh (recipe below¹)
For the sesame-vinegar dressing:
   2 tablespoons mild rice or distilled white vinegar
   2 tablespoons sesame oil
   1½ tablespoons shoyu (natural soy sauce)
   ½ teaspoon grated gingerroot
   Dash of cayenne pepper
   1. Bring 8 cups water to a boil in a pot. Drop in carrots and parboil for 2 to 3 minutes. Drop in bean sprouts and cucumber and parboil for 30 seconds more. Drain and rinse vegetables under cold running water for 5 seconds. Redrain thoroughly in a colander or strainer.
   2. Combine vegetables in a bowl with the seasoned crisp tempeh and dressing ingredients, mixing lightly. Chill for 1 to 2 hours before serving.

Seasoned Crisp Tempeh
   ½ cup water
   1 teaspoon salt
   6 ounces tempeh, cut into slices ¼ by ¼ by 2½ inches
¼ to 1/3 cup vegetable oil
   1. Combine the water and salt in a bowl, mixing well. Dip in tempeh slices, then drain briefly on paper towels or on a rack, patting surface lightly to absorb excess moisture.
   2. Heat the oil to 375 degrees in a skillet. Add tempeh and shallow-fry for 1½ to 2 minutes on each side, or until crisp and golden brown. Drain briefly on paper towels.
CRISPY SEAFOOD TOFU BURGERS
   from Angela Chang’s "Chinese Home Entertaining" (Culture & Life Press, 2000)
   2 large squares medium-soft tofu
   1/3 pound scallops or shrimp
   1 teaspoon sherry
   Black pepper to taste
   4 to 5 pieces dried black mushrooms, soaked and chopped
   3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
   1/3 cup Oriental bread crumbs (panko)
   1/3 cup potato starch (optional)
   1 egg white
   2 tablespoons frozen green peas, thawed
   2 tablespoons chopped orange bell pepper
   Oil for sautéing
For the tofu marinade:
   2 teaspoons Asian fish sauce or light soy sauce
   3 tablespoons chicken broth
   2 teaspoons sugar
   Salt and pepper to taste
For the tofu sauce:
   ¾ cup chicken broth
   1 stalk scallion, cleaned and coarsely chopped
   3 cloves garlic, peeled
   ½ teaspoon oyster sauce
   1 teaspoon milk
   1. In a bowl, lightly crumble tofu, add marinade and blend well. Allow to sit for 5 to 10 minutes then transfer to a colander to drain thoroughly. Cut the scallops into fine pieces. Add sherry and pepper, mix well and allow to marinate for 10 minutes; drain thoroughly.
   2. Place the crumbled tofu and the well-drained scallops in a mixing bowl. Add the mushrooms and chopped cilantro and mix everything together. Shape the mixture into large burgers and place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until most water evaporates. Remove and cool slightly.
   3. Dip the baked tofu burgers in egg white and coat with bread crumbs and potato starch. Set aside. In a flat pan, heat 3 tablespoons of oil over medium high flame. Sauté both sides of tofu burgers until lightly browned and crusty. Remove to a serving platter.
   4. Meanwhile, in a small pot, cook the tofu sauce ingredients over low heat for about 5 minutes to extract flavor. When the sauce has been reduced to about ½ cup, turn off the heat and remove the scallion and garlic. Add the green peas and chopped bell pepper to the sauce and pour over the tofu burgers. Serve immediately.