Silken Tofu: Choosing a Smooth Tofu for Sauces, Soups and Desserts
Silken tofu has a smooth, delicate texture that works well in preparations where a creamy result or a tender piece of tofu is wanted.
Silken tofu has a smooth, delicate texture that works well in preparations where a creamy result or a tender piece of tofu is wanted. It can be blended into sauces and desserts or handled gently in a soup or chilled dish.
The most important shopping detail is the word silken. It describes a style of tofu, not simply the lowest setting on a single firmness scale.
Silken tofu can also be firm
Mori-Nu sells silken tofu in soft, firm and extra-firm versions. An extra-firm silken product is therefore not necessarily the same ingredient as a pressed extra-firm block chosen for a stir-fry.
Read the full description. If your recipe specifies silken tofu for blending, buy that style; if it needs sturdy cubes for browning, confirm that the product is the type the recipe expects.
Useful ways to cook with it
Silken tofu is particularly useful when blended smooth. Nasoya suggests applications including sauces, dips, smoothies and creamy desserts. The amount of liquid and other ingredients still needs to come from the recipe; swapping a whole block for another ingredient by eye can change the consistency considerably.
For intact pieces in a soup, cut and move them gently. Vigorous stirring can break up a delicate block, which may be welcome in one dish and disappointing in another.
Refrigerated versus shelf-stable
Some silken tofu is sold in aseptic cartons designed for unopened room-temperature storage. Mori-Nu identifies this packaging as a feature of its products. Other tofu needs refrigeration from purchase.
Do not apply one product's storage instructions to every silken tofu. Follow the actual label, including what changes after opening.
Choosing the first recipe
A blended dressing or a simple soup lets you learn the texture without asking the tofu to be something else. A delicate block does not need to become a crispy cube to justify its place in dinner.