
Tosuiro – a foray into tofu gastronomy

Tosuiro
Fresh soy products:
Soy milk ramen
Soy milk soft serve
Yuba soy milk skin types – e.g. kumiage, tsumami, hikiage, kanso
Coagulated soy products:
Tofu types – e.g. oboro, kinugoshi, zaru, momen, koyadofu
Aburaage / atsuage
Tofu cooking – yudofu
Tofu cooking – quiche
Tofu cooking – shiratama dango
Okara soy milk residue – e.g. unohana, croquette, donuts
Fermented soy products:
Soy yogurt (bacteria soy milk ferment)
Natto (bacteria whole soy ferment)
Tempeh (fungus whole soy ferment)
Soy-free mimics:
Soy milk ramen

Soy milk ramen. Vegan ramen class at Washo Cooking, Osaka (top, bottom left); Towzen Ramen, Kyoto (bottom right).
Soy milk ramen is now a feature in many vegan cafes across Japan. One of the longstanding and best place to try it is at Towzen, a chef-owned hole-in-the-wall restaurant in the suburbs of North Kyoto. It may take a while to find your way there, but every slurp of the ramen is worth the trip. I had the original Musashi Ramen that came with sauteed nameko, yuba and framed by two cute stalks of mitsuba. The soy milk broth was smooth as silk, rich as butter and packed an intense umami flavour to it. The al dente noodles were the perfect vehicle for slurping up the broth. Typing this is making me hungry.
Soy milk soft serve

Soy milk soft serve at Organic Raw8 Cafe, Osaka (left); Vegans Cafe, Kyoto (right).
Yuba soy milk skin

Kumiage yuba sashimi, one of the courses at Tosuiro tofu kaiseki, Kyoto.
There are four distinctive textures of yuba in traditional Kyoto cuisine, effected based on the precise timing of harvest and level of setness of the soy milk skin. First is kumiage or scooped yuba – so delicate that it can only be eaten with a spoon. Second is tsumami or pinched yuba – this has a little bite between the teeth. Third is hikiage or pulled yuba – which is even more firm. The first three are nama or fresh yuba and have a short-shelf life. Yuba can be dried, which is called kanso yuba, and can come in many shapes: hira or flat, maki or rolled, musubi or knotted.

Kirikomaki kanso yuba, one of the courses at Shigetsu shojin ryori, Kyoto.
In contrast, the kirikomaki or short-rolled yuba I had at Shigetsu was much more sinewy, an indication that it was likely made from kanso yuba. The yuba was served perched on a reconstitued wheel-shaped gluten cake called kuruma fu in clear osuimono broth.
Tofu

Oboro tofu, the cloud-like curds of kinugoshi (silken) tofu, at Tosuiro tofu kaiseki, Kyoto.
Kinugoshi tofu is more commonly known as silken tofu outside of Japan. It is a type of unpressed tofu made by pouring the hot mixture of soy milk and coagulant straight into a mold, where it is allowed to set. Therefore, it has high water content.
Oboro or Yose tofu is the Japanese equivalent of Chinese dou hua, another type of unpressed tofu where the curds are scooped into a mold and allowed to settle before draining off the whey. In Japanese, oboro means cloudy or hazy, referring to cloud-like appearance of lightly curdled soy milk. In Kyoto, oboro tofu is a speciality at Tosuiro, where they prepare and serve yudofu style (see below).
Zaru tofu can be likened to drained oboro tofu. The curds are drained over a bamboo strainer (zaru), so it is denser than oboro tofu.
Momen tofu or cotton tofu is a form of pressed tofu and the most widely used type. The curds are transferred to a mold lined with porous fabric (cotton) and pressed to drain the whey. The result is a firmer tofu with less water content.

Koyadofu, freeze-dried tofu, typically in miso soup or oden.
Tofu cooking – yudofu (hot water tofu)

Yudofu, hot water tofu, at Tosuiro
Tofu cooking – quiche

Tofu quiche at Base Island Kitchen, Osaka.
Tofu cooking – shiratama dango

Tofu in shiratama dango makes it softer.
Okara soy milk residue

Okara dishes include unohana at Miyako Yasai, Kyoto (left); korokke at Kousagisha, Kyoto (top right); donuts at Nishiki Market (bottom right).
Okara is mainly used as animal feed in the soybean industry. However home cooks who wish to repurpose okara can use it in both sweet and savoury ways. Unohana is a typical washouku dish that consists of okara cooked with soy sauce, mirin, carrots, burdock root and shiitake mushrooms to a soft and porridge-like consistency. Unohana can be further battered and deep-fried to form korokke, which I thoroughly and surprisingly enjoyed at Kousagisha, Kyoto. Okara donuts are also common in Japan’s traditional arcade markets; I spotted them at Nishiki Market, Kyoto and Higashimuki Market, Nara.
Soy yogurt – bacteria soy milk ferment

Marusan soy yogurt, made only from soy milk and yogurt bacteria.
Soy yogurt – like how all things soy in Japan is so good, soy yogurt is no different. This brand only lists soy milk and Lactobacillus spp. bacteria as the ingredients in their yogurt, and none of the nasty thickeners like tapioca starch found on other non-dairy yogurts. The result is a mild, beany yogurt with great texture. If only this could be available in Singapore!
Natto – bacteria whole soy ferment

Natto was one of my staple budget meals. Black natto makes things interesting!
Natto can be considered a healthy vegan fast-food as it can be found be almost all konbini and grocery store. One of the more interesting finds is black soy bean natto, which further adds/subtracts from the (dis)appeal of natto, depending on how you view it. However, it was not much different in taste than regular yellow soy bean natto. Skip the tare and mustard sauce that comes packaged in natto if you are vegan or health-conscious, because it contains bonito and a whole host of unpronounceable chemical ingredients. I like to have natto in a donburi, with vegetables, avocado, tahini and lots of shichimi togarashi or wasabi. The downside to natto is that it comes packaged in styrofoam, which is not environmentally friendly.
Tempeh – fungus whole soy ferment

Tempeh teriyaki done right at Paprika Shukudo, Osaka.
Gomadofu (sesame “tofu”)

Gomadofu, soy-free sesame “tofu,” is sesame paste coagulated by kudzu starch.
This is not an exhaustive list of soy products, for I have yet to include miso and soy sauce in this post. Nevertheless I hope this post has widened your perspective on soy products, as I have from my trip to Japan!
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