Tokwa’t Baboy

Tokwa’t baboy is the traditional accompaniment for lugaw, pancit palabok and pancit luglog. It is actually a side dish. But, since we’re not big on lugaw, pancit palabok or pancit luglog we eat our tokwa’t baboy as ulam (viand). We took a break from the strict seafood menu of the past day and a half and had this for dinner last night.

Traditionally, the meat used for tokwa’t baboy is pork face. While the texture is wonderful (it’s sticky), pork face has more fat than the leaner cuts like tenderloin or rump. I used rump to make my tokwa’t baboy.

Tokwa or tofu is a wonder food of sorts. Low in fat and calories, it absorbs the flavors of the sauce or broth in which it is cooked or soaked. In Philippine wet markets, only firm tofu is usually sold; they come in two sizes–small and large.

Here are a few things about tofu.

There are two broad categories of Tofu, Firm Tofu and Soft (or Silken) Tofu. Firm Tofu is the more versatile of the two varieties. It is truly like the potato in its utility. Silken Tofu is best eaten raw or used in Soups, most notably Miso Soup. Silken Tofu does not stir fry well. Because of its consistency, it will not absorb the flavors of the meats and vegetables being fried as Firm Tofu will, and also it tends to crumble. Both Firm and Silken Tofus are available in most grocery stores in the vegetable section. Tofu is like a dairy product in that it must be refrigerated and has a short shelf life. It is normally sold in plastic tubs, immersed in water. Naturally, the water should be poured off, the tofu rinsed and patted dry before using. Silken Tofu often comes inside foil packages from Japan. In this case, the Silken Tofu is ultra-pasteurized and so has a very long shelf life. Firm Tofu is always fresh.

Here is how Tofu is made in a nutshell:
1. Raw Tofu Grade Soy Beans are soaked in water overnight then drained.
2. The beans are then pulverized as a small quantity of boiling water is being poured over them. The resultant mash will have the consistency of mashed potatoes.
3. The mash is ladled into boiling water, like dumplings, and allowed to boil gently for about 10 minutes. This stage of the process is crucial as a certain enzyme in the bean is broken down during this time. If the enzyme is not destroyed, the Soy protein will not be humanly digestible.
4. The resulting slurry is filtered. The liquid is Soy Milk, and the pulp is called Okara. Okara is good for mixing with flour to make bread or for feeding to the Pigs, or as a last resort, fertilizer.
5. A small amount of either Calcium Sulfate or Magnesium Chloride is introduced to coagulate the Milk. The Chinese have used the Calcium salt for 2000 years, mined from mountain quarries, the salt is the pure form of gypsum. The Japanese traditionally used Sea Salt to coagulate the Milk, and it is the small quantity of Magnesium Chloride in Sea Salt that does the trick.
6. After the coagulant is introduced, the Milk will separate into Curds and Whey. The Curds will float to the top and the resulting Whey should be clear.
7. The Curds are gently scooped off the top of the Whey and ladled into a forming container lined with cheese cloth. The forming container has many small hole in it to allow leftover whey to drain. A lid is placed on the forming container.
8. A small weight is placed on the lid of the container and allowed to sit for several hours. Empty the resulting block of tofu into a tub of cold water and allow to sit for another hour.
9. Feed the Whey to the Pigs.
10. Eat the Tofu! [Tofu.com]

Bookmark at:
StumbleUpon | Digg | Del.icio.us | Newsvine | Spurl | Furl | Reddit | Yahoo! MyWeb

In the mood for more food? Try these!

• Peaches and cream
• Minatamis na saging (sweetened bananas)
• Tinapa (smoked fish)
• Grilled meat balls
• Creamed pork, ham, carrots and celery
• Classic sponge cake with strawberry jam and whipped cream
• My recipes in Melbourne, Australia
• Crispy chicken strips with sweet and sour sauce
• Pandan macaroons
• Grilled chicken teriyaki

Comments

Everything © Connie Veneracion · All rights reserved · Revolution WordPress Themes

CMS is Wordpress