Tofu gan?
Posted by yabbitgirl on Aug 04, 2006 · Member since Apr 2006 · 14266 posts
Persuant to our conversations on tofu, the smoked version we have here is called Tofu Gan. I don't know if that's a brand name or a type of tofu. Can anyone tell me? The rest of the package is in Chinese...so I'm lost. It's dark brown on the outside, about 1/2in thick, and comes in little 3in. squares sealed up in a flat plastic package in the cold case. When you cut into it, it's very dry and sort of ivory coloured. The ingredients in English say "Non-GMO yellow soy, soy sauce."
I recommend it for sandwiches etc. (No affiliation, yada yada...it's just good.)
Well since no one here seemed to know I broke down and Googled "tofu gan" and here is what I found: Pressed Tofu. Called doufu gan ("dry tofu") in China, where it originated, this tofu is pressed under great pressure until its consistency is about as firm as that of cheese. It is also sold as Pressed Tofu Sheets (qianzhang or baiye), which can be sliced thinly to make Pressed Tofu Noodles (doufu si), or simmered with Five-Spice Powder to make Five-Spice Pressed Tofu (wuxiang doufugan).
So now I know. It's good and I may send a few recipes I have "unvented" using it.
Just another note on this wonderful tofu product. I can seldom use a whole packet at once, and it does grow an unpleasant, black, hairy mold if left to itself for too long, so I froze it. It turned VERY dark brown, like chocolate, but thawed quickly and was even tastier. The brown colour remained after defrosting, and it released just a little water.
Sounds great! I have some pressed/baked tofu in the freezer but it's got a flavored sauce (I expect it to taste something like teriyaki)... I will thaw and try that soon!
I periodically trek to the Asian market and buy a lot of things that have ingredients lists and names but no other English on the packages... I'm glad someone else does this too! What delicious things I've discovered this way...