Dried Bean Curd Sticks (YUM?)

[CPS]

I'm always looking for things to add variety of texture and taste to back country meals. My go to shops are the local Asian grocery stores.
There's usually things which are uncommon in western cuisine that can give a taste of novelty.
Particularly appealing to me are shelf stable protein sources.

During today's visit they were offering samples of dried bean curd sticks. In the little sample cup they had soaked the sticks in water, along with a piece of black fungus, which I've previously added to dishes as a source of variety. The texture of the bean curd is pleasantly chewy in a vaguely meaty sense. If you like firm tofu then this would be up your alley. It is also known as tofu skin, though it's not technically tofu.

The nutritional information is as follows:

Per 1/3 package (85g)

Calories 440

Fat 26g

• Saturated 4.5g
• Trans 0g

Carbohydrates 8g

• Fibre 2g
• Sugars 3g

Protein 43g

For something which is shelf stable it certainly seemed promising. So I picked up a bag for experimenting.

I tried adding boiling water to the sticks, along with 2 packs of unflavoured hot pot noodles, which I have been experimenting with as well (they are circular bricks and fit into a jetboil pot very nicely). After letting them soak for a few minutes I tried them out to check consistency. They rehydrate at about the same rate as the noodles, so I think they'll work well together. Often I fill a thermos with a dried meal, add hot water in the morning, and have a no-fuss warm lunch ready to go some hours later. I suspect that will work great.

In camp though there's a bit more option to dress them up. So I strained off the water, and added some other things from the asian supermarket, pork floss (dried shredded pork), some crispy fried red onion, and some fried garlic. A bit of fat to give everything a satisfying mouthfeel as well as a bit of hot sauce, soy sauce, and black vinegar turned it into quite a nice bowl of food.

I'm looking forward to experimenting and adding these bean curd sticks to future dehydrated meals. A few peppers, some broccoli, baby corn... lots of possible meals.

 

[kayakwriter]

I've used the tetra-packed (so no refrigeration required) firm tofu cut into slices and fried as the protein in curries. Looks like bean curd sticks might be worth a try too. Use as much or as little as you need, unlike the tofu, plus they'd be lighter.

 

[CPS]

I've packed both fresh and dehydrated tofu onto trips. Those tetra packs are handy as well, but quite bulky/heavy.

To dehydrate tofu at home it's imperative that it is frozen first. The ice crystals forming seems to 'open' the tofu and make it much more receptive to rehydration. Otherwise you get permanently hard little nuggets.

Part of the appeal of these bean curd sticks (to me, at least) is that whole process isn't needed.

 

[cougarmeat]

An interesting phenomenon of freezing tofu is, once thawed, its consistency changes from mushy to chewy. Once I served soup to some vegetarian friends and had to quickly assure them they were eating tofu, not meat. Note the 43g of protein for 1//3rd a bag serving.

 

[Tongo-Rad]

An interesting phenomenon of freezing tofu is, once thawed, its consistency changes from mushy to chewy. Once I served soup to some vegetarian friends and had to quickly assure them they were eating tofu, not meat. Note the 43g of protein for 1//3rd a bag serving.

Good tip! As a pescatarian, I sometimes miss the texture of those walking beasties like chicken, so this tip could come in handy for adding more variety to camping meals.

 

[Mowog73]

An interesting phenomenon of freezing tofu is, once thawed, its consistency changes from mushy to chewy. Once I served soup to some vegetarian friends and had to quickly assure them they were eating tofu, not meat. Note the 43g of protein for 1//3rd a bag serving.

Anything that can improve the taste and texture of tofu has got to be a good thing. For me, no amount of positive thought can normally make tofu seem inoffenceable.