tofu_varieties

Soybean curd produced by coagulating fresh soy milk with nigari (magnesium chloride), gypsum (calcium sulfate), or acid and pressing the resulting curds. Textures span silken (custardy, uncurdled) through soft, firm, extra-firm, and pressed/baked forms, each suited to specific techniques — silken for blending and mapo tofu, firm for stir-fry, frozen-then-thawed for meaty sponge. A Han Chinese invention now central to East and Southeast Asian cuisines.