The Mysterious Lady that Introduced Tofu to the West

Madamme Yamei Kin introduced Tofu to the West

In 1917 Yamei Kin, a Chinese-born doctor then living in New York, visited her homeland to study a crop that was virtually unknown to Americans: the soybean. By that point, she had become something of a celebrity dietitian. For years before the mission to China, she had been telling women’s clubs that tofu and other soy products were nutritious alternatives to meat and that they required fewer resources to produce. She liked to say that they tasted “a little like brains and a little like sweetbreads.” In other words, she is credited with introducing tofu to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) during World War I.

Kin Yamei was born in 1864, in Ningbo. Her father, Rev. Kying Ling-yiu, was a Christian convert.
As a small child she was orphaned during an epidemic; she was adopted by American missionaries, Divie Bethune McCartee and Ms. McCartee. They encouraged her to use her given name, and to learn Chinese as well as English; she also learned to speak Japanese and French. She attended the Women's Medical College of New York, where she finished at the top of her class, and the Chinese Consul attended the graduation ceremony to witness her achievement. She pursued further study in Philadelphia and Washington, D. C. In 1888 she became the first Chinese woman to earn a medical degree in the United States. She also learned photography skills and published a journal article on medical photo-micrography while she was in medical school.

In 1907, Kin began running the Imperial Peiyang Women’s Medical School and Hospital in the northern Chinese city of Tientsin, now called Tianjin.

She later founded a nursing school in the city with funding from Yuan Shikai, a Qing dynasty official who would become president of the new Chinese Republic after the 1911 revolution, said Zhou Zhuitian, a historian in Tianjin. Prusek wrote in his book that she also served as the physician for Yuan’s family.

Kin returned to China for good in 1920, two years after her son, Alexander, died while fighting for the United States in France in the waning weeks of World War I.

She died in 1934 at the age of 70, leaving no survivors. The cause was pneumonia.

At her request, she was buried on a farm outside Beijing. Shortly before her death, she said: “Here my dust will blend with soil, and after the pile of clay they will place upon my grave has crumbled as well, I will become a field, a fertile field.”

If you are interested in cooking tofu dishes, you may find this book interesting; Tofu the Ultimate Recipe Book

Today, Tofu is as famous as Pizza

Did you know that there are many types of Tofu in the market? Every type of Tofu can be good for something specific in the menu. Tofu is categorized by texture or consistency. The texture is determined by the water content in the tofu. The more water, the softer or ‘silkier’ the tofu; with less water, the tofu is firmer. Tofu is categorized as silken, regular, firm, extra-firm and super-firm. Silken, the softest type of tofu, can be compared to a young white cheese. Firm tofu, the most common, has the same consistency as feta, while the texture of super-firm can be compared to that of meat. You should be able to guess the textures in between.

Some special tofu varieties are:

Silken Tofu

Silken tofu, also known as Japanese-style tofu, is silky, creamy, and has the highest water content. If you try to hold it, it will fall to pieces. Silken tofu looks like a very young cheese such as burrata (a kind of mozzarella) and can be used as a thick cream, fresh cream cheese, or ricotta in cheesecakes, smoothies, dips or even ravioli fillings. You usually prepare dishes with silken tofu when it is wet.

Regular Tofu

This type of tofu is used primarily in Asian dishes. It is a little more compact than silken but still soft. Regular tofu easily soaks up the flavors of sauces and broths and so is often used in noodle soups and stews. You can also make delicious spreads using regular tofu, or ‘scrambled’ tofu, a vegetarian take on scrambled eggs. Don’t pan-fry or deep-fry regular tofu as it is likely to crumble.

Firm Tofu

Of all the types of tofu, firm tofu is the most widely available in supermarkets. Firm tofu is quite compact and is often packaged soaked in liquid – the amount depends on the type of packaging. Firm tofu is like feta: it doesn’t crumble when you pick it up and it is easy to chop. In the kitchen, firm tofu is the most versatile of the tofu types. It can be pan-fried, stir-fried, deep-fried, put in a stew, used as a filling or to make spreads. Be sure to fully dry firm tofu before cooking, to ensure it can absorb the marinade and will splatter less in the pan. Firm tofu can also be bought smoked or seasoned.

Extra-firm

Extra-firm tofu has less water than firm tofu, which you notice in the difference in texture. The culinary possibilities of firm and extra-firm are almost the same, but extra-firm tofu doesn’t absorb marinades as well. On the other hand, extra-firm is easier to pan-fry, stir-fry or deep-fry. Follow your personal preference.

Super-firm

If you look at super-firm tofu you can easily mistake it for meat because it is so dense. In fact, it is a great meat substitute! Cut the tofu into regular-sized slices, sticks, or cubes, mix with a hot marinade and pan-fry, stir-fry or deep-fry. Super-firm tofu is not widely available but is easy to make.

Seasoned tofu

Tofu is also available pre-seasoned. This makes it easier to prepare as you can start as soon as you open the packet! Seasoned tofu is available in different flavors; tamari and tomato/basil are widely available. Seasoned tofu is mostly firm and can be pan-fried, stir-fried, deep-fried, grilled, roasted in the oven, barbecued or eaten raw.

Smoked tofu

This tofu is extra-firm and has a smoky flavor. Smoking is generally an artisanal process. Originally, tofu was smoked above tea leaves, but today it is mostly done over beech wood, which gives it a great aroma. You can pan-fry or stir-fry smoked tofu, but it is best eaten raw, such as in a winter stew or a summer salad.

Tofu à la minute

These small tofu pieces are pre-marinated and pre-cooked. All you have to do is add them to a (stir-fry) dish, or pan-fry the tofu à la minute in oil until crispy and add to dishes such as salads and stews. Tofu à la minute can be purchased in a variety of flavors including Asian-spiced, Italian-spiced, and Mexican-spiced.

Pressed tofu

When tofu is pressed under high pressure, very little water remains, giving it a meat-like texture that can be compared to that of super-firm tofu. There are two types of pressed tofu: natural and pre-seasoned.

Fermented tofu

If you pickle tofu in a mixture of salt, rice wine and water it will ferment. This fermenting gives a tofu deep, savory flavor called umami. In Chinese cooking, fermented tofu is not used as an ingredient but as flavoring. Don't buy fermented tofu in plastic packaging as only glass stops the fermentation process and so guarantees the flavor.

Tofu skin

When heating soya milk, skin forms on the surface of the liquid, just as with regular milk. Fresh tofu skins are not widely available, but dried skins are. These skins are similar to filo pastry and can be pan-fried (after marinating), filled and deep-fried like spring rolls, or used to make dim sum.

Tofu sticks

Tofu sticks are sun-dried, rolled tofu skins. Tofu sticks are a great filling for your miso soup.

Fried tofu

These slices of tofu are first firmly pressed and then deep-fried. They are soft and sponge-like and quickly soak up marinades and sauces. In the countries of origin (Japan, China, and Korea) you can find two versions: abura-age (oblong slices that are cut into strings and served in soups or over rice) and sushi-age (small squares filled with sushi rice and, as the name suggests, served as sushi). Abura-age and sushi-age taste similar. Fried tofu is usually sold pre-seasoned.

Tofu pockets

Fried tofu is often sold under the name ‘tofu pockets’. First, place them for a few minutes in boiling water, then pat them dry and cut them like an envelope.

Tofu puffs

These tofu balls are frozen first and then deep-fried. They are soft and sponge-like and so ideal for quickly soaking up marinades and sauces. Tofu puffs are already cooked and do not need to be cooked for too long. They are also delicious raw: fill them or dip them into chili sauce, for example.