Marlene Parrish - What Einstein Told His Cook 2

They begin by curdling soy milk, and then they manipulate the curds in different ways.

A variety of acids, enzymes, bacteria, and salts are able to coagulate the proteins in soy milk, that is, to unwind their long, twisted molecules, allowing them to rebind ( cross-link ) to one another like rungs in ladders, forming a tightly tangled, solid network that separates out from the liquid. As in coagulated real milk, the proteins form curds, from which the tofu is made.

Real milk is usually curdled by rennet, a stomach-lining membrane in the fourth stomach of an unweaned calf, and containing the protein-digesting enzyme rennin, or chymosin. (Makes you wonder how that little technique was discovered, eh? But see below.) The rest of the animal presumably ends up as “milk-fed veal.” The curds are then fermented by molds or bacteria, aged and ripened into cheese.

(If only apocryphally, the story of rennet’s discovery goes back to biblical times, when wine, milk, and other essential liquid foods were carried in containers made from the cleaned stomachs of calves or sheep. Perhaps a less than meticulously cleaned calf’s stomach was used to carry milk on a trek across the desert, whereupon some residual rennin coagulated it into curds. Then, with the help of ambient bacteria they fermented, and voilà! —cheese.)

Soy milk, on the other hand, is generally curdled by acids or salts rather than by rennin. The Japanese have traditionally used nigari , the bitter, salty non-sodium-chloride residue (mostly magnesium chloride) left over from the evaporation of seawater in making sea salt. Today, calcium sulfate is most often used. The curds are then pressed into blocks called tofu.

Purists insist that tofu isn’t “bean curd,” as it is often called in English. The curd itself is called oburo in Japanese; it isn’t tofu until it has been pressed so that the whey—the liquid that was left behind when the curdling took place—is squeezed out.

Various degrees of pressure and duration of pressing make tofu cakes of various consistencies from soft to firm and extra-firm. Little cubes of soft tofu can be tossed in salads, whereas the firmer, stronger forms will withstand deep-frying. Tofu is the modeling clay of cooking; it can be mashed, blended, formed, or cut into shapes and sizes to conform to almost any kind of dish, from salad dressings and sauces to sautés, stir-fries, and deep-fries. And it has the almost magical quality of absorbing the flavors of whatever it is cooked with.

Unlike cheese, which has already been attacked by voracious bacteria and/or molds and ripened often beyond olfactory appeal, tofu is a delicate, perishable product. It is sold vacuum-packed, or soaking in plastic containers of water, or in aseptic packages, or in bulk.

“Silken tofu,” a smooth, custardy tofu, is manufactured by a method more like making yogurt than making cheese. Instead of coagulating the soy milk and draining off the whey, makers of silken tofu add a chemical called glucono-delta-lactone (GDL), obtained by the action of an enzyme ( glucose oxidase ) on glucose. The mixture is then packaged in its retail containers and heated mildly at 175 to 195°F (79 to 91°C) for about an hour. During that time the GDL spontaneously turns ( hydrolyzes ) into gluconic acid, which thickens the proteins into a homogeneous gel, with no separation of whey. It can be eaten with a spoon, like yogurt or custard.

All tofu should be refrigerated and used within a week. If it is kept in water, the water should be changed daily. It can be frozen, but the texture upon thawing will be chewier because freezing tightens up the proteins and squeezes out more whey. When it thaws, the tofu has a spongelike texture that enhances its ability to soak up flavorful liquids if cooked with other foods.

THE FOODIE’S FICTIONARY:Soybean—Spanish for “I am a bean.”

I GO, YOU GO, WE ALL GO FOR MISO

I love the flavor of the miso soup I’ve had in Japanese restaurants, but I don’t know what miso is. Can I buy some and experiment with it at home?

Absolutely. Miso, known as “fermented soybean paste” in English, is one of the most versatile products you can find in Japanese and Korean markets. It’s sold either by itself, to be used in home cooking, or already incorporated into soups, salad dressings, and sauces.

Like soy milk and tofu, miso begins with soaked, steamed, and ground or chopped soybeans. A certain mold, known as Aspergillus oryzae in Latin, koji in Japanese, and “a certain mold” in English, is added to the heavily salted soybeans, either by themselves or mixed with rice, barley, or chickpeas. (The Japanese use the same mold to make sake.) Traditionally, the fermentation is allowed to proceed for two or three years, until the desired intensity of flavor and color is achieved. Today, the process may be hurried by heating and other accelerating techniques. The role of the salt is to prevent the mixture from spoilage by less friendly microorganisms while the Aspergillus , which doesn’t mind salt, works away at it.

There are dozens of kinds of miso, ranging in flavor from salty to sweet to salty-and-sweet, in color from ivory to coffee to dark brown, and in texture from smooth and creamy to lumpy. American chefs are having a field day experimenting with them, and you can, too. Try s hiro , a light miso, or aka , a darker, heartier version.

Once you discover miso, it won’t be a stranger on the shelf. Because of its intense flavor it needs to be balanced with other ingredients. Add it to a vinaigrette and serve with asparagus, artichokes, or a tossed garden salad. Or make miso soup by stirring a spoonful or two of the paste into vegetable broth and adding udon noodles.

Miso-Glazed Black Bass

The most common type of miso found in American markets is a thick paste that looks like crunchy peanut butter and comes in a range of colors, from beige to very dark brown. This salty, richly flavored condiment perks up the flavor of soups and marinades.

Because it is so thick, miso must always be blended with a bit of liquid before being added to a dish. Miso is available in most supermarkets and in Asian groceries. Any shade of light-colored miso will work fine in this recipe.

Tommy Klauber, owner-chef of Pattigeorge Restaurant on Florida’s Longboat Key, serves this dish to rave reviews. Because he always has lobster on hand (doesn’t everybody?), he uses lobster consommé as his poaching liquid. We’ll use mirin and sake. You will need to marinate the fish for at least 2 hours or even overnight before broiling it. Have the vegetable garnish ready before you begin to cook the fish.

MARINADE:

6 tablespoons white or yellow miso

1/3 cup sugar

¼ cup mirin (Japanese sweet rice cooking wine)

¼ cup sake

4 black sea bass or black cod fillets, each about

6 ounces and ¾ to 1 inch thick)

GARNISH:

1 tablespoon peanut oil

½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil

1 cup each julienned carrot, fennel, and sweet red pepper

POACHING LIQUID:

1 cup water

3 tablespoons mirin

2 tablespoons sake

1.Make the marinade: In a small bowl, whisk together the miso, sugar, mirin, and sake until smooth. Transfer the mixture to a 1-quart zipper-top plastic bag. Add the fish fillets, turning them to coat, seal the bag, and refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours or up to overnight.