Tofu Soy Parfait

The Humble Soybean!

The soybean is familiar to us all. They were first grown in China more than 2000 years ago. When we say soybean in Asia what most readily comes to mind is tofu. In recent years the humble soybean has found new dimensions. This is mainly because of the recognition of the soybean as an inexpensive and plentiful source of protein.

The soybean is economically the most important bean in the world, providing vegetable protein for millions of people and ingredients for hundreds of chemical products.

In China, Japan, and Korea the soybean and products made from the soybean are a popular part of the diet. The Chinese invented tofu (豆腐), and also made use of several varieties of soybean paste as seasonings. Japanese foods made from soya include: miso (味噌), natto (納豆), and edamame (枝豆). In Korean cuisine, soybean sprouts, called kongnamul (hangul:콩나물) are also used in a variety of dishes such as doenjang, cheonggukjang and ganjang.

The beans can be processed in a variety of ways. Common forms of soy (or soya) include soy meal, soy flour, soy milk, tofu, textured vegetable protein (TVP, which is made into a wide variety of vegetarian foods, some of them intended to imitate meat), tempeh, soy lecithin and soybean oil. Soybeans are also the primary ingredient involved in the production of soy sauce (or shoyu).

Though soybean is full of nutrients, please remember to consume in moderation only. This applies to all things that you consume.

Without further ado, let's see what I have made from this humble bean that is so full of goodness.

References: Wikipedia and Female Cookbook Vol. 14



Ingredients: 8 cups
400g Tofu (I used those packet tofu from supermarket)
500ml unsweetened soybean milk (you can diy this)
200ml whipping cream
70g - 80g sugar
4 tsp gelatin
4 tbsp boiling water

Topping (optional)
Canned azuki beans


Method:
1. Blend tofu in a blender till smooth.
2. Dissolve gelatin in 4 tbsp boiling hot water.
3. Cook soybean milk, sugar and whipping cream in a saucepan till a little hot. Add in the gelatin solution and stir till well blended.
4. Add in the blended tofu and cook for a little while. For smoothness, strain hot mixture twice and remove any foam formed during cooking.
5. Leave to cool before pouring into cups. Chill for at least 3 hours before serving.

Notes:
I top my soy parfait with canned azuki beans to enhance the dessert otherwise it may taste a wee bit bland.

If you dislike the taste/aroma of tofu and soybean milk, you may like to substitute half or all the soybean milk with skim milk.

Credits: Miss Jubie