Soy Anything (Restaurants USA, September 2002) | National Restaurant Association

September 2002 issue

Soy Anything

Restaurants USA magazine's final issue was published in September 2002 but these archived articles remain available for our readers' convenience.

Restaurants USA, September 2002

Soy moves out of the health store onto restaurant menus.
By Ethel Hammer

September 18, 2002

There’s something about soy that signals society’s quest for health in the beginning of the 21st century. “I think soy is the product of this new millennium,” says chef Ming Tsai, chef/owner of Blue Ginger in Wellesley, Mass.

Soy apostles such as Louis Lanza, chef/owner of Josie’s, Josephina, Citrus and Better Burgers in New York City, love its flavor, texture, versatility and healthful quality. “I have a passion to make healthier foods taste good and pass them onto our customers,” says Lanza, adding that he eats a lot of soy and has seen a substantial drop in his body fat and cholesterol over the past 10 years. Tsai’s personal belief in soy is so fervent he says, “If you eat soy often, i.e., every day as many Asians such as the Chinese and Japanese do, you will live longer.”

Still, not every advocate maintains soy can extend your life, make you younger or change your body composition. “I grew up eating tofu in Japanese restaurants,” says chef Deborah Madison, author of This Can’t Be Tofu. “I appreciate it as a food and not as a medicine or something that will make you a better person. I don’t think you can change your body composition at age 50 by eating lots of tofu.”

Soy’s reputation took a giant leap in 1999 when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration allowed the following health claim to be placed on certain soy products: “25 grams of soy protein a day as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease.” The American Heart Association added soy to its Guidelines for Healthy American Adults.

A United Soybean Board survey from 2000-2001 revealed that 69 percent of the 800 people sampled considered soy “healthy “ or “very healthy.” According to the United Soybean Board, respondents ranked tofu (82 percent) at the top of the list of recognizable soy products, followed by soymilk (78 percent) and soy veggie burgers (76 percent). When the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) added soy as an alternative protein source its school-lunch program, that also raised its profile.

Soy’s Versatility

Long used as a meat substitute and in baking, soy now is widely used in snacks. As more soy foods come on the market, new adventures await America’s chefs who are willing to experiment. Soy foods divide into non-fermented and fermented products. (According to the Soyfoods Association of North America in Washington DC, fermentation is one of the oldest forms of food-preservation technology and was originally used to increase shelf-life of products and to decrease the need for refrigeration.) Non-fermented products include soy milk, tofu, tofu skin, fresh-boiled soy beans (edamame), soy sprouts, soybean oil, TVP (textured vegetable protein made from soy ) and roasted soy nuts. Fermented products range from soy sauce to miso (fermented soy paste) to tempeh (fermented soybeans used as a meat substitute) to natto (a traditional, gooey sweet-tasting Japanese fermented soyfood).

Chefs like Lanza revel in soy’s ability to fit into recipes as diverse as Italian, Thai and Southwestern. “It’s like a sponge and absorbs flavors very readily. Soy can be considered as versatile as a chicken breast once you know how to use it,” he says.

A History of Soy

Chefs interested in building their comfort with soy can investigate the cultures where soy reigns: China, Japan, Indonesia, Korea and Thailand. In China, where soy was first used in foods over five centuries ago, chefs throw soybean sprouts into stir fries, drink soymilk like cow’s milk, and use tofu in stir fries, dried bean curd in wraps, braises and soups, and soy flour in pastries.

Miso (a food paste made of soybeans) is one of the great Japanese ingredients, according to Tsai, who notes that it comes in a wide range of shades from white to yellow to red to blackish brown. While the Chinese use it as a base for poultry, meat, vegetable and seafood dishes, the Japanese use miso in a variety of dishes. A favorite Japanese snack, edamame—fresh boiled soybeans—have taken America by storm recently. Another Japanese dish—itohiki-natto or natto, a gooey fermented soybean eaten by the Japanese with rice for lunch and dinner—has yet to incite interest.

Chefs seeking meat substitutes should look to the Indonesians who invented tempeh, a fermented soy food. The thick sweet Indonesian soy sauce—known as kechap manis—is used as a coating and in dipping sauces for satays and dishes like “Nasi Goreng” (Indonesian fried rice), “Gado Gado” (vegetable salad) and “Bami Goreng” (fried-egg noodles).

Korean recipes, like Japanese dishes—where beef and tofu are mixed together—are a great source of soy dishes, too. Many varieties of soy enliven dishes like “Braised Beef Ribs” marinated in soy sauce, “Bean Curd and Vegetable Stew With Fermented Soybean Paste,” “Spicy Korean Tofu” cooked with Korean red chili pepper paste and “Soybean Flour Pancakes With Kimchi, Pork and Hot Red Peppers.”

Thai cuisine offers vegetarian alternatives—in dishes like “Sauteed Eggplant Mixed With Tofu” or “Panang Curry With Tofu,” rich with coconut milk, fresh basil leaves and green beans—where tofu often substitutes for meat.

Using Soy

Tofu, thanks to its rising popularity, is a natural first step in introducing soy onto your menu. Madison advises starting with tofu. “No one is going to try to pretend tofu is chicken or beef,” she says, praising its good, familiar taste. “The spices and seasonings that come out of the tofu eating cultures—Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Thai—are really naturals with tofu. . .chilies, scallions, fermented black beans, ginger, lime and hoisin sauce.” Indian curry paste and Mexican seasonings work, too.

Chef Stephen Kleiman, who operates his own soy Web site at www.everythingsoy.com, offers a list of simple suggestions on coaxing soy onto your menu:

• Use soy sauces as marinades and as dipping sauces for appetizers.

• Marinate in miso.

• Use dry-roasted salted soynuts on salads, and unsalted soynuts on cereals and granola.

• Try fried tofu or soy sprouts in salads and in stir fries.

• Substitute tofu for eggs or cheese in omelettes and cakes.

• Substitute soynut butter for peanut butter in sandwiches and in sauces.

• Try textured soy protein or tempeh instead of meat in casseroles, burritos and other ethnic specialties.

• Reduce the flour by 1/4 in your baking recipes and substitute soy flour instead.

• Use soymilk or silken tofu as a substitute for cream in cheesecakes and ganaches.

• Use soymilk in smoothies and ice cream, topping with soynut-butterscotch and soynut-fudge sauces.

• Offer a variety of soy-based snacks, including soynuts in many flavors, soy crisps, soy chips, soy jerky, and fresh or dried edamame.

“Mentioning soy on your menu not only spurs interests, but alerts those with soy allergies,” says Kleiman.

Lanza started using soy by putting silken tofu and soy milk in soups instead of heavy cream. “I was making subtle changes to see how people reacted,” he says. He has since seen a phenomenal rise in soy use each year. “I think we sold 20,000 pounds of tofu out of just one restaurant. Five years ago, it was probably 2,000 pounds.”

Lanza rejoices in tofu varieties, too, touting spiced tofus, marinated tofus, baked tofus and smoked tofus. “I have the talent to take something people are scared about and turn it into a tasty dish,” he says.

Since tofu comes extra-firm, firm, soft and silken, experimentation is necessary. Lanza uses silken tofu in his vinaigrettes. He combines extra-firm (for its holding ability) and silken tofu (for its softness) in his chocolate-peanut-butter and raspberry-ginger mousses. He uses extra-firm tofu in his “Lump Crab Cake With Diced Edamame, Scallions, and Tofu With Chipotle Corn Salsa,” putting it under a firm board for about 40 minutes to remove excess liquid.

Madison, too, suggests experimenting “with 10 kinds of tofu,” but considers marinating overrated and uses marinades as cooking liquids instead. Lanza is so entranced by soy that he gallops all over the soy map. Tempeh enlivens his enchiladas and his seasonal vegetables plate with edamame beet couscous. “Miso Chipotle Honey Glaze” bathes his charred Montana steak. A black soybean-scallion hummus crusts his St. Peter’s fish (tilipia). Miso-mango dipping sauce complements his black soybean dumplings. He uses soymilk instead of cream in his “Ziti With Vodka Tomato Soy Cream Sauce.”

And textured soy protein (TVP)—the base of soy hamburgers —doesn’t scare him either. TVP, made from defatted soy flour and sold in dried, granular form, must be rehydrated with boiling water before use. “TVP is as easy to make as couscous,” he says. “It’s a great source of protein in stews and chilis.” Soy cheese presents challenges as it doesn’t melt as well as other cheeses and can burn your mouth if it gets too hot. Still, soy mozzarella and soy parmesan enliven his “Herb Crusted Turkey Breast Parmesan With Roasted Tomato Sauce.”

These inventive chefs have lent untold imagination to a food revered by the ancients and adored by today’s health food lovers. “I’ve taken soy into Western techniques,” says Tsai, mentioning his soy-butter sauce with oven-roasted squab, his aoli with fermented black beans and his tofu napoleon with its miso vinaigrette. Edamame figures in his signature dish “Foie Gras and Morel Shu Mai With Caramelized Sauternes-Shallot Broth and Truffled Edamame Puree.” Indonesian kechap manis enlivens his “Miso Saki Marinated Alaskan Butterfish.” “The key in East-West cuisine is to know how the food is used traditionally,” he says.

It seems that soy is almost as varied as life itself. So, learn what the ancients have long adored about soy, then go out and invent wonderfully tasty dishes with it.

Miso Broth With Tatsoi-Enoki Salad

Yield: 4 servings

DASHI
Ingredients:
• 1 piece (about 5 by 6 inches) konbu
• 1 cup bonito flakes

Method:
Clean the konbu by wiping it with a damp cloth. Place the konbu in a stockpot with 5 cups of cold water and heat over medium heat. Just before the water boils, remove the pot from the heat. Watch carefully; you do not want the water to boil or the dashi will become too strongly flavored. Allow to stand 5 minutes, remove the konbu and return the pot to medium heat. When the stock once again nears the boiling point, remove the pot from the heat and add the bonito flakes. When the flakes sink to the bottom of the pot, strain the dashi through cheesecloth or a fine-mesh strainer. Measure 4 cups of dashi into the stockpot, reserving the rest for another use. Dashi can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks or frozen for up to 2 months.

MISO BROTH
Ingredients:
• 1/4 cup yellow miso
• 2 1/4-inch thick slices fresh ginger
• 1/2 tablespoon wasabi powder
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons scallions (green part only) cut into 1/8-inch slices
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 2-to-3-ounce package Enoki mushrooms (you can substitute shiitaki for Enoki mushrooms)
• 2 cups Tatsoi leaves (you can substitute Mache or baby spinach)
• 1 cake soft tofu (about 3 by 3 by 2 inches), cut horizontally into 4 1/4-inch-thich slices

Method:
Add the miso and ginger to the dashi and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer for 5 minutes and remove the ginger.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the wasabi and vinegar, and stir to blend. Whisk in the soy sauce, scallions and sugar, and season to taste with the salt and pepper. In a medium bowl, combine the Enoki and Tatsoi; add the wasabi vinaigrette and toss to coat.

Carefully place 1 slice of the tofu in 4 soup bowls. Ladle "Miso Broth" on top, place a small mound of the salad on each of the tofu portions and serve.

Recipe courtesy of Ming Tsai, Blue Ginger Cookbook

Pan-Seared Black Bean Dumplings With Red Miso-Mango Dipping Sauce

Yield: 4 servings (12 dumplings)

PAN-SEARED BLACK BEAN DUMPLINGS
Ingredients:
• 1 cup canned or cooked, drained and mashed black beans
• 1/4 cup tahini (sesame paste)
• 2 tablespoons trimmed and thinly sliced scallions
• 1 tablespoon tamari soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice wine (mirin)
• 1/2 teaspoon rice-wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon ponzu sauce (unsweetened Japanese citrus juice) or fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon chili garlic paste (if unavailable, replace with 2 teaspoons Thai chil paste and 1 teaspoon chopped garlic)
• 12 round wonton wrappers

Method:
In a mixing bowl, blend all the ingredients together expect for the wonton wrappers and dipping sauce.

Lay out the wrappers on a flat clean surface. Add approximately 1 teaspoon of black-bean mixture in the center of each skin. Brush a light coating of water around edge of skins and fold over to form a half moon. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling. Seal tightly with your fingers or use a fork to pinch the edges together forming half-moon-shaped dumplings. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a nonstick skillet with canola oil, set over medium heat and cook 6 dumplings at a time, browning each side 2 to 3 minutes. Finish cooking on a baking sheet in the oven for 5 minutes to warm the centers. Serve with "Red Miso-Mango Dipping Sauce."

RED MISO-MANGO DIPPING SAUCE
Yield: 2 1/2 cups

Ingredients:
• 3/4 cup red or regular miso
• 1/2 cup rice wine (mirin)
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice or Japanese ponzu sauce
• 1/2 cup diced mango
• 2 tablespoons trimmed and finely sliced scallions

Method:
In a mixing bowl, whisk together 3/4 cup water, the miso, wine and lemon juice. Add the mango and scallions, and refrigerate until ready to use. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Recipe courtesy, Louis Lanza, Totally Dairy Free Cooking

Ziti With Vodka Tomato Soy Cream Sauce

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:
• 1 tablespoon sea salt, plus additional for seasoning
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 3 cloves garlic, finely sliced
• 1/2 cups chopped onions
• 5 julienned fresh basil leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 6 tablespoons vodka
• 1 28-ounce can whole plum tomatoes, drained and crushed
• 1 cup plain soymilk
• Fresh-ground black pepper to taste
• 12 ounces ziti
• Soy-parmesan cheese for topping
• Basil leaves for garnish

Method:
In a medium stock pot, bring 5 quarts of water with 1 tablespoon sea salt and 1 tablespoon olive oil to a boil.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in medium nonstick skillet. Add the garlic and onions, and cook, stirring, until the onions are translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the basil, pepper flakes and vodka, and cook for 2 minutes more. Add the tomatoes, bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.

Transfer the contents of the skillet to a deep storage container and mix with an electric handheld blender (or use a food processor), adding the soymilk slowly. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add the ziti to boiling water and cook until al dente, 7 to 8 minutes. Drain and toss with sauce. Serve in bowls with basil leaves and soy-parmesan cheese on top.

Recipe courtesy of Louis Lanza, Totally Dairy-Free Cooking

Soynut-Butter Green-Chili Pasta

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:
• 1 pound cooked rotini or fusili
• 4 tablespoons soybean oil
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/2 cup soynut butter, crunchy
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1 1/2 green chilis, seeded and finely chopped
• 2 cups rich chicken stock
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 4 tablespoons corn starch
• 2 tablespoons fruity white wine
• Soy-parmesan cheese for topping

Method:
Prepare pasta according to directions on the package. Keep warm.

On low heat, heat oil and garlic until aromatic. Combine the soynut butter and honey until well mixed. Add to the oil and stir well. Simmer.

In a mixing bowl, combine the soy sauce, hoisin suace, orange juice, chilis, chicken stock and ginger. Stir well. Add to soynut-butter mixture, stirring to mix well. Simmer until heated.

Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, combine the cornstarch and the wine. Mix well and add to soynut-butter mixture. Increase heat to boil and let mixture thicken while constantly stirring. Remove from heat and mix with pasta. Top with soy-parmesan cheese and serve.

Recipe courtesy of Stephen Robert Kleiman, chef/president, everythingsoy.com

Tofu With Cumin Laced Spinach and Shrimp

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:
• 1 1/2 to 2 cartons soft tofu (14 to 20 ounces)
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric
• 2 tablespoons, plus 2 teaspoons, vegetable oil
• 5 large garlic cloves, chopped (about 2 tablespoons)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons roasted, ground cumin
• 1 large jalapeno chile, finely diced
• 2 heaping tablespoons, chopped ginger
• 2 large onions, finely diced
• 12 large shrimp, shelled and deveined
• juice of 1 lime
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen peas
• 1 large bunch spinach, leaves washed and chopped but not dried
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 3 cups cooked white rice

Method:
Cut the tofu in 1 inch cubes. Bring 4 to 6 cups water to a boil and add 1 teaspoon salt. Reduce the heat so that the water is barely simmering, then lower the tofu into the pan. Cook for 4 minutes, then remove with a strainer and set on a towel to drain while you prepare the vegetables. Once the tofu is dry, sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon turmeric.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a wide skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cumin, and cook, stirring until garlic is pale gold. Add the chile, ginger, onions and 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, and continue cooking until the onions are lightly colored and soft, 5 to 7 minutes. If the pan seems too dry at any point, add water in 1/2 cup increments and reduce the heat. While the onion is cooking, rinse the shrimp, then pat dry. Toss them with 1/2 teaspoon turmeric and half the lime juice. Set aside until you are ready to serve.

Add peas and spinach to the onions. Turn the heat to high, sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook until the spinach is wilted. Nestle the tofu into the vegetables, add 1/2 cup water, then cover and cook until the tofu is heated through, about 4 minutes.

Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a wide skillet. When hot, add shrimp, sprinkle with salt and saute over high heat, turning a few times, until the shrimp are red and firm when pressed with a finger.

Serve the vegetables over cooked rice with 3 shrimp arranged on each serving. Sprinkle with the remaining lime juice, garnish with cilantro and serve.

Recipe courtesy of Deborah Madison, This Can't Be Tofu

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Ethel Hammer writes for Restaurants USA Online from Chicago.