How to Eat (and Make!) Tofu feat. Grace Young | What’s Eating Dan

Tofu has been eaten in China for thousands of years, and is now widely popular around the world. Follow along as Dan and Chinese cooking expert Grace Young visit Fong On in New York City to learn how to make fresh tofu.
Get the recipe for Mapo Tofu: cooks.io/3EYdTqC
Check out Grace Young's book, The Break of a Wok: amzn.to/3dQHZAB
Check out Grace Young's book, Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge: amzn.to/3dRaduZ
Check out Andrea Nguyen's book, Asian Tofu: amzn.to/3dPb8w7
Follow Grace Young on Instagram: / stirfryguru
Follow Fong On on Instagram: / fongon1933
Follow Dan on Instagram: / testcook
Follow Dan on Twitter: / testcook
Follow Dan on Facebook: / dansouzacooksillustrated
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[@erikfreitas9288]

Wow, this is easily one of my favorite episodes. So awesome!

[@2AZSUN]

This has to be THE BEST ep ever! Between content and Dan's animation, there's just nothing better on KZbin. Great work on this one Dan!!

[@MarySanchez-qk3hp]

It must taste pretty good... his eyes almost rolled up into his head, LOL! I know the feeling!

[@kathleensmith8365]

Probably the best episode ever. I have always wondered how soybeans morphed into tofu. This episode answered all my questions. Dan's interviews were great. I appreciate his intelligent questions and respect for the continuing family legacy of excellent tofu production. That recipe for Sechwan soup looks delicious. Thanks, Dan.

[@Justin-Trammell]

Man, if I ever make it back to NY, I gotta try that savory pudding. Sounds amazing. Thanks for the video~

[@thihal123]

Tofu pudding is pretty common in areas with lots of Chinese people.

[@missjliable]

It's really good!

[@ivanchung2499]

I ready

[@shelly7017]

Me too!

[@dsf8497]

I DIDN’T KNOW THEY REOPENED!!! I was devastated when they closed in 2017. Can’t wait to go back!!

[@brianklaus2468]

I can confidently state that most people use a whisk smaller than Paul’s but bigger than Babish’s

[@convincedquaker]

Fantastic! 😋 "The tip of the iceberg" is right. If you want another adventure, explore the wonderful world of Tofu skin (腐皮) also known as beancurd skin. Versatile and absolutely delicious in dozens of dishes.

[@SharpAssKnittingNeedles]

Now I'm craving Inari, thank you 😭

[@BrendaHendrickson]

Dan - please don’t ever stop making videos!!

[@alexisgoebel5456]

"doesn't do it for the style points, but still gets them". Dan- you rock and I cannot wait to visit Fong On!! Thank you

[@weston.weston]

Dan: you're unparalleled. Enjoy your videos so much.

[@DrDee-it5fg]

Love your videos, Dan. You're the only reason that I Subscribed to the ATK channel. Besides being really informative with some great food stories and recipes, your humor is terrific.

[@brucelee5576]

Tofu with ginger syrup, so simple and yet so delicious.

[@C2C.]

It's comfort food...and so easy to make!

[@ellenhuo7338]

Wow, I am a Chinese, but never knew so much about tofu coagulant agents, learned a lot from you today , it is absolutely wonderful watching your videos 👍

[@user-hd4gx5ne5s]

The soy pulp, called '비지(biji)' in korean, can be and is eaten in korean cuisine, usually in form of '찌개(Jjigae)' boiled with kimchi and bite-sized pork shoulder.

[@faithnelson6069]

i've seen this fresh, at our Japanese grocery. i've never known what to do with it, though i knew it was edible. i wonder why they compost it at this store?

[@maydaygarden]

@@faithnelson6069 Maybe Chinese consider it a by-product of the tofu process and the Koreans found another use for it? I'm guessing here because altho I like both cuisines, I'm not educated in the long, long history of the deeply diverse Asian food cultures. It's a complicated embroidery to say the least.

[@MarySanchez-qk3hp]

I can't type in your alphabet. But the residual stuff is called OKARA. Although as Dan said, it can be made into fertilizer, it could just as well be used as a nutritious ingredient for people-food such as burgers. Every part of the soybean process is edible and Asians are frugal and have developed ways to use every part of it. You can feed it to animals. Even the skin that forms on top of the heated soymilk makes great wrappers for rolls. I've seen a woman on TV with a small business who picks up all the tofu company's organic non-GMO okara, and she's developed recipes to use it in cakes and mousse. DAN... I've been vegetarian since about 1972. People thought we were weird back then, and store-bought vegetarian and vegan ingredients were hard to find (not to mention, I joke that everything we ate was brown and had sunflower seeds on it!). Your video inspired me for the simple reason that I feel outnumbered about loving delicious tofu. Even when I went to massage and natural therapeutics school, where the owner was vegan... the popular clique students, all omnivores and smokers, made fun of me for liking tofu. I said it could be eaten as-is, and they laughed at me and said it needed to be cooked first, that I didn't know anything, which you and I know isn't true, it's ready before packaging to either eat or cook with. I just kept silent, thinking maybe I'd been wrong all those years, though I knew that wasn't so. In summer I love to eat it sliced cold on shaved ice, Japanese style, surrounded by sauce, pickled ginger and vegetables (I won't buy them readymade at the local Asian store because they've all got preservatives and artificial colorings and dangerous sweeteners in them so I make my own... only the preserved lotus root lately is safe, and I've onky recently spotted it there). Those students made me feel gaslighted. It confuses me: I think tofu is delicious. You make me feel "normal." I mean, you're a serious chef with a developed palate, so I'm probably quite normal, somewhat above the typical cimsumer's number of taste buds. Maybe one day you'll do a video about homemade seitan, too... I haven't made my own since the 70s when we had no choice. The only decent commercial brand recently was Trader Joe's, they discontinued it several years ago even though it was quite popular. Everything on the market now is either offensively salty or disgustingly greasy... or has multiple kinds of starch in it and is preformed and so mushy and sticky that it can be smushed against the roof of your mouth and isn't like chickenless chicken at all. I've seen some seitan recipes online as well as complicated ones with ingredients only a chemist can find, or odd food ingredients. My recipe was simple, as I recall, just a handful of ingredients. Once in a while it's nice to switch off from tofu to what I jokingly call "plastic chicken." I even remember making good pepperoni seitan. It was nice, knowing you like fresh delicious tofu, too. I just don't understand why so many others don't like it. Maybe their palates are either less refined, or simply overwhelmed by their usual fare so they don't taste delicate flavors. Maybe it's the texture. Maybe it wasn't cooked properly for them. Shrug... who knows.

[@ginkodragon]

My mother was Japanese, and she cooked okara with vegetables and kamaboko (fish cake) and seasoned to taste. We can't always find fresh made tofu or okara, but it is the best!

[@Lightlinefisherman]

Omg 비지 is so gross 🤮 one of the Korean food I can’t come around. And 콩국 😅

[@tsunami888]

It was good bumping into you that day! I hope you enjoyed all that Fong On had to offer! Thanks for sharing this with everyone!

[@chrisandersen5635]

I'm in San Francisco. So much good food, ingredients, inspiration. Thanks Dan for spreading far and wide.so much good food; so little time. So dig in everyone. 😍

[@borderlineiq]

From the bits of Dan's favorites mentioned on the show and elsewhere, I suspect Grace Young isn't the only noteworthy celebrity chef who is a fine advocate for Chinese and East Asian cuisine. It's wonderful to live in an era in which we have such cosmopolitan guides and mentors available right in our homes.

[@divacassandra1]

Dan, you are a bit of a freak about that slide, and I'm here for it.😂

[@magdalenabresson8308]

This is so amazing. Best episode yet!

[@kwosilait2855]

So refreshing to see someone really enjoying tofu!

[@simonsavelyev7399]

Fantastic episode, Grace is such an inspiration!

[@julianguyen1021]

I have watched America's test kitchen since I was little and they have always been so informative about foods in a passionate and respectful way. With so many "woke" food influencers talking about 'how to make tofu actually taste good', I'm glad ATK does tofu justice. Just reminder that to learn how to pronounce Nguyen.

[@redechelon37]

MAN that's good content, I love your videos. Tofu deserves a beaming spotlight!

[@sjones902]

Excellent! I love, love, love this video. It's enjoyable and at the same time entertaining. Mega points. 👍😊

[@lunchbreak8478]

Love Grace! Thanks for this episode! Love the channel too!

[@ragzsa]

I love your shows - I am so glad I have stumbled across them. Best thing is that there are so many that I can catch up on

[@emmakurman-faber5868]

Love this one Dan!!! Thanks so much!

[@dbrxsdgo]

Nicely done, Dan. Always enjoy watching your segments. 👍😁

[@thanks600]

I tried plain fried soft tofu block one morning and it was soo good tastes closer to soy milk unlike tofu I normally had. I suspect it was freshly made batch.

[@roxlee1]

So fun to watch! Great job, Dan and the rest of the team!

[@Toddster63]

Thanks-great episode! Fascinating…!

[@danbev8542]

Great episode! Very interesting!

[@topcat2069]

1st of all, Dan is a champion, I love all of the "What’s Eating Dan" episodes.

[@stephaniesosna8213]

Loved, loved the education. I hope to see more tofu recipes, pleeze

[@jasonmunday9056]

so fascinating. thanks!

[@bonniepwtf]

Thanks, that was so informative & clever.

[@C2C.]

I thought I couldn't be a bigger fan of Dan...until this episode. 🙏💖

[@EL-qg6wm]

Fresh soft tofu can be used as an ingredient for cold desserts. Can add that to sweet red bean or black sesame soup/pudding/paste. Also can add chopped fruits like mango, pineapple, strawberries, kiwi etc etc. just drizzle some honey or sugar syrup. Purée the fruits for a more ‘fruity’ taste. Eat them chilled. When I was small, a bowl of warm rice with fresh tofu and drizzles of soy sauce in a cold winter day was always satisfying.

[@chriholt]

Wow, that was an awesome episode!

[@rosanastimson9385]

Love Dan! He’s so funny and informative!!

[@jnjenki]

This was so satisfying

[@maydaygarden]

Oh, this is definitely a bucket list recipe. People who "don't like tofu" because they think it's some kind of health food throwback should think of it in a different way. Similar to a fresh farmer's cheese, queso fresco or indian paneer, It takes on whatever flavors it's cooked with and firm tofu can be fried in so many dishes. Never head of tofu pudding but will try it if I can find it. Good episode Dan!

[@MarySanchez-qk3hp]

I occasionally bake sliced superfirm to taste like bacon. Trouble is, it disappears really fast from my fridge, because as we all know, bacon is a gateway drug! LoL! It's got the smoky, salty, sweet, sharp... and oil instead of animal fat. But unlike bacon, nothing had to die for it, and it digests easily.

[@annael87]

Amazing episode. Thank you for sharing all of the wonderful behind the scenes magic of tofu. Would love to try fresh tofu like that some time! The versatility of soy beans is astounding. How do we get so much from just one kind of bean? ☺️

[@mookykitten]

Omg I’m absolutely with you on tofu pudding! Tofu pudding is so good!!

[@jessstuart7495]

Fong's Tofu Pudding is now on my bucket list.

[@YiorgosT]

More Dan on the road please!

[@Kate5782]

loved this episode! i love tofu but had no idea how it was made

[@faithnelson6069]

love tofu pudding. there's a mango one served here. i love the sweet ginger too......i've never seen this savory version though. looks great!

[@DannChen]

But you can't get back to Boston from NYC if you take the Verrazzano. I mean you could, But that would mean you'd have to go through NJ? Why would you wanna do that? lol. Great video. Happy to see more asian content, showcasing asian artisans. Thank you.

[@DanielJSouza]

I know, we went the wrong way : /

[@PokhrajRoy.]

I love this!

[@tommyfromwiisportsresort]

Excellent place highly recommend!

[@aedanhepner4557]

this is amazing

[@erickablackwell6020]

Realized I worked in walking distance to Fong On! oh my, the sweet tofu with ginger sauce and grass jelly, the savory (I ordered what you ordered), and the fresh soymilk🎯

[@PJ-vp4xd]

The use of blender to make the mapo tofu paste is a great idea. To me as a Chinese Dan's rendition of mapo tofu looks fantastic

[@amjtexas]

Love this!! I've always been too intimidated by tofu to cook it but this video has inspired me. Where can I get the recipe for the dish Dan made at the end? It is mouth-watering. 😋

[@luzdeld]

tempting

[@madelineS98789]

I don’t like tofu, but I love Dan, I can’t skip this one. Hmm, maybe I don’t know good tofu! Thanks Dan,for sharing your experience!

[@BokorugroRR]

This is awesome

[@LeJones457]

Terrific!!!!Wish I lived in NY and could find these authentic tofu shops!

[@donwhitehead4587]

Amazing😋

[@timkau7]

Dang - i could sense your passion / enthusiasm / inspiration in this video share... thank you, Dan!

[@shelly7017]

I definitely want some of that ! I'd even enjoy eating for breakfast. I'm putting the ingredients i dont have on my wishlist

[@johnpenwell6402]

Late to the comment game but I was just in the city and made a point to stop by Fong On to try the tofu pudding. What a treat, I went with the “can’t go wrong” combo but I can see how you could go different ways with the dish. Not how I’m used to thinking of tofu and I wish more places had something like it.

[@tm752]

If you took the Verrazzano to Boston from Chinatown, you need to update your Waze.

[@jenniweber1209]

OMG I HAVE to go there!!!

[@DippityDoo101]

Now I want tofu for dinner and those cookbooks are in my Amazon cart.

[@milhouse14]

In the Philippines, tofu pudding is usually eaten with brown sugar syrup. We call it “taho”.

[@doraima29]

Soft tofu with syrup is easy to make. You can even put tapioca pearls. And make a brown sugar syrup.

[@yeowchongong5608]

Looks legit 🤩

[@donaldfair4259]

This tofu video took all of my hesitation out of experimenting with it 👏

[@MsAsquared]

You can get locally-made tofu in the Boston area--try Chang Shing Tofu in Cambridge. (You can find their tofu at various markets in the area.)

[@keciacotton4895]

Well done. You were in my neighborhood!!

[@ThomasBrisco]

I can't believe you said "undesirable slightly beany taste" - the joy of good tofu is that it is reminiscent of the bean, and not a flavorless block like those from the grocery store!

[@mndlessdrwer]

seeing them using what amounts to an industrial-sized juice extractor to make tofu is really cool, because I always wondered if that was possible. Well, now I know.

[@moreprairiesplease]

Best part - the beans at 5:15. 😊🐱

[@jaydenlee5477]

Yum looks fantastic I'll be right over I'm starving 😉🤗 Lol. Would love to do this my self always wanted to try just don't have equipment to do so maybe one day.

[@MarySanchez-qk3hp]

You can get that on Amazon, but even the cheesecloth can be bought at Walmart. Don't get "fancy" until you're sure you want to commit to making it more than once a year, and you shouldn't have to.

[@allenli1281]

That tofu pulp is also delicious, rich in fibre, low in calories, I love tofu pulp meals.

[@msmaupin]

The best.

[@SpenserLi]

Soy pulp is actually a good ingredient on its own. One popular way to use it is to mix in a bit of flour to make a batter and pan fry it like a pancake.

[@esobelsamarita2307]

In the Philippines, Tofu pudding is called "Taho". It is serve in cups with molasses and tiny tapioca. Popular with kids...

[@anh_jeongyeon]

More on the road content please!

[@charthepirate]

okay dan this is great and I'm going to hit that tofu shop up. I appreciate a lot here, but why are you taking the Verrazano to get to boston? That's very much the wrong way from manhattan!

[@DanielJSouza]

I know, we took the wrong way : /

[@charthepirate]

@@DanielJSouza even the most seasoned New Yorker has accidentally ended up in staten island. Thanks for featuring great spots in an area that’s been hit really hard!

[@goudagirl6095]

FONG ON, DUDE!!! ✊ Good that they use non-GMO soybeans, especially as soybeans are one of the most highly-GMO'd crops in the US.

[@adambailey4585]

Tried Fong On this week because of this episode and it was indeed incredible. The silken / tofu pudding is something you've never tried, even if you'd had other silken tofus. But: Verrazano is the wrong direction from Boston...

[@pqrstsma2011]

why would you encounter the Verrazzano bridge on your way back to Boston from Manhattan?

[@sandrakeen4000]

I liked this one. Do you have a beer video? I would like to understand the different types of beer and what type of foods they would do will adding to

[@DanielJSouza]

Not yet, but hopefully soon.

[@cyclopsvision6370]

The recipes didn't disappear, they were never written down, because long time shop employees were taught to add ingredients by counting out a certain quantity of a certain bowl or container as a measuring device, like brown bowl, quart container, wooden spoon, etc.

[@gcamp83]

I have such a crush on Dan!

[@mudamoody98]

I always want to make handmade tofu. It reminds me that I need to buy my friend's tofu presser after they finished with their research

[@MarySanchez-qk3hp]

It's really easy. Just soymilk and one of those coagulants, then choose your desired firmness and process to that consistency. I'm not sure how readymade soymilk from the store would work out because they've all got additives, stabilizes, thickeners, and vitamins in them. You can make your own soymilk though. There are recipes online, and books in the library. And Dan strongly suggests a tofu book at the end of this video that sounds really good... I've already asked my library to purchase it!

[@fei6664]

Did the road trip include drifting down mountains?

[@ssm5774]

I knew about magnesium sulfate being used as a coagulant for tofu and have always wanted to try to make my own tofu, MS seems like an easy find to make that happen. However, I am worried that it might cause... bowel issues, you know... like the kind you get if you drink Epsom salt with a bit of water. Will using Epsom salt cause this fluid problem in the digestive system if you make tofu with it?

[@jadams5096]

Great episode. But what is up with the doorbell chime all the way through?!?!

[@bruceleavitt2287]

Dan, can someone help find the ATK video where you make an udon soup with tofu.

[@tnk4me4]

Paul literally explained why I dislike vegan meat alternatives that try too hard to be a replacement for specific meats instead of just owning that they are their own thing.

[@daniel_chu]

what were you doing driving through the Verrazano!?

[@davewarner2215]

Why are you crossing the Verrazano going from Chinatown to Boston?

[@nunyabusiness3625]

I thought the same thing.

[@ohbadgewhuh4129]

I always knew Dan could drive the Magic School Bus

[@kalijasin]

Tofu is mysterious.

[@gangstreG123]

If you're heading north from Manhattan to Boston why on earth would you take the Verrazano bridge? It connects Staten Island to Brooklyn

[@dragonboy718]

wait, what the heck are you doing on the Verrazano, heading back to Boston from NY Chinatown???