As we all know, vegan cuisine excludes all types of food of animal origin or their derivatives. And for those with friends or family who have chosen this food style, it is useful to have recipes compatible with their preferences. Fortunately, there are many ingredients of vegetable origin that are versatile and simple to use, such as tofu, the prince of the vegan style table.

“Soy bean rennet”, the second name of tofu

For those not familiar, Tofu - also called "soy bean rennet" - is a food that originated in China and is used today throughout the Far East. There are two main theories about his birth: the first claims that it was a nobleman named Liu Ana who discovered tofu in northern China around 164 BC. C. and is the least reliable because so far there has not been much evidence of the existence of this character. The second theory is that tofu was born by chance during the boiling of soy beans with sea salt. It is said that it was the strong presence of magnesium and calcium in the salt that activated the rennet formation process and therefore also its coagulation.

From China to Japan, to the tables around the world

To date, the only certainty we have is that tofu has spread rapidly from China to Japan, a country in which it was considered a fundamental food by Buddhist monks thanks to its very high protein content. From Japan, then, its spread has spread to Vietnam, the Koreas and Thailand, used in an infinite variety of recipes and preparations (fried, steamed, fresh or smoked).

Just like a cheese, but 100% vegetable

The process of creating tofu is very similar to that of our cheeses: it is obtained, in fact, from the rennet of soy milk that is subsequently pressed. Soy beans are first soaked, then crushed, boiled and dried. With this procedure the milky liquid is obtained which is used to create the typical forms of tofu.

The types of rennet vary according to the consistency: it can be soft and tender with a neutral flavor and a high calcium content, smooth and delicate with a slightly bitter aftertaste, or velvety, soft and gelatinous with an acid taste.

For our recipe we chose a neutral-flavored tofu, not particularly acid, which we seasoned with aubergines and almond grains. The result is a really tasty dish with an oriental flavor which, we are sure, will please everyone, vegan and otherwise.

INGREDIENTS FOR 4 SERVINGS

340 g Antonio Amato Farfalle

250 tofu

350 g aubergines

80 g almonds

1 clove garlic

salt to taste

Antonio Amato extra virgin olive oil EVO to taste

DIRECTIONS

In a pan, sauté the garlic with olive oil for 1-2 minutes or until slightly yellow in color.

Wash the aubergines well, remove their ends and cut them into slices. After, cook them in a pan with high fire for ten minutes. When the aubergines are ready and soft, add the tofu, previously cutted. In the meanwhile, boil farfalle pasta into salted water and drain it "al dente".

Once the pasta is ready, toss it in a pan with the sauce and add the almond grain for a more tasty and crunchy dish.

The Farfalle pasta with tofu, aubergines and almond grain are ready. Remember: this recipe is perfet hot and cold as pasta salad.