My brain still recoils at memories of the tofu stir-fries in my college co-op. A student "cook" made them in a wok the size of a prosperous Martian’s flying saucer, and, man, were they bad—steamy, crumbled bits of tofu and limp greens sloshing around in a warm bath of liquid aminos. I couldn't eat tofu for decades.
Then, a few years ago, I tried Hodo Soy. Gamechanger. For the first time in my life, I actually crave tofu.
Hodo Soy was founded by Minh Tsai in California in 2004; his mission was to make soy products unlike anything most Americans had ever eaten. A year ago, he finally started shipping his products—a variety of tofus, yuba (tofu skin with the bouncy texture of wheat noodles), and soy milk. They quickly developed a cult following, as chefs like Corey Lee, Masa Takayama, Kim Alter, Brooks Headley, and Brandon Jew came to appreciate Tsai's fanatical attention to flavor.
My favorite Hodo Soy product is the firm tofu, a dense cryovac-ed block that isn’t packed in water like most store-bought tofu and, therefore, doesn’t need to be pressed before using (what a revelation!). It's nutty and mild with a firm—never spongy—consistency.
Hodo Soy’s firm tofu is certainly stir-fry-able, but my favorite thing to do is shred it using the large holes of a box grater and use it in vegan sloppy joes.
You can look for Hodo Soy at some Whole Foods locations and other markets, and you can always order it online. So you can re-live the good parts of college and leave the soggy-tofu memories behind.
