Time has just flown by on our exciting summer program in Taipei! I have made memories that will last forever and friends that will last a lifetime. One of my favorite parts of the American Councils Tradition and Modernity in Taiwan program has to be how much I have learned about Taiwanese culture. We have had the tremendous opportunity to participate in many different activities such as learning Chinese knotting, calligraphy, spending the weekend with an aboriginal village, tea tasting, and so much more! One of my favorite activities is the morning we spent learning to make our own tofu (豆腐dòufu).
Tofu is a traditional cuisine of East Asia, more specifically, Han Chinese culture. The process was a lot less complicated than I had previous expected, and definitely lots of fun! Tofu is a bean curd that is prepared by coagulating soy milk and then pressing the resulting curds into soft white blocks, very similar to the production of dairy cheese. I was able to document the process in this video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGaREinSPX0&feature=youtu.be
The steps involved using a calcium sulphate mixture as a coagulating agent, and pouring it into the heating soybean milk (which was premade for us). Then we stirred in the agent. Next, we assembled the wooden structure that would mold our tofu. We then placed a cheesecloth within the structure and poured our solidifying soybean mixture inside in order to drain it. We wrapped up the cheesecloth and pressed the top on to remove the liquid and give it shape. The last big step was the flipping of the wooden structure to reveal our finished product. After cutting the tofu into squares and flavoring it with a delicious teriyaki sauce, we were ready to dig in! The tofu was divine, and I'm not just saying that because I made it (though that may have helped).
We were all very satisfied with our meals and were quickly ready for seconds, and even thirds. It was an enjoyable experience learning to make tofu in Taiwan and I cannot wait to bring the recipe home and prepare it for my family!
Program: Tradition and Modernity in Taiwan
Term: Summer 2018