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From:	Bryanna (NewVeggies.vegsource.com)
Subject:	Re: Difference in TVP and Tofu?
Date:	March 19, 2008 at 3:28 pm PST

In Reply to: Difference in TVP and Tofu? posted by Christina on March 19, 2008 at 11:52 am:

Well, yes and no. Frozen, thawed and squeezed-dry, crumbled tofu can be used in place of reconstituted TVP. TVP is actually a registered trademark and it staands for "textured vegetable protein", which is the same gthing as "textured soy protein" or TSP. It is a dry product which needs to be reconstituted in liquid.

Tofu is made a little like cheese is made-- soymilk is curdled with a coagulator (calcium or magnesium) and then the curds are drained and weighted to make a cake of tofu.

THe following is my basic info on tofu, and then my basic info on TVP. Please note the part in the tofu section about using it frozen!

Here's my "dissertation" on tofu from my book "Soyfoods Cooking for a Positive Menopause":

TOFU (OR BEAN CURD OR SOYBEAN CURD OR DOUFU) IN MANY VARIETIES is available widely these days. It can best be described as a soft "cheese" made from soymilk that is curded with mineral salts and then drained and pressed into different textures. It is used widely in Asian cooking and vegetarian cooking. This soyfood is extremely versatile, taking on flavors easily, and can be used to substitute for dairy products, meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs.

Most supermarkets and health food stores will carry several different types of tofu-- you may find soft tofu (used mainly for drinks and desserts), regular or low-fat medium-firm (the japanese style), firm (the Chinese style), or extra-firm (also called pressed), which is excellent for marinating, stir-frying, and making kebabs. "Dessert tofu" is a soft tofu that is sweetened and flavored and often served cubed with fruit. It can be used in puddings, shakes, and frozen desserts. You may find some varieties of tofu in bulk in large tubs of water, or in vacuum-packed plastic tubs. Tofu that is opened should be covered with fresh water daily and kept in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

***If you freeze tofu (anything from medium-firm to extra-firm) for 48 hours or more, and then thaw it out, it takes on a very chewy texture after you squeeze the water out of it. This makes a great hamburger replacement in chile, spaghetti sauces, sloppy joes, and casseroles, and it can be used in place of reconstituted textured soy protein granules.***

In Asian markets and some large supermarkets you can find Chinese 5-spice tofu, which is pressed tofu marinated in a flavorful mixture, good for stir-fries. You will also find some Japanese varieties of fried tofu, such as aburage, or flat sheets of fried tofu that can be made into stuffed "pouches", or cut flat and rolled around fillings, or cut into strips for soup. You may also find cubes or triangles of golden deep-fried tofu (atsuage), which are excellent for stir-fries, barbecue sauces, sweet and sour, curry mixtures, kebabs, and many other uses. Although these are fried, before use, boiling water is poured over them and most of the oil squeezed out. These varieties are very concentrated sources of protein and isoflavones.

In Asian markets you may also be able to find jars of Chinese fermented Tofu or doufu-ru. This comes in a white variety, a hot spicy version, and a red version. It is used as a condiment in China, and to add richness to sauces and marinades. The white variety has a taste similar to that of blue cheese. It keeps for a long time refrigerated.

There are many modern varieties of tofu available-- smoked tofu, baked tofu, and marinated tofu. These can replace meats and poultry, and even smoked fish, in stir-fries, sautes, casseroles, salads and sandwiches.

In addition, you can find silken tofu, which is sold in aseptic packages which keep for about a year unopened. It is made right in the package by adding a curding agent to a richer, thicker soymilk than that used for regular tofu (which is then drained). Silken tofu comes in soft, firm, and extra-firm varieties, regular and low-fat. It is wonderful for blended, creamy mixtures, such as puddings, sauces, soups, pie fillings, etc..

For an excellent overview of tofu, read "The Book of Tofu: Food for Mankind" by William Shurtleff and Akiko Aoyagi (Autumn Press, 1975).

SILKEN VS REGULAR TOFU:

Since silken tofu is so easily available lately, I find that people are trying to use it in place of regular tofu where it isn't appropriate. I use silken tofu alot, for it's neutral taste and silky, creamy quality, but I don't use it when I don't think it's necessary because it's more expensive than regular tofu and has more packaging.

Regular tofu is made by coagulating soymilk, draining it and pressing it. Soft tofu is not pressed very much; medium-firm (the "Japanese" type) is pressed a little more; firm (the "Chinese" type) is pressed still more; and extra-firm is pressed so that it is VERY firm. All of these except the soft can be frozen. When they are thawed, they can be squeezed and a chewy, spongey product results, which has a "meat-like" texture and can be crumbled into chilies and spicy sauces, or sliced and marinated, the porous texture soaking up the marinade like, well, a sponge!

SILKEN tofu is made in an entirely different way. Soymilk containing varying amounts of water (for soft, firm and extra-firm) is coagulated right in the box, and is not drained or pressed. It is valued for it's silken (hence the name) texture, but is not used like regular tofu in Japan. It will not freeze and get chewy like the regular type, and extra-firm SILKEN will still break apart in a stir-fry, whereas extra-firm regular will hold up to the rough and tumble of quick stir-frying, or to being skewered and barbecue, etc.

I buy silken tofu by the case to save money, so I just get the extra-firm type. When a recipe calls for firm silken tofu, I use the extra-firm and it's fine. If it calls for soft silken, I use slightly more liquid and slightly less silken tofu.

In some recipes you can use silken tofu in place of medium-firm or soft tofu (or vice versa)-- mostly in blended recipes, but also in soft cubes for delicate soups.

But, for the most part, use what the recipe calls for, and DON'T mix up extra-firm SILKEN tofu with extra-firm regular tofu, because they are not the same at all! (Example-- if you tried to use extra-firm regular tofu in a recipe for a blended pudding, say, that called for extra-firm SILKEN tofu, you'd end up with a thick, pasty, grainy mixture instead of a creamy mixture.)

ABOUT TEXTURED VEGETABLE (SOY) PROTEIN

Textured soy protein is simply de-fatted soy flour cooked with water, then extruded through machinery to make granules, chunks, cutlets, etc., then dehydrated.

Organic and/or solvent-free textured soy protein (TVP®, BTW, is the same thing, but it is a registered brand name, and is also the same thing as "textured vegetable protein" or TSP), is available!

From Bob's Red Mill (they call it "TSP") http://www.bobsredmill.com/catalog/index.php?action=showdetails&product_ID=438

Frontier Co-op has unflavored organic textured soy protein in three different sizes.
http://www.frontiercoop.com/dspCmnPrd.php?p=p&cn=Soy%20Textured%20Protein&ct=dfmsf

And from healthy-eating.com:
"These textured soy protein bits are made with organic soybeans, using a manufacturing process certified by the Organic Growers and Buyers Association...Because there are no chemicals used to grow or process the soybeans used in this organic product, please expect variations in size and color from one order to the next."
http://healthy-eating.com/texturedsoy.html#organic

I also like a product called Soy Curls®, which is like stir-fry slices. It is made from the WHOLE soybean (non-GMO). It is very tender and great for stir-fries, etc. Since it contains the natural oil, I keep this dried product in the freezer. Soy Curls® are solvent-free, and I use the crumbs on the bottom of the box sort of like TVP granules.
www.butlerfoods.com

As for commercial textured soy protein products, Nexsoy makes a commercial organic textured soy protein that manufacturers use for organic meat substitutes.
http://www.nexcelfoods.com/tsp.html
Here is what they say about their product:
"The unique Nexsoy® process is totally solvent-free, yielding a product line that is free of the "soy" taste that some consumers find unpalatable, leaving you free to work on developing your flavor, not masking agents. Traditionally, most soy ingredients are produced using a chemical solvent called hexane. This method is believed to be responsible for the "grassy" or "beany" flavor that has historically slowed the acceptance soyfoods. The Nexsoy® processing method is entirely mechanical and requires no chemicals such as hexane. This process is responsible for very neutral-tasting naturally-produced soy ingredients that can be used by food manufacturers without negatively impacting the flavor of their product."

Textured vegetable protein (or TVP or textured soy protein, as it is sometimes called) is a low-fat, inexpensive dry product, used as a meat substitute. It is NOT the same thing as "hydrolized plant protein" or "soy isolate", and contains no MSG or other additives. It is made from soy flour, cooked under pressure, then extruded to make different sizes and shapes.

It has the advantage of being chewier and lower in fat than tofu, and can take the place of frozen tofu in many recipes. Even if you object to the use of meat alternates on a regular basis, it makes a great transitional food for people who are accustomed to eating meat and, despite the best of motives and intentions, miss those familiar flavors and, especially, textures. I have had great success in serving textured vegetable protein dishes to non-vegetarians.

Textured vegetable protein chunks and cutlets have such a meaty texture that, when cooked in a flavorful mixture, I have had anxious vegetarians ask me if I'm sure their food includes no meat! Textured vegetable protein will keep for a long time, has no cholesterol, almost no fat and sodium, and is an excellent source of protein and fiber. An organic variety is available. It is easily rehydrated for use in soups, stews, casseroles, and sauces (in fact, if your mixture is very "brothy", you can just add the textured soy protein in its dry state, and it will absorb the flavorful broth).

The most easily available types are the granules and the chunks, but you can also get flakes, cutlets and "tenders". The granules can be used for "burgers", "sausage", "meatballs", "meatloaves", and in spaghetti sauces and "meat" stuffings for vegetables. The chunks and cutlets and "tenders" make wonderful stews and "scaloppine", which are usually very thin "scallops" of meat, quickly sauteed and served in a flavorful sauce.

I reconstitute large amounts of them and keep them frozen in 2 c. containers, in their cooking broth, in the freezer. Then I can quickly thaw them out and make an elegant, but quick and easy, dish for dinner at the last minute. The granules are quickly rehydrated by mixing an almost equal amount of very hot or boiling liquid with them, covering and letting stand for 5 minutes or so. Water is fine if the granules are to be added to a spicy mixture, but you can use a flavorful broth, or some tomato juice, or just add 1 or 2 T. light soy sauce, or a tsp. of yeast extract to the hot water. The general rule is 7/8 c. liquid to each cup of textured vegetable protein granules. This yields about 1 and 1/3 c..

Reconstituted textured vegetable protein granules, ground seitan and crumbled frozen tofu can be used pretty much interchangeably in many recipes. When I'm substituting for meat in a recipe, I figure that 1 lb. of meat is equal to about 2 c. of reconstituted granules OR chunks, frozen tofu or ground seitan in volume (by weight, 1/2 lb. seitan is equal to about a lb. of meat).

The chunks, cutlets and "tenders" take a little longer to reconstitute, but have an amazingly meat-like texture and a pleasant, mild flavor. Besides stews and "scaloppine" dishes, the chunks can be used in stir-fries, kebabs, and deep-fried or oven-fried (coated with Seasoned flour and baked at 400 degrees F for about 10 minutes per side).

Reconstitute the chunks, cutlets and "tenders" by cooking 1 and 1/2 c. dry chunks in 3 c. flavorful broth OR water with 3 T. soy sauce, 3 T. ketchup or tomato paste, and 1 T. nutritional yeast flakes for 15-30 minutes, depending upon how tender you like them. Cool and store in the cooking broth. (I usually make 4 or more times this amount and freeze it in 2 c. portions.) Drain before using them, and pat them dry before coating with flour, frying, or marinating.

NOTE: If you make seitan, you can also reconstitute textured vegetable protein chunks in leftover seitan Cooking Broth of any flavor.

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