The Good Beans Blog

Emma's Yellow Tofu Curry

noreply@blogger.com (Carolyn) — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 22:31:00 +0000

The other night, I found myself in the mood for some curry. I also had the good fortune of having two fresh-from-the-farmers-market firm blocks of Hodo tofu. It was decided. I would make Tofu curry.

Although I thoroughly enjoying cooking, I’m not quite able to create any dish that comes to mind, so I went to the Internet. I took my inspiration from a Fine Cooking recipe and adapted it to include fresh ingredients from my garden and my local North Berkeley Farmers market.

Cooking this yellow curry was almost as good as eating it, the aroma lemongrass, curry, and coconut milk that filled my kitchen was irresistible. It’s a good thing that this dish was so quick to make because by the time it was done I was practically salivating.

With this recipe, I discovered a new way to cook with tofu. This yellow curry was the perfect combination of delicious fresh ingredients and a creamy curry that was bursting with flavor. This dish would go well served with basmati or brown rice. Enjoy!

1 (13.5- to 14-oz.) can coconut milk (alternatively you could experiment by using Hodo unsweetened soy milk)

1/4 cup yellow curry paste

1 cup homemade vegetable broth (simply boil water, celery, onions, carrot, bay leaves, garlic, salt and pepper, and whatever additional veggies you like for a few hours or until desired strength, and then strain vegetables out and use liquid only)

2 Tbs. light brown sugar

1 tsp. fish sauce

3/4 cup green bean pieces

3/4 cup sliced onions

3 stalks fresh lemongrass cut into 3- to 4-inch pieces

6 whole fresh lime leaves

2 or more Hodo firm tofu cut into bite-size pieces

3/4 cup eggplant, peeled and cubed in ½ inch cubes

3/4 cup zucchini, cubed in ½ inch cubes

3/4 cup oyster mushrooms, pulled apart into bite-size pieces

3/4 cup loosely packed Thai basil leaves

4 Lime wedges, for garnish

Place eggplant and zucchini on baking sheet and drizzle with a little olive oil. Bake at 400 until eggplant is soft and golden brown. Set aside.

 Over medium heat in a large wok or saucepan, bring ½ cup of the coconut milk to simmering. Stir the milk occasionally until it is thickened and reduced by about half. This will take about 4 or 5 minutes.

 Add the curry paste to the coconut milk, whisk in the curry paste for 1 minute. Then whisk in the broth, sugar, fish sauce, and remaining coconut milk. Bring to a simmer.  

Add the green beans, onions, lemongrass, and lime leaves and continue to simmer.

After a couple of minutes, add in the Hodo tofu, mushrooms, zucchini, and eggplant and continue to simmer until everything is cooked to your liking; it should take around 3 minutes. 

Remove the curry from the heat. Taste the curry and if preferred add more sugar or fish sauce, and then add the basil leaves. Remove the lemongrass and lime leaves. And finally, toss on the lime wedges for garnish.

Bon Appetite!

Hodo Kiosk Spotlight, by Emma Lutz

noreply@blogger.com (Carolyn) — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 23:13:00 +0000

As I walked towards the Ferry Building amongst the gaggle of tourists and business people, the air was crisp and uncharacteristically warm. Visiting the Hodo Kiosk and blogging about it was one of my first tasks as Hodo's Summer 2011 intern. The kiosk is a great expansion for Hodo because it's Hodo's first retail location and it introduces new products different from Hodo farmers’ market and grocery store items.

I stepped into the Ferry Building and was instantly relieved by the openness and natural light that flooded the building. With the farmers market outside, the halls of the building were bustling with food enthusiasts and tourists—great people watching.

I found the Hodo Kiosk next to Gott’s Roadside and The Slanted Door. I tried the Yuba Kung Pao salad, which is a refreshing mix of yuba, brown rice noodles, carrot, cucumber, and daikon. The yuba gives the salad a sumptuous texture when mixed with the fresh crunch of the veggies. The Kung Pao dressing tops the salad off giving it a delightfully summery flavor.

I learned that the customers’ favorite is the Indian Wrap, made with spicy curry tofu nuggets, crisp lettuce, cucumber, carrot, daikon, and cilantro, seasoned with a mouth-watering mango chutney and Hodo’s homemade vegan mayonnaise, all wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla.

The kiosk also carries a great variety of soy smoothies and drinks, such as Chocolate Soy Shake, Thai Tea, Strawberry Banana Smoothie, and Kale Avocado Shake. If you are already a Hodo fan or someone who simply wants to try some great new Hodo dishes, make sure to stop by the kiosk! Next time I visit, I hope to enjoy some of the decadent Scharf’s Chocolate Mousse while viewing sailboats on the bay.

Kiosk Hours:

Monday-Friday 9am – 7pm

Saturdays 8am – 6pm

Sundays 11am – 5pm

Unique and freshly-made ready-to-eat items at the kiosk:

Strawberry Banana Smoothie: Strawberry, Banana, Hodo Soy Milk, Hodo Custard, Orange Juice, Agave Syrup

Kale Avocado Smoothie: Kale, Avocado, Cucumber, Hodo Soy Milk, Hodo Soy Custard, Apple Juice, Lime Juice, Sea Salt

Thai Iced Tea: Hodo Soy Milk, Thai Tea, Organic Sugar

Chocolate Soy Milk: Hodo Soy Milk, Cocoa Powder, Organic Sugar, Vanilla, Sea Salt

Yuba Kung Pao Salad: Yuba, Brown Rice Noodles, Cucumber, Daikon, Carrot, Soynuts, Cilantro, Kung Pao Sauce (soy bean oil, rice vinegar, tamari, water, cane sugar, sesame oil, brown sugar, corn starch, spices, garlic, ginger, chilies, dried orange peel)

Scharf’s Mousse: Hodo Soy Crème, Hodo Soy Custard, Scharffen Berger 62% Semisweet Chocolate, Agave Syrup, Rice Starch, Vanilla, Sea Salt

Forbidden Rice Pudding: Hodo Soy Crème, Hodo Soy Custard, Licorice, Cinnamon, Agave Syrup, Indian Spice, Candied Ginger, Toasted Coconut

Indian Wrap: Curry Tofu Nuggets, Lettuce, Carrot, Cucumber, Daikon, Cilantro, Hodo Vegan Mayo, Mango Chutney, Whole Wheat Tortilla

Sky Is Falling! Sandwich: Hodo Firm Tofu, Hodo Vegan Mayo, Yellow Curry, Turmeric, Vital Vittles Bread

***In addition to the prepared items, the Kiosk also carries all of Hodo’s fresh tofu products (Soy Milk, Silken, Medium, and Firm Tofu, Fresh Yuba, Braised Tofu, and Tea-Infused Tofu) along with a variety of grab and go salads (Hijiki, Spicy Yuba Strips, 5-Spice and Spicy Curry Nuggets).***

Bakesale Betty Fried Tofu Sandwich

noreply@blogger.com (Carolyn) — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 05:32:00 +0000

Since becoming a vegetarian and slow foodist and moving to the Bay Area, I have eaten so well that I rarely miss my old diet. Except when the first perfect days of Spring arrive, like they have this week, and I smell everyone's barbecues.

And when I pass by the line outside Bakesale Betty's and overhear the patient lunch-goers saying to their friends, "just wait until you try this amazing fried chicken sandwich. The combination of slaw, fresh French roll, and crispy chicken are dreeeamy."

At last, beginning April 12, we self-sacrificing vegetarians will have a dreamy Bakesale Betty sandwich to line up for! During the photo shoot for today's Oakland Tribune article about popular food companies who launched their businesses at farmers' markets, Minh and Betty finalized the specs for how he would brine the tofu and she would fry it for this unbelievably delicious sandwich. Betty brought her "final take" to the beanery, and we were speechless with appreciation for the most skillful fry job we had ever witnessed, and the most magnificent balance of cabbage, parsley, vinegar, and olive oil topping it.

I hope to see you in line to try the fried tofu sandwich's debut next Tuesday! Or Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday, as I will most likely be there for one every day.

P.S. Even though the news of a Bakesale Betty friend tofu sandwich seems too good to be true, believe it! A Hodo Ferry Building kiosk opening in May will happen also! However, Hodo selling soy-flavored bacon, soy cocktails, and edible soyrangements at said kiosk was an April Fools Fancy. Sorry to disappoint those who didn't catch on.

Hodo Invites Ideas for our new kiosk

noreply@blogger.com (Carolyn) — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 20:47:00 +0000

Are you questioning the buzz about a Hodo kiosk in the Ferry Building opening in May? Well, believe it! Across from Out The Door and next to Gott's Roadside, Hodo is opening its first very own retail space! We will sell many new ready-to-eat breakfast and lunch items, flavored soy milks, and all our freshly-made soy products.

Our kiosk will serve as a stage to present our soy innovations, as we have them. Our current projects include:

Tofu-flavored Bacon. No one's succeeded in making a truly delicious soy-based bacon substitute, including us, so we've switched gears and begun developing a soy-flavored bacon. Yes, we are still a vegetarian company, but we're making this one small exception in pursuit of an amazing product.

Soy Liqueur. We haven't perfected the fermentation process, but as soon as we do, our beverages will be even more intoxicating! Look for soytinis and Long Island Soy Teas at our kiosk bar soon!

Edible Soyrangements. Edible gifts have taken off, and Hodo has tested some beautiful yuba roses and braised tofu tulip bouquets. They look fantastic and taste delicious... so long as you present them to your loved ones in a refrigerated space.

What ideas do you have for new soy innovations? We welcome your suggestions! We want the launching of our kiosk to be a collaborative community event!

Green Chili-Tofu Tacos

noreply@blogger.com (Carolyn) — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 05:27:00 +0000

One of the characteristics I admire the most about our farmers' market customers is their innovativeness with our tofu products. Every market, I hear about new culinary feats they're performing at home. This quality shouldn't surprise me. After all, they eagerly experiment with yuba, an unfamiliar product to most Americans. And our regular customers are usually up for buying whatever product is new. Our Curry Tofu Nuggets were a best-seller during their debut month. And I don't think that's because the curry beat the Five Spice Jerky in flavor or texture, which is impossible.

Just as admirable as our customers' adventurousness in the kitchen is their willingness to share their masterpieces with us and the public. Ferry Plaza Farmers' Market customer Katie recently sent her Green Chili-Tofu Taco recipe to me, via her new blog Veggie Vanagon. I tested the recipe, and give it the Hodo stamp of approval. Here's Katie's blog:

I love green chili. Not soup, but more like a sauce. Actually, I’m obsessed with it. It is my preferred accompaniment to eggs, burritos, tacos, potatoes, whatever! It is rich (without being creamy) and savory. It is spicy. I love it!

I have only really encountered green chili in the mountain west and the southwest. It is made with fire-roasted green chiles, broth, onions, garlic and a tiny bit of cornstarch to thicken it up. I love to make a batch to have on hand for tacos or breakfast.

For the tofu, I always use extra firm as it has less water content and browns quickly without falling apart. I am lucky enough to have a local, excellent beanery from which to source my extra firm. Check it out here: Hodo Soy Beanery. If you don’t have that fine option, look for tofu that is packaged with just a plastic wrapper and not in the tub. Sometimes it is called “nigiri tofu” after the coagulant that is used to make it. You can find this kind of tofu at most major grocery stores, in the same place as the water-packed tub tofu.

Green Chili-Tofu Tacos

Ingredients:

Green Chili

1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
1 onion, finely diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 7 oz. cans of Ortega Green Chiles
2 cups of veggie broth (I use Better Than Bouillon)
1 tablespoon of cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon of water
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Heat oil in a medium-sized saucepan on medium-high.
Saute onions until translucent, about 7 minutes.
Add garlic and cook and stir until fragrant, about 3 minutes.
Add green chiles and stir. Cook 3 minutes more.
Add broth and cornstarch slurry.
Stir until thickened and then turn down the heat to low.
Cook for 10 minutes more, stirring occasionally to prevent the sauce from sticking to the pan.

Tofu

16 oz. extra firm tofu
3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Instructions:

Slice tofu into 1 cm square cubes.
Heat oil in large saucepan on high.
When shimmering, add tofu.
Stir until tofu has developed a golden brown crust.
Remove from heat.

Garnishes

Mashed yukon gold potatoes
Refried beans
Saute summer squash
Cilantro
Avocado
Crumbled queso fresco
Crema (or sour cream)

Construction:

Heat tortillas in cast iron (no oil) until they soften.
Smear with potatoes and/or beans.
Top with tofu and/or squash.
Garnish with cheese, crema, avocado and cilantro.
Fill side of plate with green chili sauce.
Enjoy!

To read more recipes from Hodofan Katie, check out her blog Veggie Vanagon!

Learn to Make Fresh Tofu at Home!

noreply@blogger.com (Dean) — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 21:56:00 +0000

Hodo Soy Beanery is partnering with Urban Kitchen SF (http://www.urbankitchensf.org/) to create our first ever Tofu Making Class!

The class will be taught at the Hodo production facility on Thursday, September 16th from 6-8pm. You will receive a tofu-making kit along with all the necessary ingredients to make your own soymilk and tofu. The class includes a tour of our facility along with instruction by Hodo Soy Beanery Founder and Tofu Master, Minh Tsai along with this able staff.

Find out about the art and science of creating, fresh, delicious tofu from organic, non-GMO soybeans and calcium sulfate, a naturally occuring mineral. Learn to make soymilk from scratch and discover the joys of producing your own block of fresh tofu.

For more details and to buy tickets: http://tofu.eventbrite.com/

Hodo and Recchiuti Chocolates team up for Project Taste

noreply@blogger.com (Dean) — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 22:35:00 +0000

Michael Recchiuti recently toured our facility and invited Hodo to collaborate on a soy and chocolate tasting in August. For more details and information on how to sign up, please visit:

http://www.recchiuti.com/demo.html?mv_arg=1019

Full Description
Michael Recchiuti teams up with Minh Tsai, founder and tofu master of Hodo Soy Beanery, for a soy and chocolate tasting event. Join them as they lead you through an exploration of the creation of artisan tofu and chocolate, and the many intriguing and surprising flavor pairings these two versatile ingredients bring to the table. You'll observe "how tofu is made" through a series of deconstructed tastings, tour Recchiuti's production kitchen in a private tour, and taste some unique sweet and savory creations concocted just for the event

Location
Recchuiti kitchens, San Francisco

Time
Sunday August 29, 2-4:30lm

Producer Dinner at 18 reasons

noreply@blogger.com (Dean) — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 21:19:00 +0000

The dining room and prep kitchen of 18 Reasons is tiny (about half the size of my living room), but we managed to seat 24 people and serve 6 courses and 4 wines. We started the meal with a presentation and tableside tofu and ended with a chocolate tofu pot de creme by Bi-Rite Creamery.

Here's the full menu:

Amuse Bouche
Cantaloupe and Mint Shake with Silken Tofu

"The Foundation"
Tableside Tofu made by Hodo Founder and Tofu Master, Minh Tsai

"The Simple"
Jicama Salad with Hodo's 5-Spice Tofu Nuggets

"The Sophisticated"
Nama Yuba "Sashimi" with Uni

"The Familiar"
King, Shiitake, and Enoki Mushroom and Spinach Lasagna with Nama Yuba

"The Luxurious"
Seared Sea Scallops with Yuba Truffle Puree

Dessert
Chocolate Tofu Pot de Creme

You're Invited to a 5 Course Dinner by Hodo Founder, Minh Tsai!

noreply@blogger.com (Dean) — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 22:15:00 +0000

18 Reasons, the non-profit community space funded by Bi-Rite Market and Bi-Rite Creamery is featuring Minh Tsai and Hodo Soy Beanery at its "Producer dinner" on Friday, July 9th at 7pm.

Here's your chance to experience a 5 course meal prepared by Minh featuring his freshly made tofu and yuba. Here's one dish to expect:

Nama Yuba "Sashimi" with Uni
Silky folds of fresh, handmade yuba topped with sea urchin and toasted nori

Hodo Soy Beanery's Nama Yuba is made from fresh, organic, non-gmo soy milk. The delicate folds of yuba resemble in appearance and texture, the thinnest sheets of freshly-made pappardelle pasta with a silky, tender quality unlike anything else you've ever tasted. It's the perfect accompaniment to the rich, creamy ocean-fresh uni.

For more information: http://www.18reasons.org/

To purchase tickets: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/116900

John Scharffenberger joins Hodo!

noreply@blogger.com (Dean) — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 23:23:00 +0000

We are really excited to have John Scharffenberger join Hodo Soy Beanery as our CEO!

Like just about every other employee, he first discovered Hodo at his local farmer's market. While he admittedly was not a huge fan of tofu, he was wowed by his first taste of Hodo's Tofu and it made a lasting impression. Hodo's freshly made tofu, soy milk, and yuba was completely different from what he associated with store bought, shelf stable soy products.

As John got to know more about Hodo Soy Beanery, including Minh Tsai, founder and tofu master, and John Notz, CFO, he took a more active interest and became an investor and director in 2008. John Scharffenberger's role will be to help grow Hodo's sales and distribution network while at the same time, maintaining its commitment to quality and stellar customer service.

Summer, Summer escorts Hodo into the Thai Scene

noreply@blogger.com (Carolyn) — Mon, 31 May 2010 23:06:00 +0000

We all love Thai food here on Team Hodo. And until recently, the only time we got to enjoy our tofu in professionally prepared Thai dishes was when our chefs made it for team lunch.

That changed when Emeryville's Summer, Summer refreshed their local, organic menu and began providing the option for every dish to be made with Hodo tofu! Restauranteur Oranuch Chatsrinopakun says that almost 40% of her customers are vegetarian. "They can taste a difference with your tofu."

Summer, Summer is a boutique Thai restaurant holding up the Hollis and 59th corner of one of Emeryville's larger office buildings. Decorated with reclaimed wooden shutters ($50 from Urban Ore!) reminiscent of traditional Thai houses, and gold leaf designs resembling the decor of Thai temples, Chatsrinopakun created an elegant Thai atmosphere.

Unlike most Bay Area Thai Restaurants, which serve only central Thai dishes, Summer Summer serves food from many parts of the country, including Kao Soi (Northern), Nam Tok Nuer (Northeastern), and Padpet seafood (Southern). Executive Chef Eric Sansangasakun expertly prepares humanely-raised meats, fresh fish and Hodo tofu in a variety of soup, wrap, noodle, wok, curry, and grill dishes. He and Chatsrinopakun frequently collaborate to create new options inspired by their clientele's interests. For example, Curry a Trois was designed to introduce customers new to Thai curries to 3 of Thailand's finest: Kang Gari Kai with organic chicken, Kang Kiew Wan Neur with short ribs, and Panang with Hodo tofu.

Every day, a work crowd gathers for lunch and Happy Hour, and every night, the condo neighbors congregate for dinner. I visited for the first time last Saturday and was surprised that even during Memorial Day weekend, Summer, Summer had a good-sized dinner crowd. Chatsrinopakun explained to me why she chose this neighborhood: "I live in Berkeley and there are tons of Thai restaurants there, no one place is my favorite. Emeryville has no Thai restaurants [except the Thai stall at Public Market]. This is a city of young families, very hip, trendy and growing."

Named after Thailand's two seasons, Summer, Summer is known for making simple, yet fantastically flavorful dishes. One of their signature dishes is Miang-kam, an appetizer with fresh spinach, Thai chili, fresh ginger, shallots, cashew nuts and tamarind sauce. I tried the Kang Daeng Tofu, and found this red curry perfectly

spicy and light. The expertly fried tofu had a wonderful texture and worked well with the bamboo shoots and ginger. It was served with Summer, Summer's signature purple-colored rice, a scrumptious combination of Thai Jasmine brown rice and Thai black sticky rice.

I can't wait to return soon with some Hodoheads or Hodo fans. They will be thrilled by the wide variety of dishes served with our tofu!

Ozumo Brings the Art of Tofu Making to the Table

noreply@blogger.com (Carolyn) — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 19:22:00 +0000

The chefs who order our soy products continue to inspire us with their innovation in not only recipe development, but cuisine experiences. While visiting San Francisco's Ozumo last Friday, we observed the magic of tofu formation brought to our table!

Upon request, servers entertain guests with a tofu-making demonstration. "I've always wanted to do table-side tofu," Chef Alex Morgan says. After touring our beanery last month, he asked for a lesson in silken tofu making. He brought his knowledge back to Ozumo and taught all his servers his newfound skill. The freshly made tofu is served with pickled watermelon radish, pickled ginger, wasabi, and dashi.

Located in San Francisco's SOMA neighborhood at 161 Steuart Street, Ozumo is a stylish restaurant know for its innovative contemporary Japanese cuisine. The beautifully presented small plates, sushi rolls, robata grill and North America's most extensive sake menu bring in a crowd every night for happy hour and dinner. While Ozumo's signature dishes are hanabi, dohyo, futago, and gindara, the chefs are the most proud of serving tontoro. Tontoro is a pork jowel slowly braised in sweet tentsuyu for four hours. So tender, tontoro falls to pieces on your tongue.

We were delighted to discover Hodo's silken tofu, yuba and nama yuba incorporated into equally delicate dishes. Yuba is a subtle, protein-packed delicacy made by skimming off the elegant layer of skin that forms on the surface of heated soy milk. Nama yuba is the youngest yuba, a creamier soft-cheese-textured soy milk skin, with a sweet and nutty flavor. We recommend pairing nama yuba dishes with nama sake, which is raw and unpasteurized and exhibits more rice flavor.

Our first course was the Yuba Maki, an upscale shinjo version of the Philly Roll. Salmon, spinach and gindara were wrapped in yuba, fried, and served on top of a lobster aka miso sauce. "I don't think cheese and seafood should be served together," Alex remarked, pointing out the nama yuba taking the place of cream cheese. It did the trick, providing the creaminess and richness that compliments salmon so well.

We next enjoyed blanched artichoke hearts from the Yasai menu. They were served on top of a rich nama yuba sauce, mixed with sour cream and garlic. The white sauce swirled into a soy sauce, making a beautiful ying and yang design below the criss-crossed hearts, and complimenting each other's flavors beautifully.

Alex's most stand-out dish was the Chowan Dofu soup. Chowan Dofu is a vegan take on chowan muchi, an egg custard soup made with dashi and eggs. This housemade black trumpet mushroom broth with heart of palm and rice flour was adorned with a beautiful tower of fresh vegetables, floating on an island of silken tofu. Minh smiled approvingly at the first bite: "This is a vegan delight. The meaty mushrooms are a perfect smokey balance to the creamy silk." Its heartiness was the perfect remedy after a week of unexpected late-spring rain. The richness rivaled a French Onion soup, and we felt warmed and full before finishing our bowls.

For those Hodo fans who haven't had the chance to tour our beanery and taste our tofu seconds after its born, Ozumo now provides another location for this experience! Just order table-side tofu as a course from Omakase, the chef tasting menu. And, unlike at our beanery, at Ozumo, you can pair your tofu with sakes and wines!

Hodo Enters Your Neighborhood Store

noreply@blogger.com (Carolyn) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:13:00 +0000

Thank you for telling us where you shop! In January and February we joined many of your neighborhood grocery stores! If you've been mum on this subject and we're still not in your favorite market, please let us know. Here are Hodo product's newest homes:

New San Francisco Locations

Buffalo Whole Foods, 598 Castro Street, The Castro

Cal-Mart Supermarket, 3585 California Street, Laurel Heights

Daily Health Food and Deli, 1235 9th Avenue, Inner Sunset

Potrero Hill Whole Foods, 450 Rhode Island Street

The Nature Stop, 1336 Grant Avenue, North Beach

Real Food, 2140 Polk Street, Russian Hill

New East Bay Locations

Alameda Natural Grocery, 1650 Park Street, Alameda

Berkeley Natural Grocery, 1336 Gilman Street, Berkeley

Berkeley Whole Foods, 3000 Telegraph Avenue, Berkeley

Country Cheese, 2101 San Pablo Avenue, Berkeley

El Cerrito Natural Grocery, 10367 San Pablo Avenue, El Cerrito

The Food Mill, 3033 MacArthur Boulevard, Oakland

Piedmont Grocery, 4038 Piedmont Avenue, Oakland

Star Grocery, 3068 Claremont Avenue, Berkeley

Tokyo Fish Market, 1220 San Pablo Avenue, Berkeley

Yaoya-San, 10566 San Pablo Avenue, El Cerrito

New Outer East Bay Locations

Lunardi's Danville, 345 Railroad Avenue, Danville

Lunardis Walnut Creek, 1600 Palo Verdes Mall, Walnut Creek

New North Bay Location

San Rafael Whole Foods, 340 Third Street, San Rafael

If you cannot find your favorite Hodo products at these stores, please let the store manager know and hopefully they will expand their Hodo selection soon! Thanks again for pointing us in the direction of these friendly markets!

Look Who's Visiting Hodo... Part III

noreply@blogger.com (Dean) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 21:23:00 +0000

For us at Hodo Soy Beanery, it has been very rewarding to see the genuine enthusiasm and curiosity that people have had about artisan tofu making. Our tours have been booked solid since last year and apparently our facility and how we make tofu makes for pretty good TV. We've had several TV crews come through including CBS 5- Eye on the Bay.

The above is a picture of Hodo Founder, Minh Tsai and Liam Mayclem, host of "Eye on the Bay," CBS 5. Liam was a lot of fun and super easy going. We wanted to hire him to make tofu.

In this photo, the fellas are planning out the next shot...

Ready, set, action!

If you're interested in checking out the Hodo Soy Beanery segment on "Eye on the Bay," go to http://cbs5.com/video/?cid=6 and search for the "Bay Area Tours" episode, February 9, 2010. Happy Viewing!

Look Who's Visiting Hodo.... Part II

noreply@blogger.com (Dean) — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 02:15:00 +0000

While our visitors tend to leave the Hodo Soy Beanery Tour pretty impressed, we also find our visitors to be really interesting people doing some cool things. We feel equally lucky to have met them and to have learned about a world beyond tofu.

In the above picture. Minh, our founder is giving a tour to Andrea Nguyen (an author, cooking teacher, and contributing editor to Saveur magazine. Her work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times and San Jose Mercury. She is also the author of several books. http://www.vietworldkitchen.com/blog/about_andrea_nguyen.html), Rory O'Brien, professor of philosophy at Cabrillo College, Bryant Terry (Oakland based chef, food justice advocate, and author of several books including Vegan Soul Kitchen. Additionally he was the host on The Endless Feast, a 13 episode public TV series "that explores the connection between the earth and the food on our plates." ), and Megan Kelty from CBS News (doing a story on Hodo for a future date, stay tuned).

Everyone is engrossed in the exquisite texture of the fresh yuba, still tender and moist from being pulled from the tray just seconds ago. Yum!

Hodo's Chocolate Mousse Recipe Revealed

noreply@blogger.com (Carolyn) — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 04:28:00 +0000

As many of you discovered at the farmers' markets this weekend, we have decided to discontinue our chocolate mousse. We want our chefs to have more time to devote to developing new recipes.

But don't worry: we would not leave you high and dry right before Valentine's Day! You'll find this recipe easy (and your loved ones will be all the more impressed that you made it yourself!). The hardest part is picking out your favorite dark chocolate to use...

Active prep time: 1 hour

Passive prep time: 4 hours

Ingredients:

1 Hodo silken tofu, 16 oz

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

1 T maple syrup

1/4 t salt

1. Heat all ingredients over double boiler, stirring occasionally, just until the chocolate melts. Be careful not to overcook.

2. Pour into a large bowl. Whip with immersion blender until evenly mixed and completely smooth. Continue stirring along the surface to incorporate air for approximately 10 minutes.

3. Pour into single serving dishes and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving. Garnish with whipped cream or a cookie.

Your Wish Came True: Hodo Moves into a Store Near You

noreply@blogger.com (Carolyn) — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 22:26:00 +0000

"When will I be able to buy your tofu at my grocery store?" our farmers' market customers have asked us for years. Up until this Fall, our production capacity limited us to a handful of stores. But no longer.

Our beanery is built! Our custom-made equipment effortlessly grinds beans and coagulates milk! And Team Tofu has mastered the craft of wiggling fresh curds into cheese cloth-lined molds at ten times their original rate!

In December we joined other local artisan foods on the specialty shelves of 4 markets.

Berkeley's bustling Monterey Market on Hopkins enthusiastically cleared a section for our whole product family of fresh blocks, silk, yuba, milk, and tofu salads.

San Francisco's friendly Blue Fog market-cafes (located in the Western Addition at California and Divisidero, and the Pacific Heights at Broadway and Gough) carry our ready-to-eat salads in their deli and grab-and-go cases.

And in the Outer Richmond, Thom's Fresh Organics launched our soy milk, silken tofu, yuba, and tofu salads. I recommend filling up on Chinese pastries from across the street to avoid going crazy and over-shopping at Fresh Organics!

Is your favorite grocery store not on this list? Stay tuned: we are expanding into more this month (to be revealed in a future blog soon!). In the meantime, feel free to email us the name of your neighborhood store, or your weekend destination store for exotic ingredients required by new recipes! We'd love to make eating fresh tofu daily easier for everyone!

Look Who's Visiting Hodo.... Part I

noreply@blogger.com (Dean) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 23:20:00 +0000

Hodo Soy Beanery Public Tours have been available for about 2 months now and we've had a lot of visitors including authors, chefs, activists, and folks from the media.

People have been super curious about how our fresh tofu is made and we've been hosting a slew of really interesting and fun people.

Here's a partial rundown of some of some of the folks that have visited along with some pictures with Minh Tsai, the founder and Tofu Master at Hodo.

Picture above: Minh with Nicolette Hahn Niman, environmental activist, cattle rancher, and author of "Righteous Porkchop: Finding Life and Good Food Beyond Factory Farms" (www.righteousporkchop.com), her mom and son. Nicolette "has been published in the New York Times and is a regular speaker at national and regional environmental conferences and food events. A former attorney, she is now married to the founder of the Niman Ranch, a collective of traditional farms and ranches."

Picture above: Minh with Joel Riddell, executive producer of KGO AM "Dining Around with Gene Burns" (www.diningaround.com), and Novella Carpenter, author of "Farm City: an Education of an Urban Farmer" (www.novellacarpenter.com). Novella raises chickens, goats, bees and essentially has a full blown farm near downtown Oakland.

To listen to the Gene Burns interview with Hodo Soy Beanery's Minh Tsai and Dean Ku, click on "Listen" or "Download" below...

Dining Around Jan 2, 2010 11AM

Hour 2: Andrea Nguyen on her latest book, Asian Dumplings; "design caterer" Jennifer Spiegel of Fork & Spoon Productions; Minh Tsai and Dean Ku of Oakland's Hodo Soy Beanery.

Listen or Download

Hodo Near You

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 21:40:00 +0000

We are excited to report that more and more Bay Area grocery stores have started to carry Hodo products! Take a look at the updated Stores page on our website.

You will still have to hit the farmers' market to find our whole line of products, but most stores carry a selection of our ready-to-cook products (such as tofu blocks or yuba) and ready-to-eat products (such as our Edamame Tofu Salad and Spicy Yuba Strips).

More info to come on the stores themselves - these are some great places to shop!

Who's Your Tofu Master?

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 22:16:00 +0000

Hodo's 2010 t-shirt is now available! Show your love for your favorite tofu company. "Who's Your Tofu Master?" on the front, our logo on the back. Printed on American Apparel unisex tees.

$18 at all of Hodo farmers' market stands or when you come for a tour of The Beanery!

Sesame & Black Pepper Encrusted Tofu with Oyster Mushrooms & Wilted Spinach

noreply@blogger.com (Team Hodo) — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 22:39:00 +0000

Another great recipe from Hodo's own Jason De Guzman.

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Sesame & Black Pepper Encrusted Tofu with Oyster Mushrooms and Wilted Spinach

This is a light dish that is full of flavor, a bit of a bite from the black pepper, the added texture from the sesame seeds, the sweetness from the mirin, and a little tamari for salt.

Serves 4

2 each Hodo Soy medium tofu blocks

1/3 cup safflower or vegetable oil (high temp cooking oil)

1/4 cup black sesame seeds

2 Tbls crushed black pepper (not ground)

1/3 cup mirin (cooking sake)

2 Tbls tamari

1/2 lb oyster mushrooms

2 handfuls baby spinach, washed and rinsed

Cut tofu into large cubes (1inch x 1inch) and place into mixing bowl.

Drizzle oil onto tofu while tossing gently so you don't mush the tofu until just coated.

Add sesame seeds and crushed black pepper onto tofu and coat by lightly tossing.

Heat a heavy pan (cast iron works well, can be done in wok too) and add oil.

As oil starts to haze, add tofu and sear until tofu is lightly browned. It is KEY to add the tofu to a hot pan and then leave it alone, when the tofu moves off the pan easily, then toss a couple times and leave it alone again so as to lightly brown all sides.

Once tofu is lightly browned, add the mushrooms. Use the same technique as with the tofu - toss a couple times and leave it alone for a bit and repeat.

Then, once mushrooms are browned, add mirin and toss. Be careful as it has alcohol and may flame up.

Before all liquid has evaporated add tamari to taste, go lighter rather than heavier as reducing tamari will increase saltiness.

Place washed spinach into mixing bowl. Add the tofu and mushrooms hot into the spinach as to slightly wilt the spinach. Best if served immediately when the spinach has dual textures of slightly wilted and some uncooked. Serve and enjoy.

Public Tours Begin Dec. 16

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 04:10:00 +0000

Taste pure soymilk fresh from the kettle. Savor yuba (tofu skin) from the only fresh, organic producer in the US. Sample Hodo dishes that can't be found elsewhere. Watch our artisans make soymilk, tofu and yuba. Learn about soybean selection, soymilk Brix content, yuba technique and other important elements of the innovative production process at Hodo.

Starting December 16, Hodo Soy Beanery will launch public tastings at our newly-opened Beanery in Oakland. During a one-hour session, visitors will learn about tofu- and yuba-making, view production in action, and taste a variety of Hodo's freshly-made products.

These public visits have been a goal ever since we first laid plans to open our new production facility. We want to pull back the curtain on tofu-making and offer people the opportunity learn about, appreciate and enjoy soy in a new way. Artisan tofu- and yuba-making is a fascinating process to experience. Taste the difference between our freshly made soy products compared to off-the-shelf supermarket products. We are excited by the challenge to do something that hasn't been done before - Hodo Soy Beanery is the first tofu maker in the US to offer public visits and tastings.

All tours will be by reservation only. Initially, availability will be limited (one session every two weeks: Wednesdays at 12:30 p.m.). Tours will be held in small, intimate groups and include tastings. Ticket price is $10 per person. Buy your tickets here.

Carolyn's Persimmon Soy Shakes

noreply@blogger.com (Team Hodo) — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 23:26:00 +0000

From our own Carolyn Ash . . .

Persimmon Season has arrived, which means instant desserts that are naturally delicious! Hachiyas especially are nature's ready-made confection, with a sweetness, flavor and thickness that effortlessly rivals fruit conserves and pie fillings. Creating a creamy protein-rich pudding with them is as simple as blending the pulp from 3 Hachiyas with 1 Hodo Silken Custard. At the beanery, we've also been enjoying these easy shakes:

PERSIMMON SOY SHAKES

Breakfast Shake

1 C Hachiya Persimmon Pulp (approximately 3 persimmons)

1 Hodo Silken Custard

1 C Hodo Fresh Soy Milk

Lemon Zest

Juice from 1 Tangerine

1/2 t freshly grated Ginger

Holiday Spice Shake

1 C Hachiya Persimmon Pulp (approximately 3 persimmons)

1 Hodo Silken Custard

1 C Hodo Fresh Soy Milk

2 t ground Cinnamon

1/4 t ground Nutmeg

1/8 t ground Clove

2 T Maple Syrup, Honey or Agave, if desired

Directions:

1. Pick out 3 Hachiya persimmons who are very ripe, with almost translucent skins about to split open from the weight of the fruit's jelly inside.

2. Peel the persimmon pulp out from the skin and discard the seeds and skin.

3. Blend the pulp in a blender or food processor until smooth.

4. Add all the other ingredients. Blend thoroughly.

5. Serve to family and friends. Enjoy the energy that natural sweetness and pure soy provides!

The Beanier, the Better

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:49:00 +0000

Each production day at The Beanery, the tofu making team shows up for work in the morning and starts making fresh soymilk. Hodo's soymilk is the basis of everything that we do, including both tofu and yuba. One of the things that we have learned through the years is that the better the soymilk, the better the tofu and yuba.

People often ask why our soymilk tastes so different from what they commonly find at the supermarket. Simply put, it is because we love the natural flavor of the soybean.

Hodo's soymilk is made the traditional Asian way: soybeans are soaked in water, ground, cooked, and the liquid (or soymilk) is strained from the bean pulp. That's it. Nothing else is added. The result is a wonderfully fresh, sweet taste that is, well, "beany". In contrast, most of the soymilk in American supermarkets has been made to taste more like cow's milk. The bean flavor has been neutralized and flavorings are added.

At Hodo, the beanier, the better. Because when we use this soymilk to make our tofu and yuba, the fresh flavor of the bean is one of the reasons that they taste so good.

During production, one of the ways that we guarantee that our products have all of the flavor that we want is by measuring the Brix of our soymilk. The Brix scale measures the percent of solids in a given weight of liquid. The higher the number, the more solids in that liquid. As applied to soymilk, the higher the number, the greater density of soybean in the milk and, therefore, the more natural flavor. Hodo tofu makers love high Brix.

These are photos of our head soymilk maker, Ray Chang, first checking a batch of soymilk and then measuring the Brix with a refractometer. Interestingly, this same device has been used for years in the winemaking industry. Winemakers use the Brix scale to measure the quality of the grapes on the vine and the juice before bottling. We have adapted this same concept; we know that the flavor of our chief ingredient (in our case, soybeans) determines the flavor of what we produce.

Some Recent Beanery Press

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:57:00 +0000

Thanks to Patricia Yollin (SF Chronicle) and Katie Robbins (The Atlantic) for the nice articles on Hodo and The Beanery this week!

And to Mike Kepka for catching Minh in yuba-making rapture here.