Totally tofu

If there’s one thing I enjoy it’s watching other people work _ doesn’t matter whether they’re fixing lunch or fixing a pothole.

So you can imagine how much I enjoyed a recent visit to the Hodo Soy Beanery in Oakland, a state-of-the-art tofu facility tucked away in what was once a candy factory.

The beanery was founded in 2004 by Minh Tsai, who wanted to recreate the fresh, high-quality tofu he ate as a child in Vietnam. The company recently added some star power by signing up John Scharffenberger, founder of the Schaffen Berger chocolate company, as CEO.

If you think of tofu as a kind of punishment food that only a vegan could love, think again. Good tofu is tasty enough to eat raw, with a delicate, cheese-like texture. It’s even better cooked my favorite way, mixed with a spicy, juicy meat sauce.If you’re in Oakland and want to learn more, check out the Hodo Soy website. Tours are available for the public twice a month for $10.

Here’s a video I made of my visit.

Happily, the “person at work” theme didn’t end for me at the factory. I got to go home and watch Mr. Vinecdote put together a great dish of shrimp and tofu.

To make: Peel and dice about 1 tablespoon of ginger and chop one bunch of green onions into roughly two-inch lengths, frying both in olive oil until beginning to soften. Add a block of tofu, cut into cubes. Stir 1 teaspoon flour into about 3/4 cup of water or chicken broth and add to the pan. Check for seasoning and add salt or soy sauce to taste. In a separate pan, fry about half  pound of shrimp until it turns pink. Stop as soon as shrimp are cooked. Add to the onion-tofu mixture and serve over steamed rice.

For a wine pairing, the flavors of this dish are so delicate that just about any light white wine will do, and, in fact, if you have some bubbles all the better. If you want to try something different, pick up a Picpoul de Pinet, an inexpensive and delicious wine from France’s Mediterranean coast that is perfect with shellfish.

Bon appetit.