Never too full for tofu

Tofu or not tofu? That is the question. But any opportunity to try something new, even if declared to be a purely vegetarian affair, we do not pass up on.

East Creative Asian offers fusion cooking that plays with the unique flavors of Asian cooking. And for its Tofu Festival, chef de cuisine Him Uy de Baron has chosen to work with tofu in its many guises.

There are many kinds of tofu, but chef De Baron has chosen to focus on firm tofu (tokwa) and silken tofu (firm taho). The surprise here was finding how many ways he could play with tofu without boring our palates. The results were positive.

Chef De Baron prepared a number of tofu dishes that highlight its versatility as an ingredient. If the prospect of going meatless frightens the meat eater, then the chef’s tofu dishes will convince him otherwise.

For appetizer, we were served prawn and pork stuffed tofu. Yes, there are still some pork in this dish, but it is blended with minced shrimps. For every little morsel of forcemeat stuffed in the tofu, be glad to know that it is just half pork.

The stuffed tofu is deep-fried till golden brown and served with greens and dressed with hoisin sauce. Think stuffed tokwa, something you must have tried at any Chinese restaurant. However, the tofu retains its firm texture and nutty flavor, and isn’t as hard as deep-fried tokwa in your usual tokwa’t baboy. It is the perfect starter for an afternoon of tofu delights.

The first entrée was tofu and salmon steamed in banana leaves with soy-chili broth, while the second was baby lapu-lapu stuffed with mapo tofu.

In the tofu-salmon parcel, a generous slice of fresh salmon and a thick sliver of silken tofu are wrapped together in banana leaves and steamed in a broth of soy sauce, chili, ginger and scallions. You would think salmon is light on the tummy, but with the hefty tofu slice, it was a filling dish. We banished the thought of a cup of rice, dead serious on being light and healthy that day.

The baby lapu-lapu was butterflied and deep-fried to a crisp. It was served on a bed of green beans and the mapo tofu sauce – not as spicy as we are used to having – poured generously over the fish, not stuffed as described. Believe me. You cannot possibly resist chewing on the crispy fish, and we didn’t.

For soup, we had tofu and prawn hot pot with mushrooms. It is a thick seafood soup, topped with tofu fried agedashi-style. It wasn’t easy to sip; it just wasn’t possible. This time, we wished we had a cup of rice. The thick soup would have been perfect over it.

And the afternoon’s piece de resistance was the teriyaki glazed burger with onion jam. It is the only truly vegetarian item on the menu. Just tofu and vegetables. No meat, no fish.

Imagine: Cross a burger and tofu and this is what you’ll get. Unlike a California burger, which is pure minced vegetable patty, chef De Baron used silken tofu and minced it with vegetables. The final patty was a bit squishy and required deft hand-to-mouth movement lest you find the burger spilling all over your shirtfront. The onion jam is sweetish and the hoisin sauce that goes with the burger (think ketchup) adds a whole lot more sweetness that makes you want more. Never mind. If you keep going back to East, you can practice your hand-to-mouth coordination to perfect your way with this tofu burger.

For dessert, we were served green tea-tofu tiramisu and choco-orange tofu cheesecake.

The cheesecake was a piece of cake. The choco-orange flavor makes you forget the tofu part of the cheesecake. That is, if you like orange-flavored chocolate cheesecake. It takes a little getting used to.

The tiramisu was another matter. It was served warm, so the dessert was a little too soft. This time around, you know where the tofu is in the cheesecake. The coconut topping is an acquired taste, if you don’t like coconut. We’ll give this another try in the far future.

Jet Rosales, East Café brand manager, says the tofu festival is the first in a number of food festivals East will be holding in the future.

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East Café’s Tofu Festival is ongoing until Aug. 31. East Café is at the second floor of Rustan’s Makati. For inquiries, call 812-0233.