This vegan cheese made from silken tofu tastes so good on its own over toast but I love topping it with something sweet to contrast the saltiness like honey or date molasses, nuts, fresh or dried fruits, or jam.
For something a little out of the box I tried mashing and spreading a layer of umezuke, a regional Japanese shiso-infused pickled apricot on top of the cheese and it was heavenly.
Shiso-maki Umezuke: A Traditional Northern Japanese Pickled Plum
I found these shiso wrapped pickled apricots at a souvenir shop during my trip in Aomori from this fall where I recently learned they originate. I bought them with the very intention of challenging myself to develop an innovative way to use them—as I do with any Japanese ingredient I have the pleasure of discovering and tasting for the first time.
They originated in Tsuguru, Aomori where both salted plums and apricots (referred to as anzu ume literally “apricot plums”) are traditionally wrapped in red shiso leaves. Due to their similarity in appearance, apricots and plums were not differentiated when used for making ume boshi (Japanese pickled plums) in the region. So, despite the differences, this regional specifically is eaten as ume boshi and in fact still often referred to as such by locals.
It is also referred to as shiso-maki umezuke since the apricots are wrapped in shiso leaves before being pickled. Compared to standard ume boshi, the resulting flavor is much sweeter and far less sour. The apricots are first dried, then rolled in salted red shiso leaves, and finally pickled in a sweet vinegar. The overall flavor you get from the inside is like a sweet and slightly salty apricot jam with shiso undertones.
Vegan Silken Tofu Cheese
Ingredients
- 175 g silken tofu
- 2.5 tbs olive oil
- 1 – 1.5 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 tbs white miso paste, reduce the salt in the recipe if using saltier miso like yellow or red miso
- 1 tsp salt, reduce if using saltier miso (taste and adjust to your liking)
- 1/4 tsp sugar or maple syrup
- 2.5 tsp agar agar powder
- 2 tbs water warm water
- 1 tbs tapioca starch + 2 tbs cold water slurry
Add all contents except tapioca starch and blend till smooth. Transfer mixture to a pot and heat on medium heat until it starts to bubble. Reduce heat to low and cook for 5 min, stirring constantly with rubber spatula. Mixture will begin to slightly thicken. After 5 min, add the slurry and stir for another min or so. Mixture will start to get more elastic. Transfer to a glass Tupperware and chill for 2 to 3 hours. It hardens really quickly.
Notes:
The more tapioca starch you add the more meltable the cheese will be. The more agar agar you add, the more firm it will be.
This recipe yields a medium firm texture making it easy to grate and melt slightly when heated. You can add more tapioca starch if you want it to melt more but keep in mind it will be softer and not as easy to grate.