Tofoie gras.

Tofu has long been used as a substitute food and a protein-rich way to avoid meat products for ethical or health reasons. In Japan, Sagamiya is one company looking to perfect this art with their Beyond Tofu series of simulated foods.

Our reporter Snufkin is a fan of the foods and previously tried both the Beyond Tofu That’s Like Sea Urchin and Beyond Tofu That’s Like Shirako. She especially became a fan after the shirako version, having never tried the real thing because it’s essentially fish semen. But after trying it in tofu form, she was blown away by the taste, and it broadened her horizons to the real thing.

On a recent trip to the supermarket, Snufkin came across a whole new version in Beyond Tofu That’s Like Foie Gras. This was certainly intriguing because, unlike shirako or even sea urchin, foie gras is considered a delicacy in wider global gourmet scene. If Sagamiya could somehow capture that elegance and luxury in a wad of bean curd, then that would truly be beyond tofu, so she picked up a pack for 322 yen (US$2.20).

Foie gras is an especially fatty food, but since this is really just tofu, it’s a lean 68 calories per serving. Opening up the wrapper, our writer was greeted with a cup of foie gras tofu and a packet of “truffle-flavored sauce” to add to the elegance.

According to the package, there were two ways to prepare Beyond Tofu That’s Like Foie Gras. Unlike the other versions which could be eaten straight, Beyond Tofu That’s Like Foie Gras requires a bit of cooking, either on some aluminum foil in a toaster oven for six minutes or wrapped in wax paper in a frying pan for three minutes on each side.

Snufkin opted for the more difficult method of using the frying pan. Looking at it there on the wax paper, she thought it was cute how the tofu was molded into the shape of some foie gras.

As per the instructions, she cooked the tofu on one side for about three minutes. At about that time, there was some bubbling underneath.

She then flipped it over to cook for another three minutes.

When that time was up, she stopped the heat and opened it up to see the finished product.

▼ Snufkin: “Fwah!”

The simple act of opening the wax paper caused the structural integrity of the tofu foie gras to completely break down. It looked like the instructions weren’t kidding when they called this the “difficult” cooking method.

One great thing about tofu, though, is that you can pretty much squish it into any shape you want, so that’s just what she did and molded it back into a foie gras shape.

The cooking made it emit a pleasant scent, but it still had that distinct plant smell of soybeans. It smelled delicious but a lot like tofu seasoned in a way to resemble foie gras rather than the real thing.

As for the taste, Snufkin would best describe it as “interesting.” She would certainly admit it was delicious, but just in a soy-based meat alternative way rather than a five-star restaurant gourmet way.

Next, she tried it with the truffle-flavored sauce on and sure enough, it tasted like truffle-flavored sauce. Perhaps the main aim of Beyond Tofu That’s Like Foie Gras was to replicate the delicate texture of fattened goose liver more so than the flavor.

In that case, they did a good job, but for the most part, Snufkin felt it tasted a lot like the Beyond Tofu That’s Like Shirako and made her want to eat that instead. Perhaps she set her expectations too high for foie gras, unlike the rock-bottom ones she had for the shirako.

Still, there was no major flaw with this tofu foie gras, and it could turn out even better with a little added garnishing. But Snufkin would definitely recommend the shirako variety for anyone trying Beyond Tofu for the first time. That stuff was just incredibly delicious.

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