Food pairing
Beer with tofu
A mild soy curd that takes its character almost entirely from how it is cooked and what it is cooked with.
Tofu on its own is close to neutral, which makes it the clearest case in the catalogue of a food whose pairing is decided by preparation rather than by ingredient. Steamed and dressed, it wants a beer that will not flatten it. Deep-fried and salted, it becomes a crisp, savoury thing with real weight and takes a very different answer.
The useful general rule is to pair the treatment. Where the tofu is carrying a sauce, pair the sauce; where it is fried, treat it as fried food and reach for carbonation and a dry finish.
Tofu does not constrain the beer much: nothing clashes and nothing is clearly best. Drink what you like, or choose for the sauce, the seasoning or the sides, which will decide more than the dish itself.
What to drink
Kölsch — good pairing
Tofu takes its character from what it is cooked with, so the useful beer is one that stays out of the way and keeps the palate clean. A Kölsch has enough structure to be present and not enough flavour to compete with a sauce it knows nothing about.
Alcohol-free IPA — good
Beer and dish carry similar weight, so neither flattens the other.
Alcohol-free pale lager — good
Beer and dish carry similar weight, so neither flattens the other.
Altbier — good
Beer and dish carry similar weight, so neither flattens the other.
American lager — good
Beer and dish carry similar weight, so neither flattens the other.
American pale ale — good
Beer and dish carry similar weight, so neither flattens the other.
American wheat beer — good
Beer and dish carry similar weight, so neither flattens the other.
American wild ale — good
Beer and dish carry similar weight, so neither flattens the other.
What not to drink
- British strong ale — Delicate food needs a beer that stays out of its way.
- Doppelbock — Delicate food needs a beer that stays out of its way.
- Bock — Delicate food needs a beer that stays out of its way.