Palatable soybean forms (non-fermented)

• A few legumes are parched in dry heat to create a crisp texture. Peanuts are the most commonly roasted legumes, but soybeans and chickpeas are also roasted.
• Fresh soybeans are more palatable before they fully mature. Fresh soybeans, Japanese edamame, or Chinese mao dou are special varieties harvested at 80% maturity. They have lower levels of gassy and antinutritional substances.  The beans are sweet, crisp, and green. They are boiled for a few minutes in salted water. Green soybeans are around 15% protein and 10% oil.
• Soy milk has become a popular alternative to cow’s milk, though it must be fortified with calcium to make it an adequate substitute.
• The traditional method of making soy milk involves soaking the beans until soft, grinding them, and either sieving out the solids and cooking the milk (China) or cooking the slurry, then sieving out the solids (Japan). This process produces milk with a strong soy flavor.
• Modern method minimizes enzyme action and soy flavor. The dry beans are soaked, then either cooked quickly at 180-212 degrees F/80-100 degrees C before grinding, or grinding them at that temperature. 
• Bean curd or Tofu is curdled soy milk, a concentrated mass of protein and oil formed by coagulating the dissolved proteins with salts. Invented in China around 2,000 years ago, the Chinese have traditionally coagulated with calcium sulfate. The Japanese and coastal regions of China coagulate it with nigari, a mixture of magnesium and calcium salts that are left over after sodium chloride is crystallized from seawater.
• To make it, soy milk is cooled to 175 degrees F/78 degrees C, and then coagulated with salts. The curd is pressed to form a continuous mass. Commercially, it is cut in blocks and pasteurized.
• Freezing bean curd is a useful application as it concentrates the proteins. Once thawed, the liquid leaks out, and leaves a spongy network that is ready to absorb other flavors. It also develops a chewier, meatier texture.