Silky Tofu Soup and Salad

Long Life Foods, a tofu shop in the Galleria market in Koreatown, makes fresh tofu daily and uses it in a salad that is as soft, silky and smooth as panna cotta. Slices of tofu are sprinkled with seaweed, sliced almonds and sesame seeds and accompanied by ponzu sauce and a spoonful of shredded carrot and cucumber. The shop also makes a soft tofu soup that comes with a seasoning mixture of soy sauce, sesame oil, green onion and sesame seeds.

You'll recognize the shop by a sign that says "tofu" in English and by its logo, an open pod containing a few fat soybeans. English translations accompany photographs of the dishes.

Tofu salad and seasoned soft tofu soup, $3 each at Long Life Foods Tofu in the Galleria market, 3250 W. Olympic Blvd., No. 106, Los Angeles; (323) 733-2626.