FritoLay – Bean Curd Flavour Tortilla Chips

I love tofu and bean curd. Really, any edible soy product is something I am all about. While I’m sure my cultural background has a part to play in it, I didn’t actually enjoy it as a child growing up. In fact, quite the opposite – I sort of hated it. But somewhere along the line something just clicked and I fell in love with it, and have never looked back. I’m not sure what it is, but the combination of the flavour, texture and the sheer versatility of it make it the subject of teasing from my friends who joked that eating too much soy imbalances my estrogen levels.

FritoLay in Japan decided to capitalize on the general love for bean curd in Japan and cranked out a flavour that emulates it. For those who have no idea what this is – in some ramens, and especially in instant noodles I’ve seen, they give fried bean curd sheets which are basically rectangular or square pieces of bean curd that have a nice chewy texture and soak up the flavour of the broth or soup. It’s certainly not for everyone, but it’s always a nice, cheap way to add some texture and flavour to an otherwise boring meal. I’ve always associate it with my poor student days, since they are fairly inexpensive and have enough nutrients to get me through. They’re also a decent substitute for meat, since they have a decent amount of protein.

The flavour, and shape resemble that of a bean curd sheet. The seasoning on the chips has the same flavour that you get when you have a sweet bean curd that comes with the ramen. I can almost taste the soup and broth that the sheets typically soak up, which is part of what gives them the flavour.

Also similar to some ramens, these are actually quite salty. I found myself needing a water after just two pieces. I mean, I still ploughed through them fairly fast, but it was noticeable how salty these are. I guess in that sense they are very similar to the real thing.

Texture is where you would be reminded this is just a tortilla chip. There’s nothing particularly unique about these from any other corn chip. They have a nice hearty crunch to them, but beyond that there’s nothing super interesting here apart from the shape. It’s good, don’t get me wrong, it’s just nothing that stands out to me. I guess maybe it’s a bit thicker than what we get here in the North.

I want to like these more, because the flavour really does remind me of bean curd sheets. The problem is how they achieve that, with a very salty seasoning that is quite strong and makes me worry I need to chug a few cups of water to balance that sodium out. If the flavour was a bit less salty and parching, I would do these again. As it stands now, these are enjoyable for sure, but come at a great cost. One that I wouldn’t want to deal with more than once, sadly.