> What is M.S.G., Friend?

There are any number of ways to answer that, and
if you were to give us some of your background,
we could give answers that would possibly be
more useful to you. Otherwise, it would be like
the seven blind men and the elephant - we might
be inclined to describe the tail, whereas it
could be that the flank interests you more.

MSG is a food additive that is catalogued in the
European Union as E620 and is considered safe in
most countries. It is a sodium salt of glutamic
acid (the letters stand for (mono)sodium 
glutamate), whose anion is one of the most
powerful flavor enhancers known in the kitchen.
In pure form it is a whitish-to-clear compound
that forms rod-shaped crystals a couple
millimeters long (can be grown longer of course),
readily soluble in water, with a savory, salty
taste that is sometimes described as chickeny but
now is generally called umami (I believe that
that word was invented for the purpose by the
Japanese scientist who isolated it in the 19th
century). MSG is known by many names, such as
gourmet powder, Ac'cent, and aji-no-moto. It is
naturally abundant in such disparate foods as
preserved fish, aged cheese, soy sauce, tomatoes,
and mushrooms.

Very best tofu thing
categories: main, kaleidoscopic, mine
servings: 4
1 lb medium to firm tofu
1 clove garlic
oil
2 scallions
soy sauce to taste (about 2 Tb)
- or oyster sauce, or any sauce
3 oz chicken broth
1 Tb cornstarch
2 Tb water
4 oz peas, cooked (or other vegetable)(opt)
- or 8 oz thin-sliced Chinese roast pork (or other meat)(opt)
- or 4 oz regular or reconstituted Chinese mushrooms (opt)
- or just about anything

Cut tofu into 1" x 1" x 1/2" pieces (or any other small size pieces).

Frizzle garlic in oil to cover the bottom of a 12" skillet or a
wok. Add tofu pieces and stir-fry until heated through, about a
min. Add scallions and soy sauce. Add broth. Mix cornstarch
and water and use to thicken dish. Add optional stuff and heat
through. Serve with or over rice.

This dish is great because it tastes good, can be eaten hot or
cold with rice, is almost infinitely alterable to suit your taste,
doesn't cost a lot; plus it's incredibly easy.

Source: after Michael Loo