Level 4 · Pureed: smooth and thick enough to eat with a spoon, with no lumps and no chewing needed. What do the levels mean?
Serves: 3 · Time: 10 minutes, plus 30 minutes chilling
Ingredients: Silken tofu, smooth black sesame paste, a little honey, a pinch of salt.
Steps
Drain 14 oz silken tofu well and pat dry.
Blend with 2 tbsp black sesame paste, 1 to 2 tsp honey and the salt until completely smooth.
Chill 30 minutes. If it runs off the spoon instead of holding its shape, blend in a little food thickener.
Check the texture: it holds its shape on a spoon and slides off in one spoonful when the spoon is tilted, leaving little behind. On a fork it sits in a mound, and no liquid separates out.
Use the food level recommended by your speech-language pathologist or doctor. Textures change with cooking time, cooling and reheating, so check the food each time before serving, using the simple fork and spoon tests in our swallowing guide. Sit upright to eat, take small bites, and stay upright for 30 minutes after.