How do you cook tofu so it tastes decent?

PennWalker

I'm a non-cook, vegetarian, and want to add tofu to my weekly food for more protein. I also want to stay away from sugary sauces. The tofu from my favorite Chinese restaurant tastes great, but mine is terrible. Any suggestions?

queenliz99

Curious, as well.

kimny72

Disclaimer - I've never gotten tofu from a Chinese restaurant.

I almost always stirfry tofu with olive oil, onions, garlic, and ginger, plus whatever veggies I'm having with it, and then a splash of soy sauce and hot sauce at the end. You can tweak this into a fried rice dish if you wanted, by adding... rice To be fair, that's usually how I stir fry chicken or shrimp too, LOL.

I like to get it just starting to brown around the edges, that might be a mental thing, but I think it tastes better. Not a big tofu person, but this is the way I always make it when I do!

vikinglander

First notice that tofu comes in different textures, which is basically a function of its water content - soft, firm, extra firm, etc.
Second, tofu has very little taste of its own, so it will take on whatever seasonings you are using.

Try this, one of my favorites:

http://www.food.com/recipe/golden-sesame-tofu-464582

PennWalker

Thanks, vikinglander and kimny72 -- I'll try both suggestions this week.

kimny72

vikinglander wrote: »

First notice that tofu comes in different textures, which is basically a function of its water content - soft, firm, extra firm, etc.
Second, tofu has very little taste of its own, so it will take on whatever seasonings you are using.

Try this, one of my favorites:

http://www.food.com/recipe/golden-sesame-tofu-464582

That looks amazeballs! I seriously have to remember to pick up some sesame oil. I have so many saved recipes that call for it, but I never have it.

ireneminc

What about in a watery soup? I can't cook either! So, boil water with half a chicken stock cube and some paprika or chinese five spice, add a ton of veg (broccoli, cauli, sprouts, peas, cabbage, sweetcorn are all good), then chuck some tofu in. I also put a whole egg in, otherwise it doesn't fill me for long, or cut up half a chicken breast. If using egg, boil it for a couple of mins to poach within the soup. It's scrummy and few calories.

bebeisfit

The best advice about tofu is to treat it like meat. So drain the water and pat it dry with paper towels, cut it in cubes then season it. I pan fry it in a bit of olive oil til it's browned. Then add it into my stir fry or add to a salad.

Alatariel75

Salt and pepper tofu is amazing.

sst036

kimny72 wrote: »

vikinglander wrote: »

First notice that tofu comes in different textures, which is basically a function of its water content - soft, firm, extra firm, etc.
Second, tofu has very little taste of its own, so it will take on whatever seasonings you are using.

Try this, one of my favorites:

http://www.food.com/recipe/golden-sesame-tofu-464582

That looks amazeballs! I seriously have to remember to pick up some sesame oil. I have so many saved recipes that call for it, but I never have it.

When I am lazy (so always), I cut firm tofu into cubes and pan fry in straight sesame oil. Delicious. Sometimes it even makes it into my stir fry

CharlieBeansmomTracey

I make sure its dry,cut into slices,spray a pan with non stick spray,season the tofu and bake it(crispier or less crispy).how long depends on how you want it, all kinds of recipes online too.also you can marinate it in different seasonings. it takes on the flavor of many things.

michelleparlett

First off, you need to cut it into slices (if it isn't already cubed), maybe cut your block into four fat pieces of even size. Line a baking tin with a couple of dishtowels, then place several sheets of kitchen towel on top. Place the tofu evenly in the tin, cover with about twice the amount of kitchen towel, cover with a chopping board and weight down the board with a few tins or a heavy pan.

After about twenty minutes, most of the liquid will come out of the tofu and it will be flatter and firmer.

Now, cut it up into cubes and marinate it however you like to give it some flavour.

When you cook it, make sure your oil is very hot indeed, and drain off the marinade first. You can toss the tofu cubes in cornflour if you like, too, to help them crisp up.

MyHousecatDaytona

How about a tofu Mexican soup? Cube the tofu and cook it in chicken or vegetable stock and then pour it onto freshly diced cabbage, onions and cilantro. I like to add lime juice , ground oregeno and red pepper flakes. You can also add hominy.

It's called a vegetarian pazole .

JimHM

Thanks for the Tofu info. I've always steered clear of it, but learned a lot from this thread. Deffo curious to play around with this. Cheers

veggie16mfp

Buy firm tofu. Remove any excess water. cut into strips, add some sesame oil, garlic, chilli flakes, seasoning and bake in oven. I serve that with a veggie stir fry and rice. The reason I bake it is to get it nice and crispy. If you add it to a sauce it looses the crispy texture.

PennWalker

Thanks, everybody, for the great suggestions!

PennWalker

vikinglander wrote: »

First notice that tofu comes in different textures, which is basically a function of its water content - soft, firm, extra firm, etc.
Second, tofu has very little taste of its own, so it will take on whatever seasonings you are using.

Try this, one of my favorites:

http://www.food.com/recipe/golden-sesame-tofu-464582

I tried this tonight. It's fantastic! Thanks so much.

ttmd77

*****Best way to cook tofu and make it crunch!!!
I use a skillet or frying pan and get it very hot!!!
Throw little EVOO on the pan

Get cubed firm tofu open and drain it then press out all the water by laying it on a paper towel add pressure with a plate if you need to but the dryer the crispier
Put in bowl throw in oregano and two TBS of whole wheat flour toss till every piece has some flour
Test your evoo is hot enough with a small piece of it bubbles throw it all on and watch it sizzle
When each piece has browned you're done
HANDS DOWN MY FAVORITE MEAL
Add spinach, broccoli,steamed kale
Delicious and done in ten minutes!!!
Texture reminds me of home fries so I put a little hot sauce

PixelPuff

Cube some extra soft tofu, throw it in a spicy soup. I like this tofu hot pot mix I get from my local H mart [international/Asian mart].

Extremely low cal depending on veggies added to it, too. Udon is great with it. The pack I buy as a sauce that goes with it, but there is a home-made one I like to use often, will put below. Makes a rather HUGE yield, be prepare for leftovers.

Basically, 2 cups stock of your choice [both veg and chicken work great], 1 tablespoon soy sauce, and spice to your taste [I'll mix it up between sriracha, a scotch bonnet pepper sauce I have, or hot chili oil depending on my spice craving]. Bring to a boil, then add your veggies/etc of choice. I go with 2-3 bunches of baby bok choy, half an onion [quartered], lots of green onion, mushroom [beech and enoki for me], and egg. Cover and let cook, but stir occasionally. Pretty much softening everything to taste... I like to let the onions get nice n' cooked, soft, and let'm absorb the broth.

This time, I used between a third and a half of a small Egg Beaters Southwestern carton. Cooked it up all at once, then slowly scrambled. Made sure there was big chunks. Add the cubed extra soft tofu and egg to the pot. n-n Stir very gently [remember, tofu is fragile]. Let simmer a few more minutes, then done. I like to add shirataki noodles to this soup.

Nice and warming in winter.

EauRouge1

How about in a vegan cheesecake? OK, not very healthy. I love miso soup, it's very filling, high in protein but low in calories. Make sure the miso paste you use is veggie, some have fish in them. I use a yellow one (from Tesco if you are in the UK).

http://minimalistbaker.com/15-minute-miso-soup-with-greens-and-tofu/

Also if you're having no luck with tofu, try looking for Quorn. I use that a lot more than tofu, I find it way easier to cook with.

twinklepies

I made a very convincing pumpkin pie with silken tofu. Silken hides well in smoothies too. Like other people have mentioned there are a few different kinds/textures. Asian grocery stores usually have the best selection. I've found that smoked firm tofu has the taste and texture of smoked gouda. You can also find some pre-fried that are good to slice up on salads or wraps, kinda has the texture of a dry omelette. I like firm tofu cut in strips and browned with a bit of sesame oil.

jvcjim

sorry but tofu never tastes good, sure a ton of additives may make it palatable, but i have a very firm food rule... "if the dog takes a piece and spits it out it is not fit for human consumption." my dog will not eat tofu or kale, children in the neighborhood are a different thing and a different thread

JennaMatthews07

Get soft tofu, put it in a pan with seasonings of choice, and some water or broth. Sautée it, and the tofu should soak up the seasoning. Hope this helps, but you can look further into it, just a short and sweet explanation.

CharlieBeansmomTracey

jvcjim wrote: »

sorry but tofu never tastes good, sure a ton of additives may make it palatable, but i have a very firm food rule... "if the dog takes a piece and spits it out it is not fit for human consumption." my dog will not eat tofu or kale, children in the neighborhood are a different thing and a different thread

my dogs will eat tofu and they are picky eaters.they will eat it plain after its been cooked.

avskk

This is my favorite tofu recipe of all time. It's amazing, and dead easy (don't be fooled by the fiddly instructions).

http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1015202-stir-fried-beet-greens-tofu-and-beets

cosmonew

I put mine in my eggs with beans and spinach and tomatoes...I don't even notice it. I also eat it mixed in with my grilled chicken, but op is a vegetarian...so I guess that is for everyone else. Also MISO soup.

veggie16mfp

Yeah, a big quorn fan here also. You can use any receipe and just use the Quorn "chicken" or mince, or bacon or beef etc instead of the meat.

EauRouge1 wrote: »

How about in a vegan cheesecake? OK, not very healthy. I love miso soup, it's very filling, high in protein but low in calories. Make sure the miso paste you use is veggie, some have fish in them. I use a yellow one (from Tesco if you are in the UK).

http://minimalistbaker.com/15-minute-miso-soup-with-greens-and-tofu/

Also if you're having no luck with tofu, try looking for Quorn. I use that a lot more than tofu, I find it way easier to cook with.

fitnotfluffy

I love making tofu scrambles. Just like scrambled eggs in the pan, add in some veggies, garlic powder, nutritional yeast, etc. So good!

HeidiCalderLivingStrong

ttmd77 wrote: »

*****Best way to cook tofu and make it crunch!!!
I use a skillet or frying pan and get it very hot!!!
Throw little EVOO on the pan

Get cubed firm tofu open and drain it then press out all the water by laying it on a paper towel add pressure with a plate if you need to but the dryer the crispier
Put in bowl throw in oregano and two TBS of whole wheat flour toss till every piece has some flour
Test your evoo is hot enough with a small piece of it bubbles throw it all on and watch it sizzle
When each piece has browned you're done
HANDS DOWN MY FAVORITE MEAL
Add spinach, broccoli,steamed kale
Delicious and done in ten minutes!!!
Texture reminds me of home fries so I put a little hot sauce

TTMD77, I made this today and it was out of this world GOOD! I have tried making tofu many times (veggie-daughter loves it) and just have not enjoyed it. I tried your frying method and it was delicious. I tossed in cubed yams (at daughter's request), fresh spinach, yellow squash, and some minced garlic. It was so yummy that hubby asked me to pack up the little bit of leftovers for his lunch tomorrow. THANKS for making tofu an edible entree for me!

RodaRose

et the li

RodaRose

Get the liquid out unless you are going to use it in a soup. For everything else, press the tofu:
http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/food-recipes/healthy/a18093/easy-tofu-cooking-tips-47012001/

• Slice open the package and drain out the water. Cut the block of tofu width-wise into however many slices you want — I like to do 4 or 6.
• Lay a dish towel on a cookie sheet or tray; place some paper towels on top of that.
• Spread the slices of tofu out in a single layer on top of the towels. Put more paper towels and another dish towel on top of that.
• Set some heavy objects on top. I usually put another cookie sheet on top, and load it up with some canned goods, cookbooks or my Cuisinart.
• Leave it alone for at least 30 minutes, but preferably a couple hours. You can leave it like this all day or night if you put it in the fridge. If you're really in a hurry, you can apply some "manual pressure" and cut back the time to 15 minutes, but it's not going to be quite as awesome.
• Uncover; leave as "tofu steaks" or cut into cubes, marinate and cook according to your recipe!