Tofu???

destinytaylor112715

Can someone please explain to me how in the world you cook tofu or what you even do with it? I’ve never had it before but the amount of protein in it seems beneficial. Any tasty recipe suggestions?

xxxkjsxxx

Get extra firm tofu and make sure you dry the crap out if it before you work with it. Then, marinate as you would meat. Fry it or bake it!

AnnPT77

xxxkjsxxx wrote: »

Get extra firm tofu and make sure you dry the crap out if it before you work with it. Then, marinate as you would meat. Fry it or bake it!

Or cube it and put it in a multi-ingredient food like stir-fry, mixed veggie casserole, etc. (I like extra firm for this sort of thing.)

The soft form can be pureed into things like soup, guacamole, dips, sauces, etc. In reasonable proportion to other ingredients, it adds protein but the neutral flavor and texture don't interfere with the basic dish.

Shellz31

I'd suggest using Google because there are endless ways to cook tofu. It depends on what kind of spices you like. Tofu soaks up flavors more than it has its own flavor. You can add tofu to skillets or noodle dishes or rice dishes or really in place of meat in any dish. Tofu chili, tofu "meat" loaf, tofu pad Thai... the choices are endless. I personally like tofu scramble and Asian dishes made with tofu.

sgt1372

Tofu is a blank slate. No end of things you can do w/it. It has no flavor of its own. You can just add it to other ingredients or add other ingredients to it. Most dishes that use it are Asian inspired. As noted above, just Google "tofu recipes" for endless ideas.

One of the simplest things you can do is take 1/2 a cake of firm tofu, gently warm it to room temp, cube it and pour some seasame seed oil, soy sauce and roasted seasame seeds (or, in the alternative, sambal or chili oil and pepper flakes) over it and top w/cilantro or sliced scallions if desired. Serve as an appetizer or as side dish w/a meat dish (of any kind) and steamed rice.

Enjoy!

Yoyoghurt

Do a bit of research on it first. But there are several types. Also if you find you don't like one brand, then try others. Some do not agree with me but others do. It is a really easy to prepare source of protein. I tend to get the firm one and cut it into cubes and add it to soup just before serving or gently heat or stir-fry it in a frypan. I do want to try using the softer types though.
Once I take it out of the packet I store it in a container in the fridge with water covering it, and change the water daily.

estherdragonbat

I marinated some in a curry marinade, then baked it. I diced more small, sauteed it with snow peas and scallions, added some lemon juice and zest, and tossed it with sushi rice that had been boiled in green tea. (First recipe came out of Appetite for Reduction by Isa Chandra Moskowitz, the second from 1,000 Vegan Recipes.)

Google around and see what you can find.

Sabine_Stroehm

If you live near an asian market go in and ask for mapo tofu seasoning. Make that a couple of times, and then ditch the packet and make your own.

Seriously we use it everywhere.

WE scramble tofu with basil and scallions for breakfast.
We stir fry it with the veggies of the day.
Right now it's in a pot of posole on the stove.

jgnatca

Pay attention to the firmness directed in the recipe. They are not interchangeable.

I have seen dessert flavoured soft tofu.

My preferred tofu is extra firm, marinated and dusted with cornstarch, then baked.

artbyrachelh

I've read that fermented tofu is even better for you. What do you tofu experts think of that? (I know nothing about tofu, but am considering adding it to my diet.)

emilyvictoria7

I would highly suggest extra firm tofu - I hate gooey tofu. I've never actually dried it I always just pull it out of the container, drain the liquid and start preparing.

My favourite ways to use tofu are in these recipes:

https://minimalistbaker.com/spaghetti-squash-lasagna-bake/
https://minimalistbaker.com/almond-butter-tofu-stir-fry/

Basically, tofu ricotta cheese for lasagna with extra protein, and tofu baked in the oven till it's crispy then tossed into a stirfry. I also will chop it into squares, and fry it in a pan with sesame oil, hot sauce and fresh pepper. I've never tried marinating!

twinkles4

sgt1372 wrote: »

Tofu is a blank slate. No end of things you can do w/it. It has no flavor of its own. You can just add it to other ingredients or add other ingredients to it. Most dishes that use it are Asian inspired. As noted above, just Google "tofu recipes" for endless ideas.

One of the simplest things you can do is take 1/2 a cake of firm tofu, gently warm it to room temp, cube it and pour some seasame seed oil, soy sauce and roasted seasame seeds (or, in the alternative, sambal or chili oil and pepper flakes) over it and top w/cilantro or sliced scallions if desired. Serve as an appetizer or as side dish w/a meat dish (of any kind) and steamed rice.

Enjoy!

This and press it. It can be mushy if you don't press the liquid out of it.

Tofu scramble is a definite must try!

https://delightfuladventures.com/southwest-tofu-scramble-breakfast-tacos/

JustRobby1

I tried it once and that was enough. I’d sooner gargle Draino before trying it again. I realize taste is entirely subjective, but I must admit it’s hard for me to shake the notion that there is something seriously wrong with a person who claims to actually enjoy the substance.

Sabine_Stroehm

JustRobby1 wrote: »

I tried it once and that was enough. I’d sooner gargle Draino before trying it again. I realize taste is entirely subjective, but I must admit it’s hard for me to shake the notion that there is something seriously wrong with a person who claims to actually enjoy the substance.

Nearly every day! in fact. Well, not always tofu. Sometimes edamame, sometimes back soybeans, sometimes some other type of tofu. Sometimes soy milk. All YUMMY.

ladyreva78

I'm still sad that I don't digest soja and soja based products well. I'm on the border between intolerance and allergy. Tofu would be a great and easy addition to my diet, it's so multipurpose.

shaumom

I'd agree with the suggestion to check the recipes. But for some ideas....

- Firm tofu, take out of package and wrap in paper towels. Then put a paper towel on a plate, put the wrapped tofu on top, then another plate on top of that, then a weight (I literally just use a rock). Leave for 15 minutes - it presses out some of the moisture. Then slice into cubes, coat in corn starch, and you can fry it up (I put oil in the pan about 1/3-1/2 the height of the tofu), maybe 2-3 minutes, flip it, and another 2-3 minutes, then you are done.

This type of fried tofu you can basically let cool a little, then any sauce you want (You make, or you buy and use), you put in a pan and heat until bubbly, then dump the fried tofu in, stir to coat, and take out and eat over rice, often with green onions as a garnish.

-These two dishes are two of my favorites, that I use with the above fried tofu.
http://www.grumpyshoneybunch.com/2009/05/general-tsostofu.html (I made my own hoisin sauce - recipe here (https://thankheavens.com.au/2013/03/13/gluten-free-hoisin-sauce/ )

and this one - https://minimalistbaker.com/vietnamese-spring-rolls-with-crispy-tofu/#_a5y_p=2042949

They're not exactly the most calorie light dishes, mind you, but they're a nice idea of some pleasant tasting tofu, you know?

-Soft tofu is nice with miso soup - many recipes online.
-I have also seen soft tofu mashed and then blended with a lot of spices and salt, and used as a vegan cheese subsitute for lasagna. I do not know if it needs to be pressed ahead of time or not.

-There is also marinated tofu, which has more flavor and you can make yourself, but I haven't found any recipes I really love with that (haven't tried that many, either).

-Also 'inari' which are these kind of tofu 'pockets' that you stuff. You pretty much have to buy those ones, I think.

Judy2CA

I use tofu a lot. What kind you buy depends on what kind of recipe you're using. I've use the silken tofu to make salad dressings and desserts. I've used it to make pumpkin pie and you'd never know it's in there. I bake it in a marinade and use as a sandwich filler. I generally buy the firm or extra firm to use in a stir fry. I like tofu best when the outside is crunchy so I always stir fry it alone first to get the outside crunchy. Take it out of the pan, add the other ingredients and add the tofu back in the pan at the end. If you are on Pinterest search for tofu and you will find many recipes. Tofu is a very cheap source of protein. Try it in different ways to see which you like best.

EatingAndKnitting

I never had much luck with marinated tofu until I found a recipe online for baking it to dry it out first. I tried pressing it to get rid of water, but the marinade never soaked into the tofu and was just blah. this works really well though.

Take a block of firm tofu and drain the water off. Cut it into cubes and spread it out onto an oiled baking sheet. Bake at 350 for a few minutes (I forget exactly how many, sorry), probably about ten, but you'll want to watch it. It's done when the tofu is slightly browned, and crispy.

Then marinade it in whatever sauce you like (I like soy sauce and honey). Because the tofu is dry, it'll soak up the liquid like a sponge and get uncrispy, but stay firm.

It's the best way I've found yet to make firm tofu.

nw623

I am a tofu newbie, but here's what I've got for you. I've only used the extra firm tofu so far. I avoid silken tofu if I can. Once out of the package, wrap it in a kitchen towel and press it using something kind of heavy. I've used a cutting board and large soup cans or a cast iron skillet. I feel like the majority of recipes revolve around Asian style cooking, using soy sauce or curries. I'm not huge on using a lot these ingredients, so I go other routes. I enjoy cubing tofu and pan frying it with some salt and pepper until the outside edges get crispy. I have also crumbled/"ground" it and put taco seasoning on it and have eaten it with tacos. This is more up my alley! As others have said, minimalist baker has some good recipes.

Sp1tfire

I roll extra firm tofu in egg and cornstarch and pan fry it. I also freeze it after I open it because it'll keep longer, and i find the texture gets way better.

sgt1372

artbyrachelh wrote: »

I've read that fermented tofu is even better for you. What do you tofu experts think of that? (I know nothing about tofu, but am considering adding it to my diet.)

Fermented tofu is (as they say) an acquired taste and (more often than not) is used as a seasoning to impart an distinct umami flavor (kinda like anchovies) rather than as an identifiable ingredient in itself.

One of my go-to recipes is to saute Chinese long beans w/it. Regular green beans would work as well. Just blanch the beans to speed up cook time, saute the beans w/some ginger and garlic, add 4-6 mashed up cubes of fermented bean curd (depending on how many beans there are) and thin as necessary w/water to finish the sauce.

artbyrachelh

Thanks, @sgt1371

jmackkk

1) remove tofu from container 2) place tofu in trash lol it tastes horrible.

Tofu is also a product of soy....which lowers T levels....which is not good in any way.

tarun_yadavA

destinytaylor112715 wrote: »

Can someone please explain to me how in the world you cook tofu or what you even do with it? I’ve never had it before but the amount of protein in it seems beneficial. Any tasty recipe suggestions?

Tofu is gross. Quorn is better in terms of Meat-free

jgnatca

Nutrition profile for Tofu (85 g)

https://goo.gl/images/NhW77m

jgnatca

I learned something new today. Quorn is a fungus, grown industrially in vats.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quorn

kristen8000

I've had Tofu out - mostly from food trucks (Asian and Mexican based food). I've never tried to cook it. But one of the food trucks pan fries theirs (I'm guessing it's extra firm) and it ends up crunchy and it's delicous. Doesn't really taste like anything, but with the other ingredients in the rice bowl, it works.

If I ever was to venture, I'd try that, cube it and fry it with a bit of olive oil in a pan until the tofu browns.

GottaBurnEmAll

I used to love tofu until soy decided it hated me. I can't eat soy products any more. I even had a tofu press. I found it was worth the money because it got so much more moisture out of the firm tofu. Always buy extra firm, and definitely press it.

My favorite way to prepare it was to marinate it in a mixture of lemon juice and soy sauce with plenty of garlic in the marinade. This didn't give it an Asian flavor, it just gave it an umami flavor. Then I baked it in the marinade.

Sometimes I'd take the tofu marinated that way and dip it in gluten free bread crumbs and fry it. That was amazing cubed on top of salads or topped with tomato sauce. Even the kids and husband liked that.

LiveLoveFitFab

First off, get the firm stuff, it's easier to handle. I like medium because I'm weird, but most people like the firm better. If it is in a big block, cut lengthwise to make it more like a steak. Place it on a pile of paper towels on a cutting board. Put some more paper towels on top. Find something heavy and put it in the fridge. The water will come out of it. I sometimes press it a few times, changing out the paper towels every time. This may take a few hours. It should be compressed and dryer. If you get bean curd, you can skip this part. The thinner the tofu, the easier it is to get the water out, but don't go too thin as it will compress somewhat.

To Bake it: Then, make a nice marinade. I've used everything from black bean sauce, mushroom oyster sauce, a nice coconut curry. You can make a nice marinade from any flavour you like really - All good. Marinate it for an hour or overnight. The longer the better. Poke holes in it for more flavour absorption
Bake it at 375 for 15 minutes, flip and bake it for 15 minutes more. You can go longer if it's really thick. I use parchment paper on a cookie sheet. You can do it in steaks or in cubes, depending on what you are doing with it. I bake the cubes to add to stir fries.

To fry: Season and put a little bit of cornstarch on that tofu. Heat up some sesame oil until HOT in the pan. Fry until golden and crispy. You can also marinate it and then season it and starch it and fry it, just make sure that you get most of the marinade off before the cornstarch treatment.

You can cube it before frying it, or leave it in little steaks. I cube it and fry it and then add it to stir fries, or keep it as a mini steak if I'm feeling like a tofu steak.

You can also bread it and fry it. I've never breaded it and baked it.

Either way you try it, it's really cheap so it's a cheap mistake to make if you fudge it up the first few times.

LiveLoveFitFab

tarun_yadavA wrote: »

destinytaylor112715 wrote: »

Can someone please explain to me how in the world you cook tofu or what you even do with it? I’ve never had it before but the amount of protein in it seems beneficial. Any tasty recipe suggestions?

Tofu is gross. Quorn is better in terms of Meat-free

Quorn will never be legal in Canada because it's an industrial grown product that is made of a weird fungus and will never pass Canadian food guidelines. I'd skip it if entire countries aren't allowed to have it for that reason.

janejellyroll

LiveLoveFitFab wrote: »

tarun_yadavA wrote: »

destinytaylor112715 wrote: »

Can someone please explain to me how in the world you cook tofu or what you even do with it? I’ve never had it before but the amount of protein in it seems beneficial. Any tasty recipe suggestions?

Tofu is gross. Quorn is better in terms of Meat-free

Quorn will never be legal in Canada because it's an industrial grown product that is made of a weird fungus and will never pass Canadian food guidelines. I'd skip it if entire countries aren't allowed to have it for that reason.

What does "industrial grown product" mean? Lots of products are grown by industries, that's the source of most produce we eat. What is the specific concern about Quorn? Do the guidelines actually bar "weird fungus"?