Tofu..

lisaelainee

I bought some tofu and i've never had it before, has anyone tried it and what recipes are nice?

(labelled firm)

daffodilsoup

Did you buy firm, soft, or silken? They're all delicious, but generally used for different things.

lisaelainee

Did you buy firm, soft, or silken? They're all delicious, but generally used for different things.

firm

daffodilsoup

My favorite kind! First thing you'll want to do is press the water out of it - you can do this by wrapping the tofu in a kitchen towel and putting weights on it for about an hour to press the moisture out. If you're into a chewier texture, try freezing it and thawing it - totally changes the mouthfeel.

You can pretty much marinate the tofu in anything - it's a great sponge for flavors! - and use it in stir fries, bake it in the oven, whatever. I love it as part of a stir fry over brown rice, but the options really are endless.

iKapuniai

There's only two (2) ways I'll eat Tofu, and it HAS to be firm...

1. Raw with shoyu ("soy sauce")

2. Pan fried in shoyu, sesame seed oil and oyster sauce.

Silken tofu is good in baking (cream pies) and smoothies!

I hear a lot of people like to marinate it in teriyaki sauce and pan fry or grill it. I've never tried it that way, and I don't think I could, but to each their own.

Love and Alohas,
Ihilani Kapuniai

Shock_Wave

I dunno why but I can eat this stuff right out of the package.

AnnaMaus

As Daffodil points out, tofu is very versatile because it's so absorbent and comes in so many different textures!

It's a pressed curd, a fresh cheese, but it's made from soy milk instead of mammal milk. It's firmness is a function of how much water has been pressed from it. Soft tofu contains a good deal more water than firm tofu.

* One very simple way to prepare firm tofu is in a stir fry. Season the stir fry just as you normally would. For best flavor, use fresh aromatics like garlic and ginger and good soya sauce or a good curry paste, and not just a mild bottled cooking sauce.

After pressing and draining water from the tofu, cut it into fat sticks (2 or 3 inches long by half an inch wide), put it on a broiler pan (lightly oiled-- an aerosol can of oil or atomizer is useful here) and broil it until it's brown and crisp on both sides. You'll want to watch it so it doesn't burn. You could also pan fry it in oil before you begin the stir fry, but I prefer the roasted flavor from the broiler. Obvy less fatty too.

Add the broiled tofu at the end of the cooking of your stirfry, just to coat it in whatever sauce is in the pan.

* Another delicious and very easy way to prepare it is to broil slices for sandwiches (thinner is better, but other dimensions will depend on the size your bread). Slice drained sliced tofu and broil them a bit, then brush the slices generously with your favorite BBQ sauce, and broil it a little more-- but watch so it doesn't blacken. Put the slices on bread with thinly sliced onion and pickles. It's particularly awesome if you make garlic toast of the bread first... but these are basics of BBQ, so forgive me if you're already on it.

* Try draining it, dicing it and frying it til crisp. Add taco seasonings. Make tacos!

* Have a little coconut milk and curry? You can press the firm stuff, slice it, marinate it, skewer it, broil or grill it and have satay.

The Post-Punk Kitchen has tons of great recipes using tofu: http://www.theppk.com/?s=tofu&r=1

There's a Tofu Paprikash there that I'm dying to try.


:happy:

asyouseefit

Scramble with spinach, garlic, salt and pepper then fill cannellonis or manicotti... Pour tomato sauce and voilà!

melelana

Sloppy Joes & Tacos!


Step 1: Press water out of it with a paper towel or cheesecloth. Crumble the tofu into little pieces and set aside. Add a little olive oil to a large pan and when oil is hot, add garlic and onions. Once the onions are translucent and the garlic becomes fragrant, add the crumbled tofu.

For tacos: add ground cumin (lots of it), and black pepper and chili powder to taste. Stir occasionally. Cook until golden. Vegetarian tacos!!

For sloppy joes: as tofu begins to turn golden, add tomato sauce and chopped mushrooms! Add a splash of steak sauce or soy sauce (for a meaty taste.) Serve on toasted wheat bread!