TOFU--First timer

clvdandj
clvdandj Posts: 76
edited September 26 in Food and Nutrition
Does anyone have any simple, tasty tofu recipes. This would be my first time trying tofu, so i would like it to be yummy :) Thanks ahead of time!

Replies

  • kaleas
    kaleas Posts: 200
    Tofu is the most versatile food ever!

    http://vegandad.blogspot.com/search/label/tofu

    I love a lot of his recipes and they're pretty simple to make.

    Also I really enjoy just cutting it into strips and baking it 15 minutes on each side at 375 and eating it plain.
  • SageGoddess320
    SageGoddess320 Posts: 2,589 Member
    Tofu can sometimes be a tricky item to prepare (at least for me because I am a horrible cook :laugh: ) Have you looked around www.allrecipes.com? I have found many vegetarian recipes on that site that are pretty tasty.
  • bethrs
    bethrs Posts: 664 Member
    Find a sauce/ spice you like and cook it in that. I often soak it in low sodium soy sauce and bake it on maybe 400 or 450 for 30-45 minutes. I also do the same but use thai spice. I have cooked it in a sauce pan with pre-prepared curry mixes and buffalo wing sauce (this didn't turn out as well)...

    That's my advice for trying it the first time. I really like tofu, but the first time I ate it I sliced it and cooked it in a pan and then tried to eat it on a sandwhich and it wasn't my favorite thing...at all.

    I've also used a recipe where you soak it in soy sauce then cover it in a cracker crumb, onion and garlic salt and flour combo and bake it similar to above to come out with a fake chicken nugget. I used to eat it that way too.
  • happy_vegan
    happy_vegan Posts: 200 Member
    this is my FAVORITE tofu recipe... it's also very easy because instead of cutting it up you just mash it all up and put it in a pan. The beautiful thing about tofu is that it doesn't 'need' to be cooked all the way like meat.
    http://www.savvyvegetarian.com/vegetarian-recipes/tofu-scramble.php

    I like to add sriacha (rooster) sauce because i like spicy things. you can add whatever hot sauce you like, though (if you're into that).
    You don't need every ingredient but as a rule of thumb the tumeric will make it have a base taste and color, the cumin will give you some flavor, the garlic is a must. The nutritional yeast is what gives it a cheesy, melty texture that I personally can't skip but it isn't essential - that's when i would put in more salt or hot sauce though to give it flavor.

    I like to just bulk it up with whatever vegetables i can find so i make a huge batch and then each serving is pretty low cal.


    Rule of thumb for tofu:
    When cooking in pieces in a pan, its easier if they look more like strips than chunks or cubes. This makes cooking more easily distributed through the tofu. I put some olive oil in the pan, heat it up, then put in my strips (maybe like 2"x1"x.5"...it doesnt have to be exact this is just for beginner reference). you know when they are ready to be turned over when you flip one and it's solidly yellow on one side. you can cook it for longer and make them crunchy but there is a fine line between it being crunch and sticking to the pan and burning. you're looking for a golden yellow texture.

    i will just then put these strips on anything... on top of salads, on sandwiches with hummus or whatever toppings you like... on french bread like a banh mi...... add a lot of vegetables to the pan and some rice make fried rice..... i mean, i would just use these pieces however you normally cook meat. just...it is not beef. you can't put it on spaghetti like they're meatbals :) there are other vegetarian substitutes (TVP, seitan, soy meatballs) etc for that job....

    okay gotta cut myself off i could talk for days. i love tofu!!!!
  • Kaldrmjolka
    Kaldrmjolka Posts: 86
    I love tofu prepared into chunks, like chicken ontop of a small salad or brown rice with a side of baked lemon asparagus!
    This recipe is goes well with both. With rice the garlic adds in amazing flavor to the rice, and you can cut the asparagus and mix it all up. (maybe add some more veggies)
    And on a salad its a great warm element. :)

    While the asparagus is baking (drizzled with a little olive oil, 350 until its tender and slightly crisped, or however you like it, onions add amazing flavor) , wrap a whole garlic glove in foil with a tiny bit of chicken stock low sodium, (which you can cook the tofu in for a little extra flavor, some people find tofu bland). Wait until that garlic smell just takes over, about 10 minutes should do it.

    When asparagus is done just drizzle with a little lemon juice and black pepper. When the garlic is done let it cool a little so you don't burn yourself and squeeze it and you should have a nice creamy carmalized garlic 'butter' that'll go great on the tofu.
  • jemmur
    jemmur Posts: 57 Member
    if the tofu turns out to be mushier or slimier than you like, experiment with pressing it! you can squish quite a lot of the water out of it, which can change the texture quite a bit. my boyfriend gags on unpressed tofu (even if it's been cooked) but the texture doesn't bother me enough to faff around with pressing it.

    i'm dead lazy so tend to cut it into small chunks, chuck it in a frying pan/wok with a little oil, some soy sauce and black pepper and cook it that way. tip: even my "extra firm" stuff crumbles if i stir it with a wooden spoon while it's cooking (though it probably wouldn't if i actually pressed it...) - flip the pan like you're making pancakes and it won't fall apart.
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