Tofu suggestions

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deadpoolbarron
deadpoolbarron Posts: 13 Member
in Recipes
Hello,
Can anyone suggest a good use for tofu, my fiance and I tried marainating it with a few ingrediants yesterday but it seemed to crumble into nothingness when fried with an assortment of veggies

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  • libbydoodle11
    libbydoodle11 Posts: 1,351 Member
    edited December 2014
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    Sounds like you used silken tofu? Miso soup. Buy the firm or extra firm.

    http://www.thekitchn.com/tofu-varieties-whats-the-difference-201345

    Google how to cook tofu and see what you come up with.
  • CraigShift
    CraigShift Posts: 69 Member
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    If you buy the water packed tofu, freeze it before use, then when you get ready to use it thaw and it will have a different texture, marinate it in a sweet and sour sauce for a few hours and then bake at 350* for about 25 min. flip once, you will like that . If you like sweet and sour, do some spring rolls with that and you have a great meal.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    Firmness is everything. Use the appropriate firmness for the recipe.
  • chandnir
    chandnir Posts: 13 Member
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    Or you could try Tempeh, which is a much healthier form of Tofu
  • LazyFoodie
    LazyFoodie Posts: 217 Member
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    Are you using soft tofu when you want to use firm tofu? If you are cooking something where you want to use soft or silken tofu and don't want it to break up, be extra gentle when you stir when cooking. I use silken tofu in a lot of soups and I don't mind that it breaks apart, but I also do not cut it before cooking. I put it in the box as a whole log and break it up manually as I cook. I think the pieces will end up too small if you precut before cooking.

    I love tofu and eat it a billion different ways but my favorite is to cut firm tofu into pieces and coat with eggs. Then pan fry both sides of the egg coated tofu pieces with a little (or a lot depending on how healthy you want to be...). Pour soy sauce on top, cover with lid and cook for a few minutes until the tofu is hot. Mix some corn starch in a tiny bit of cold water and add to pan to thicken the sauce.

    And I second freezing tofu, but only medium or firm tofu. They taste especially delicious after having been frozen in hot pots and soups. It makes the tofu more porous and thus absorb more flavor. But I have not tried freezing soft or silken tofu and do not think it would work the same way.
  • maews1
    maews1 Posts: 18
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    Hi,Does anyone have a good recipe for tofu egg salad? I buy the extra firm,Thank you.
  • astrose00
    astrose00 Posts: 754 Member
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    OMG I love tofu!!! My favorite dish is Ma Po (or Ma Paul) tofu. It'll bust my calorie allotment so I actually purchased the sauce from HMart (Korean Supermarket) and I stir fry the tofu with green onions, garlic, chili oil and about a tablespoon of the sauce. I'm about to have that for dinner! I don't mind it breaking up but I do try to be gentle. If you want to add texture, add some chopped cauliflower and it gives it some hardiness. I skip the rice. I used to love firm tofu until I tried the Ma Po tofu and now love the sensation of silken tofu. Another idea is curry tofu over rice. I had a vegetarian friend who made this and it's delicious. Add the same veggies you would to curry chicken dish (potatoes, carrots, onions). It's yummy with white rice.

    Basically, do anything you'd do with other proteins.
  • deadpoolbarron
    deadpoolbarron Posts: 13 Member
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    I think it may have been silken (I had no idea that there were different kinds :S ) from what I have heard about tofu over the years is that you slice it and press it between paper towels to drain the liquid from it, which I did but it just crumbled, I will deffinately freeze it next time but should I still drain the liquid from it?
  • lborsato1
    lborsato1 Posts: 1,011 Member
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    Open the package, drain the liquid, and carefully throw the entire thing in the garbage....
    Can you tell I don't like tofu ??
  • LazyFoodie
    LazyFoodie Posts: 217 Member
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    You should drain it if you are putting it in a salad and you don't want it leaking liquid, but if you are putting it in a soup etc, doesn't really matter so just depends on how you cook it. You should only freeze it if you are cooking it certain ways too....
  • deadpoolbarron
    deadpoolbarron Posts: 13 Member
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    I assumed that I would not be a big fan either but the benefits of it are just too good to pass up. I'm a chef so I know that any food can appeal to personal tastes, you just have to find the right way to prepare it, I tasted the tofu before adding a marinade and it really didn't taste like anything to me which was ideal as I just saw it as a blank canvas.

    I made a marinade of peanut butter, green onion, soy sauce, chilli flakes, lime, olive/ sesame oil and garlic but since the tofu faded away I really couldn't pick up any of the flavours when sauted with my veggies
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
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    I like the firm in stir frys or crumbled into red sauce for pasta dishes. The silken type makes a good sandwich spread or dip when seasoned well.

    The firm is also good as a salad topper if you soak it for a few min in soy sauce, then coat with corn starch and deep fry. I like to put it on a cold salad while it's still warm.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
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    lborsato1 wrote: »
    Open the package, drain the liquid, and carefully throw the entire thing in the garbage....
    Can you tell I don't like tofu ??

    I would recommend leaving it in the package, unless it is garbage pick-up day. Tofu stinks to high heaven when it goes bad. :s
  • tiu_amy75
    tiu_amy75 Posts: 4 Member
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    Tofu can be an acquired taste and texture for some people. I like to press or freeze/thaw mine (extra-firm, light) to make it a little denser. Then I cut it into cubes and marinate in teriyaki sauce (the longer the better, seriously, like 2 days). Then stir-fry or bake. I also like to press or freeze/thaw, slice into strips and put into 350 degree oven to bake with a little olive oil, lemon & italian herbs (pick your faves) to bake, 20 minutes each side. It's also great (silken type) blended into chocolate mousse. Tempeh is also a great option. I grate mine into sauce to make a vegetarian bolognese.

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