TOFU?

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tracefan
tracefan Posts: 382 Member
in Food and Nutrition
What do I do with Tofu? Seriously? I like it in miso soup.. but what else can I do? Can I grill it? eat it plain? Sorry I'm just not a expert on tofu

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  • alltheweigh170
    alltheweigh170 Posts: 287 Member
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    Google Pioneer woman's vegetarian lettuce wrap.
  • ahoy_m8
    ahoy_m8 Posts: 3,053 Member
    edited October 2015
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    Me either. I did, however, make a big tofu scramble for the week's breakfasts for DH when he was cutting. I used essentially the same method with different ingredients. Firm & extra-firm are easiest to work with in the beginning. I used a wok on high heat, heavily seasoned tofu pieces (requires A LOT of seasoning) and sautéed until brown & flipped. After brown on other side, I broke into smaller pieces with spatula and added other ingredients.

    His favorite - tofu saagwala. If you can find a recipe online, I bet it will be better than mine. I added tons of spinach, obviously, a few chicpeas & tomatos, onions & garlic with turmeric/cumin/cinnamon
    My favorite - hatch tofu. Hatch chile sauce (let me know if you need a recipe), carrots & hominy, onions & garlic, cumin/coriander
    Others-taco seasoning w/ black beans & tomatos, onion & garlic
    cauliflour, chicpeas, toasted cumin seeds, turmeric <--actually this was my favorite, or a close second.

    You get the idea. I was going for variety. For ideas I looked at other recipes & adapted. Good luck!
  • tracefan
    tracefan Posts: 382 Member
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    Thanks ahoy. I will try this. much better than what I was thinking. Sounds good
  • madammags
    madammags Posts: 97 Member
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    If you get a firm tofu, try dry-frying it (instructions here: hubpages.com/hub/How_to_Cook_Tofu_Like_the_Pros), then toss it in stir-fries or soups, or marinate it.
    When I do summer rolls, I cut my tofu into long thin strips, dry fry, then marinate for about half an hour in a mix of soy sauce, lime juice, a bit of sugar, chilli, garlic, and ginger, then I toss both tofu and marinade back in the pan and cook, stirring, until the marinade has reduced.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    I've got a crispy baked tofu.

    https://www.pinterest.com/pin/361132463848164122/
  • TrickyDisco
    TrickyDisco Posts: 2,869 Member
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    You can make a tasty sauce for pasta with silken tofu ... I make a vegan mac cheese for two with two-thirds of a block of silken tofu blended with a little soya milk, add 50g grated soya cheese, a teaspoon of Dijon mustard and seasoning, is great with wholemeal pasta, a few shreds of sun-dried tomatoes and some fresh basil. Silken tofu is good for making 'cheesecakes' too, and as an egg replacement in cake-making. I use a sixth of a pack instead of two eggs, freeze the other sixths in foil, freeze them and defrost/use one whenever.
  • ms_smartypants
    ms_smartypants Posts: 8,278 Member
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    Pan Fried Tofu and Awesome Hoisin Sauce

    100-200 grams hard or extra firm tofu
    3 tsp vegetable oil
    1/4 cup Hoisin Sauce
    2 Tablespoons soy sauce
    2 Tablespoon sesame oil

    1. Really press as much water out of the tofu as possible. I wrap mine in paper towels to get the initial moisture off of it then wrap it in paper towels again and weight it down with a cast iron skillet and leave it for 20 mins.
    2. While you wait, combine the Hoisin sauce, soy sauce, and sesame oil in a bowl and set aside.
    3. After the tofu is dry, slice it 1/2 inch thick.
    4. Heat the vegetable oil in non stick pan and when it's hot place the slices of tofu in there. The tofu should sizzle when you put it in and don't let the tofu touch the other tofu in the pan.
    5. Leave the tofu alone! Don't touch it! Depending on your pan the first side should take between 4-6 minutes (i have one piece I use as a tester piece) When golden brown flip. The other side won't take as long to cook, about 2-3 minutes.
    6. When done place on plate and drizzle Hoisin Sauce over it.

    I top mine with sliced scallions and white sesame seeds for a visual and flavorful experience
  • Queenmunchy
    Queenmunchy Posts: 3,380 Member
    edited October 2015
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    I love making it super crispy and eating with peanut sauce (peanut flour + bottled stir fry sauce makes a simple one!)

    This weekend I'm making a tofu curry to portion and freeze for lunches over the next 2-3 months.
  • tracefan
    tracefan Posts: 382 Member
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    ms smartypants that sounds good and queen yes I would like to make it crispy sounds good.
  • kstar191
    kstar191 Posts: 13 Member
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    Tofu spring rolls, Mongolian tofu, sukiyaki, tofu vegetable patties, tofu paad Thai, hot & sour soup, egg drop soup, you can also use it as a ricotta substitute (by adding Italian seasonings, garlic and nutritional yeast) or just to add more protein to a cheese lasagna.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    I pan fry it with vegetables. Here's a super easy example: http://veganyumyum.com/2009/04/simple-fried-rice-with-japanese-seven-spice/ I mix and match the vegetables, use less oil, and love the seven spice.
  • cerise_noir
    cerise_noir Posts: 5,468 Member
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    Back when I was a vegetarian, I used to soak strips of firm tofu in a mixture of water, liquid smoke and salt.....veg bacon.

    Squeeze water out of tofu (I did this by placing tofu between 2 cutting boards then putting a weight on top) for around 30 minutes, then marinate it over night. Treat tofu as you would treat any protein.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    Stir fries.
    and scrambles
    I love me some tofu.
  • debkie77
    debkie77 Posts: 31 Member
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    I just made a copycat recipe of Chipotle's sofritos....yummy! I also like it in stirfries & fajitas both with lots of veggies.
  • sgupstate
    sgupstate Posts: 15 Member
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    There are different types of tofu that are suitable for different recipes. The soft tofu is good if you need to add it to something quick and eat right away. The firm tofu needs to be cooked more or marinated (or in a crock pot) because the flavor of the firm tofu is more grassy. Lots of the time I just make a coconut milk curry in a saucepan and add veggies and cubed soft tofu and simmer for about 10 min.

    Here are a couple of my fav recipes:

    Slow Cooker Butter Chickpeas and Tofu
    http://delishknowledge.com/slow-cooker-butter-chickpeas/

    Crispy Tofu Parmesan
    http://bethsjourney.com/crispy-tofu-parmesan/

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