Tofu???

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.

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!

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

Nutrition profile for Tofu (85 g)

https://goo.gl/images/NhW77m

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.

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 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"?