A question for tofu eaters?

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  • christina_theresa
    christina_theresa Posts: 290 Member
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    Tofu and Manwhich= :smile:
  • Ebwash89
    Ebwash89 Posts: 180 Member
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    I eat tofu noodles. I've never tried it as a meat subsitute but I'd say avoid anything with water or liquidy recepies because tofu absorbs it and makes it very squishy and unpleasant. Also tofu is very bland so try to flavor it as much as possible. I know there are chicken flavored seasonings you can use that will boost the taste. Hope I helped :smile:
  • gooiyw
    gooiyw Posts: 114 Member
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    Harder tofus are great just pan fried with salt and pepper until they turn golden brown, dipped with hot Thai chili sauce. Soft tofus are amazing straight out of the fridge (don't even cook it), drizzled with a little oyster sauce, soy sauce and topped with scallions and fried baby shrimp (last part's optional and replaceable with sauteed minced pork).
  • Vegan_Chick
    Vegan_Chick Posts: 474 Member
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    You have to freeze it first! Seriously....it gives it a better texture, more dense. Just overnight
  • Vegan_Chick
    Vegan_Chick Posts: 474 Member
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    I like any chinese or japanese style recipes for tofu. Its not a meat replacement though cause nothing really taste like meat. I just eat it for what it is.
    I love your profile pic! I am stealing it to show it to my daughter who is obsessed with kitties and pokemon!
  • TKHappy
    TKHappy Posts: 659 Member
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    After 20 years of being vegetarian, I still suck at preparing tofu. So I only eat it already prepared, like at restaurants or in convenience meals.

    Meee too! Its only been 13 years for me but I've only mastered one way and thats to cut it into slices, sprinkle Ms. Dash on both sides, put it on a lightly oiled pan in the oven on 375 until its brown...30 min or so!!
  • Bentley2718
    Bentley2718 Posts: 1,690 Member
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    I especially like mine broiled, the link below is to a blog that includes a few good broiled tofu recipes. I also like tofu scramble with veggies, fried tofu (not so healthy, but good), grilled/BBQed tofu, and sometimes tofu used like ricotta in pasta dishes.

    http://peasandthankyou.com/2011/05/19/you-dont-bring-me-coleslaw-anymore/

    I'm not sure what you mean when you ask if tofu is a good replacement for meat. It is high in protein, so I guess in that sense, the answer is yes. It doesn't really have the taste or texture of meat, so in that sense, no. I think it may be more helpful to think of tofu as a food of its own, not as a "meat replacement." Many high protein, veg*n foods are very good, if you embrace them for what they are, if, however, you attempt to make them "meat like" the results are often disappointing IMHO. Then again, I don't like anything that too closely resembles meat anyway, it grosses me out.
  • cramernh
    cramernh Posts: 3,335 Member
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    Tofu comes in different densities... silken to extra firm. I love me a good chicken/tofu tikka masala... I also do alot of asian inspired dishes using tofu as well.

    The chinese make an aromatic tea bath for hard boiled eggs. Ill do the same for tofu but wont marinate it as long as hard boiled eggs. I flash cook it with vegetables and serve it in a simple vegetable stock.. talk about flavor-POWERHOUSE!

    I also love a Mega-Garlicky tofu with sauteed mushrooms and spinach...

    The Koreans make a banchan plate that contains a lightly pan-fried tofu with a spicy-sweet sauce.. OHHHHHHHHHHHHH I had this today and thought I needed a cold shower - TOTAL FOOD PORN BABY!
  • EbonySD
    EbonySD Posts: 142
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    I 'press' with a paper towl on the bottom and top for a minimum of 30 minutes. Set something heavy on top (I like to use use a cast iron pot). Refresh your paper towls about 15 mins in. I then cut into long strips and pan fry using pam cooking spray. From there, the sky is the limit! Cut it up and add it into any receipe - it will absorb the flavor of any sauce. My fav is curry w/sweet potatoes, onions and carrots.
  • jching29
    jching29 Posts: 163
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    I love blending my tofu and adding in chocolate sauce, cocoa powder and some sweetener to make a chocolate pudding :) it's delicious!
  • katy84o
    katy84o Posts: 744 Member
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    My favorite recipe for tofu is Spicy Jerk Tofu with Jade Pesto. I believe the recipe came from vegetariantimes.com

    Recipe for Jerk Tofu--spicy--

    -2 16oz pkg of extra firm tofu, drain rinse and cut into 3 slabs
    -1/2c soybean oil
    -6tbsp dry jerk spice
    -4 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
    -4 tsp toasted sesame oil
    For the steaks cut them and into slabs then set them on a paper towel and press a heavy pan on top to drain excess moisture out. Then cut it into triangles. you should have 12 "steaks" you can half the recipe very easily if you want less. prepare the soybeal oil, soy sauce, and spice and marinate steaks overnite in an oven ready pan. Next night, take pan out of refrigerator cover with foil and bake @ 400 for 12 minutes or until beginning to brown. Remove to cool and prepare the jade pesto.

    Jade Pesto:

    6 cups loosely packed fresh basil
    2 cups loosely packed fresh cilantro
    4 whole green onions
    4 garlic cloves
    2 tsp rice wine vinegar
    1/8 tsp white pepper
    put all ingredients in food processor process until smooth. Drizzle over tofu steaks :)
  • Bentley2718
    Bentley2718 Posts: 1,690 Member
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    The only tips I can give is that tofu really needs to be marinated, it absorbs flavour easily.

    Tofu does absorb flavor easily, but it does not *need* to be marinated. I rarely bother to marinate my tofu before I broil it. I just toss it in there with a little oil on it, and wait until it's crispy. You can put it in a flavorful sauce of some sort, or just eat in plain. I eat a lot of plain broiled tofu, it's crispy and yummy. If you're new to tofu, you might want to start out with marinated versions, but it is perfectly eatable cooked without marinating.
  • dancin2011
    dancin2011 Posts: 92 Member
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    bump
  • woopidydoo
    woopidydoo Posts: 79 Member
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    The only way I ever cook it is like taco meat. I buy the firm tofu and I squish it for a few minutes between some paper towel. I put something heavy on top of the paper towel so all the liquid drains out. I just put it (crumbled) in a frying pan with a little oil and then when it's almost done cooking I add taco seasoning. I cook it until it's crispy because that's how I like all of my food. I've tried adding tofu into my lasagna but didn't like it. That might've been my fault, though.
  • hypersensitiveb
    hypersensitiveb Posts: 342 Member
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    I like the tofu scramble with peppers, onions , cheese , a dash of tumeric for color and tofu .
  • veganbaum
    veganbaum Posts: 1,865 Member
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    I bake my tofu or scramble it. I love baked tofu. Just marinate it, then place it in an oven at 375 for 15 minutes, flip it, cook for another 15 -20 minutes. You can marinate it in anything, there are plenty of ideas online. I find it best as leftovers, the flavor really sinks in and the texture is nice. For scrambled tofu, I love this recipe: http://happyherbivore.com/recipe/tofu-scramble/
  • nikkis57
    nikkis57 Posts: 5 Member
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    I eat tofu in Korean dishes! Really easy to make and super tasty!!! Check out spicy tofu soup (doenjang jjigae) with onions and zucchini. It took me less than 30 min to make and it's sooo yummy.
  • juicemoogan
    juicemoogan Posts: 999 Member
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    I always buy Extra firm.

    A great way to do it is slice it into small thin squares and put them in a frying pan with 1 cup of water and a cube of vegetable stock. Boil till all the stock is absorbed in the tofu and there is no liquid left.

    Then you can use them in anything. On top of pasta, in a salad, eaten on their own as a snack because they are so delicious.

    Or i use Tofu (extra firm) in Korean Soups - Kimchi Chigae or Dwenjang Chigae. Cut into larger cubes and boil in the soup.
  • riskiestlavonn
    riskiestlavonn Posts: 207 Member
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    It could be a substitute for meat, but not necessarily (many Chinese dishes throw tofu in with meat). As for seasoning, it doesn't really have much of a taste by itself, but it is good at taking on the flavors that surround it. I would (if you haven't already done so) try a recipe for Tofu scramble. I LOVE that stuff.