Tofu Recipes

[GoodbyeGirl]

Hi,

just a little reminder: if you copy/paste recipes from other sites, please check if they are OK with it. I'm sure most sites are (especially if you post a link to the source); but some recipe sites have warning in small print a la "You agree not to modify, reproduce, retransmit, distribute, disseminate, sell, publish, broadcast or circulate any such material without the written permission of About.com or the appropriate affiliate."

Thanks!
:)

PS - I'm sure many vegan recipe sites would love to get some more attention, so getting a formal permission shouldn't be a problem as long as you're willing to post the URL-reference...

will do. most of mine come from books and magazines that have animal recipes in them. i am saving the recipes that i like and use before i get rid of the books and i thought that since i have to write them all down anyway, i might as well write them up here and share them with anyone else who might want them. i suppose i should reference them as well?

[GoodbyeGirl]

from The Soy Zone

stir fry tofu with peppers and peanuts

6 peanuts
1 t peanut oil
8 oz extra-firm tofu, cubed
1 clove garlic, pressed
1/2 t fresh grated ginger
3 turnip tops, washed and chopped coarsely
1 1/3 T pure maple syrup
1 T tamari or shoyu sauce
2 t arrowroot dissolved in 2 t water
1/2 t chili or tabasco sauce
1 small onion, diced
1 small green bell pepper, diced
1 small red bell pepper, diced
12 mushrooms, sliced
1 clove garlic, pressed
1/2 t fresh ginger
2 scallions, sliced

roast peanuts in toaster oven or under broiler for 3 to 5 minutes, turning twice. set aside.
combine peanut oil and tofu in skillet and saute over high heat. after 5 minutes, add garlic and ginger. saute another 3 minutes and remove from skillet.
rinse and steam turnip tops in steamer basket over boiling water, or in a small amount of water with no basket, until tender, about 10 minutes. set aside with lid half off.
mix rice wine vinegar, maple syrup, tamari, arrowroot, and tabasco in a small bowl.
combine onion, peppers, mushrooms, garlic, and ginger in a skillet and saute 5 minutes on medium-high heat. add water if necessary and stir regularly.
stir up sauce in bowl and add to skillet. stir until thickened. add tofu and heat through, about 3 minutes.
serve over bed of warm turnip tops. top with peanuts and scallions.

[puffin]

Puffin...what sort of tofu do u do this with? can u do it with the Cauldron variety?
Yes that is what i use. I marinate it in garlic, ginger (sorry cherry) and soy sauce for about 30 min.

[GoodbyeGirl]

i usually buy fried tofu in bags at the asian grocery. if that's not possible for you then here's a method for fried tofu that you might want to try. i think it is best to freeze the tofu first and then thaw and press it, but you should try it with fresh tofu as well to see which you prefer. cut firm, not extra firm, tofu into 1 1/2 inch cubes and slide carefully into hot oil in a large pan or wok. fry until the surface is golden brown and slightly bubbly, about 6 minutes. the interior of each cube will be partially cooked away.

[Cherry]

Yes that is what i use. I marinate it in garlic, ginger (sorry cherry) and soy sauce for about 30 min.

What do you mean?! I'm not fond of the yucky crystalised sweet stuff but I LOVE real ginger and I marinate my tofu in garlic, ginger and soya sauce too....unless that's what you meant :confused: (It's only mushrooms I hate :D )

[VeganJohn]

I was not a fan of sweet crystallised ginger until recently when I tried Green and Blacks dark chocolate with ginger - mmmm!!!

[VeganJohn]

btw, some excellent recipes Goodbyegirl!! I'll have to try them when I get some fresh ginger and garlic in, not to mention some soy sauce lol :>

[Freckles]

Tofu recipies, please? I'm going to the market tommorrow to get some vegan faire (Next week is my first ENTIRELY vegan week), and purchasing tofu for the first time. I need some advice from seasoned tofu vets....

[Wildflower]

Don't have any pizza recipes with tofu, but I cook with tofu a lot.

there a 2 kinds in my opinion. The kind that comes in a aseptic box that doesn't need refridgeration, and the kind that comes in water and does need refridgeration.

The unrefridgerated tofu is very soft (yes, even when marked firm). This is what people think of when they think tofu, and I think responsible for people hating it so much. It is soft, mushy, and works well for blending into a dip, pudding or making a tofu scramble. You may be able to blend this up and layer it onto a pizza.

The refridgerated kind, tastes wonderful all on its own. It is firm and very chewy. It works great in stirfrys, sliced in sandwiches, breaded and deep fried. It's yummy stuff!

Also, tofu takes on new textures when it is frozen, baked or deep fried.

I usually use refridergated tofu -> WhiteWave makes a good one - www.whitewave.com

The unrefridgerated stuff is often served to me in stirfries by omnis trying to be nice, ;) but really it is best in a tofu scramble. :) I use mori-nu brand - www.morinu.com.

I've heard the difference be referred to as mori-nu is japenese style tofu, where white wave is chinese style. not sure if that is really accurate...

[herbwormwood]

Tofu recipies, please? I'm going to the market tommorrow to get some vegan faire (Next week is my first ENTIRELY vegan week), and purchasing tofu for the first time. I need some advice from seasoned tofu vets....

http://www.vegan-food.net/category/soy/

for tofu recipes

[Freckles]

This morning, I tried some straight-up fried tofu .. I put a little veg. margarine in a pan and melted it, placed two medium tofu cubes in it and fried each side for about four minutes. It was pretty good when I dipped it in mustard and ketchup. Kind of an odd breakfast, but I was feeling experimental and I could NOT wait to cook my tofu!! I bought the kind that's firm and stored in water - don't remember what brand. Anyways, It was quite - interesting- and actually tasted good. Had a kind of chewy texture with a crisp shell. Interesting!

[GoodbyeGirl]

has anyone ever eaten plain, cold tofu? i usually get really hungry by the time i remember that i need to eat something and as i was cutting my tofu block into cubes i popped a piece in my mouth. it was really good. i decided to put it into a bowl and eat the whole thing that way.

[Jane M]

No, but I use to love agedashi tofu...just can't figure out how to make a vegan version.

[qwaychou]

I think you could replace the bonito broth with a sea weed broth, or even a thin soysauce broth, and that would make for a yummy agedashi.
I love tofu scrambled with garlic. And I love it marinated and fried, in a sandwich.

[GoodbyeGirl]

italian - style stuffed shells

2 t sea salt
12 oz large pasta shells
16 oz prepared pasta sauce
minced parsley for garnish

"ricotta" filling:
1 lb. firm tofu
4 c fresh spinach, steamed for 1 minute and chopped
2 T tahini
1 T sweet or mellow miso
1 T minced garlic
1 T italian seasoning
2 t umeboshi paste
salt and pepper to taste

preheat the oven ot 350 degrees.
in a 4 quart pot bring 3 quarts of water to a rolling boil. add the salt and cook the shells halfway. drain, rinse under cold water, and drain again.
while the shells are cooking, prepare the filling. wrap the tofu in cheescloth, muslin, or a clean kitchen towel, and gently squeeze out the excess water. crumble the tofu into a medium-sized mixing bowl along with the spinach and the remaining filling ingredients. mix well.
spoon some sauce in the bottom of a medium-sized roasting pan or large baking dish. fill the shells with the tofu mixture and arrange them in the pan in a single layer. top with the remaining sauce, cover, and bake for 25 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbling and shells are heated through.
garnish with parsley before serving.

[LunaVanillaVega]

The curried banana recipe is really close to traditional Thai style... I've had some things similar to this, and they were all fantastic! Curry and banana is a fab combination. Try adding ground peanuts to it, I think you'll find it yummy :)

[LunaVanillaVega]

GRILLED TOFU WITH ZUCCHINI

Serves 2 - 4
Easy To Make
Serve with rice, noodles, or couscous


Ingredients:

brick of firm tofu
1 zucchini (the bigger, the better!)
1 large red tomato
1/4 of a red onion

olive oil
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 large clove of garlic
2 pinches of sugar
salt & pepper to taste

also needed: Griddle or large skillet


Instructions:

Cut zucchini in half and then slice (longways) into steaks (medium thickness)

Cut tomato into 6 slices

Cut 8 slices of tofu, about 1/2-inch thick pieces

Slice onion into thin rings

Cut the garlic clove into very thin slices

Cover griddle or skillet with about 1 & 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil,
Add garlic and herbs,
Heat on medium fire

Add tofu and vegetables, laying as flat as possible,
Increase heat to medium-high

Sizzle for about 10 minutes (pushing the tofu and veggies around a little, every couple of minutes, so, they don't stick)

Flip everything over (add additional olive oil as needed)
Sizzle another 10 minutes or until lightly browned

[indianvegan]

The curried banana recipe is really close to traditional Thai style... I've had some things similar to this, and they were all fantastic! Curry and banana is a fab combination. Try adding ground peanuts to it, I think you'll find it yummy :)

Fantastic...yummmmmy. "You can start but you can not stop eating it":p


Manish Jain

[Tigerlily]

GRILLED TOFU WITH ZUCCHINI

Serves 2 - 4
Easy To Make
Serve with rice, noodles, or couscous


Ingredients:

brick of firm tofu
1 zucchini (the bigger, the better!)
1 large red tomato
1/4 of a red onion

olive oil
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 large clove of garlic
2 pinches of sugar
salt & pepper to taste

also needed: Griddle or large skillet


Instructions:

Cut zucchini in half and then slice (longways) into steaks (medium thickness)

Cut tomato into 6 slices

Cut 8 slices of tofu, about 1/2-inch thick pieces

Slice onion into thin rings

Cut the garlic clove into very thin slices

Cover griddle or skillet with about 1 & 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil,
Add garlic and herbs,
Heat on medium fire

Add tofu and vegetables, laying as flat as possible,
Increase heat to medium-high

Sizzle for about 10 minutes (pushing the tofu and veggies around a little, every couple of minutes, so, they don't stick)

Flip everything over (add additional olive oil as needed)
Sizzle another 10 minutes or until lightly browned



Sounds yum!

[Tigerlily]

Where does everyone buy their tofu from? I heard Chinese stores are the best, as Asian tofu is better. Is that true?

[Tigerlily]

Here's a website full of tofu recipes:
http://www.superiortofu.com/recipes/index.html

(not all recipes are vegan)

[mn_nurse]

I take extra firm tofu drained, cut it into cubes, fry it in olive oil in pan (small amount-just cover bottom) for 8 min one side, 5 the next, then toss with:
these ingredients mixed-
sesame seed oil
bragg's liquid aminos
small amount OJ
some maple syrup
(sorry-I don't measure-just do it by looks now)
and continue to cook a little longer till gooey mixture is absorbed into tofu-it's almost caramelly.

YUMMY!

[Purple Monkey]

Sounds good what is braggs liquid aminos though?

[mn_nurse]

It is like soy sauce.

http://www.bragg.com/products/liquidaminos.html

[herbwormwood]

Where does everyone buy their tofu from? I heard Chinese stores are the best, as Asian tofu is better. Is that true?

I don't think it is necessarily better but oriental food stores sometimes sell fresh homemade unpackaged tofu, which some may prefer.
I like to get organic as much as I can and I am concerned about where the soya was grown and if it is genetically modified. So I usually buy taifun or spot tofu from the health food store or direct from SUMA via my food co-op. Taifun have a great range. And I look for the organic certification. All organic food is GM free in the UK.