What's your favorite way to prepare tofu?

[Jamie]

I think it gets that way if you freeze it, then thaw and use. The freezing firms it up more.

[lozza]

I'm not sure HOW to make it more 'meaty' but I went to a japanese restaurant recently, and had a dish with stir-fried tofu and veg, covered in loads of sauce. but the tofu has a really meaty texture, not sure how they did it though. but it was nice.

[Annie]

I'm not sure HOW to make it more 'meaty' but I went to a japanese restaurant recently, and had a dish with stir-fried tofu and veg, covered in loads of sauce. but the tofu has a really meaty texture, not sure how they did it though. but it was nice.

Yeah that's how I first tasted it like that (from a chinese place)...I'm pretty sure they deep fry it in oil.

[fiamma]

I made French toast with silken tofu the other day and it worked pretty well. Ate it with berries and maple syrup, it was soooooooooo good

[cedarblue]

I'm pretty sure they deep fry it in oil.

you dont need to deep fry but you do need to shallow fry.

shallow fry thin slices from a block, till golden brown and crispy looking. i leave it on kitchen paper for a bit then when i pop it into my thai curry it tastes chewy and firm.

[Annie]

you dont need to deep fry but you do need to shallow fry.

shallow fry thin slices from a block, till golden brown and crispy looking. i leave it on kitchen paper for a bit then when i pop it into my thai curry it tastes chewy and firm.

I just was hoping there was a way to get that kinda texture without frying whatsoever.

Is tempeh more meaty textured than tofu?

[RainyNight]

hey,

am new here, but my first post may as well be about tofu...

...to make it really crispy I sometimes roast it in the oven:
-cut into cubes / slices (depending on what you intend to use it for)
-marinate / cover in sauce (especially peanut butter + garlic +ginger sauce - delicious)
-scrape off excess sauce, spread out on oiled baking tray, place in hot oven
-roast for twenty minutes to half an hour, checking about half way through to flip the pieces over...

This probably comes to the same thing as shallow frying it, but I do like the way that the bits of sauce get semi -burnt at the corners

[hollybee]

Have you tried broiling it in the oven?

[Annie]

Have you tried broiling it in the oven?

No I haven't...I'm not exactly an avid cooker.

[veggiegirl3]

I like it stirfried with soy sauce and a little oil. It's good!

I also like: scrambled tofu and broiled tofu (with giner, garlci, and soysauce on it or terriaki sauce)

[fiamma]

What happens if you microwave tofu? I'm sure if you nuked it for long enough it'd get really tough. Try a couple of minutes at a time, if you like microwave cooking and if you have one. Although the little pockets of water might kind of explode, I don't know

I tend to eat my tofu cold with just ginger and soy sauce.

[Tigerlily]

I think it would turn very rubbery if you try to cook it in the microwave. I know soy based veggie burgers and veggie dogs become rubbery. I will try a little piece today.

[Annie]

I just had scrambled tofu last night and it was pretty good...way better than when I had it cubed in stir fry, I think.

[Melanie]

I'm trying the freezing thing, will maybe shallow fry it later

[Annie]

I found that when I had scarmbled tofu it was alot firmer (almost like scrambed eggs) so tomorrow night I'm going to try cooking it in a pan but slicing the tofu into pretty thin strips.

Does anyone know if cooking tofu takes away any nutrients?

[Tigerlily]

Mash the tofu with a fork, Annie. That's what I do for my tofu scrambles.

And salsa or fresh tomatoes to it, it really makes it taste yummier.

I don't think cooking it ruins any nutrients. It's already been heated and cooked, I believe.

[Annie]

I just kinda crumbled it when I scrambled it last time (and yeah I added salsa to it which was awesome )

I just hope that sauteeing it while cutting thin sliced will give it a more scrambed texture rather than sauteeing thicker cubes or slices =/

[Tigerlily]

Mashing it with a fork into tiny crumbles gives it a scrambled egg texture. Don't just "kinda crumble" it, mash mash mash.

[Annie]

Hmm...I"ll have to try the mashing next time then.

[lvhockhart]

I know, I'm replying to my own post, but I had to tell all of you this story. I pressed tofu and baked it with a homemade jerk sauce for my anniversary party ... it turned out great. My friend Ed (a meat eater) told me he liked the sauce on my chicken ... I haven't told him he ate tofu. The thought still makes me grin wickedly.

Anyway, the next time I made tofu, I just poured salsa over top of pressed tofu and baked it ... very good!

For anyone who hasn't pressed tofu, I cut mine into 4 even sized pieces (or, I should say "even enough"), put a kitchen towel in a baking pan, put tofu on top, topped with another towel, then some plastic wrap, place a heavy book (like an encyclopedia or dictionary) on top and let sit for at least 1 hour. Remove everything except the tofu from the pan (duh), sauce it up and bake at 350 F for about 1 hour. I liked the way it turned out so well that i went and bought 4 blocks of tofu. Guess what I'm having for dinner tomorrow!

[lozza]

wow, lvhockhard - that sounds amaaaazing! i have never tried baking tofu. never thought of it. think i'm gonna try this idea! thanks.

and hehe about your meat eater friend

[lozza]

What happens if you microwave tofu? I'm sure if you nuked it for long enough it'd get really tough. Try a couple of minutes at a time, if you like microwave cooking and if you have one. Although the little pockets of water might kind of explode, I don't know

I tend to eat my tofu cold with just ginger and soy sauce.

I have ALWAYS grilled or fried mine, but only recently, i've started eating it cold. its yummy with soy sauce over it. yum.

[aubergine]

I had scrambled Tofu at a cafe last sunday. Very nice.

[lvhockhart]

Belated welcome, Rainy Night ... also, thanks for some lovely ideas!

[MarkAnthony]

My favourite way to prepare tofu is to mash is with some turmeric, garlic salt and soy sauce then fry it. In other words, 'scrambled egg' style. Cooking with tofu is something I've yet to properly experiment with though. I'm going to start making lots more though, mostly because I don't think I've been eating enough protein and I find days I eat tofu or fake meat I seem to have more energy. I need to cut down on salt though, so tofu's the way forward methinks.

[Jamie]

mind the salt in the soy sauce!

[PainterLady]

I freakin' LOVE Southern Fried Tofu in vegan vittles. It is AMAZING and one reason it was so easy to become vegan in the beginning days.

[Look4Hope]

This is from the Vegan Planet cookbook. The other night I pressed, marinated overnight, then baked some tofu. The cookbook said cut the block of tofu into three slices, 1/2 inch thick. Lay them on paper towels between baking sheets and weigh it down with canned goods to drain for 20 minutes. Prepare the marinade: 1/3 c. Tamari, 2 T. sesame oil, 2 T. lemon juice and 1/4 c. water. Then slice into long fingers and leave the tofu in the marinade for 3 hours to overnight. Then bake at 375 F. for 1 hour. It is very chewy tofu. NOT my favorite way to eat it. I need suggestions on how to dress that up. It was kind of okay when I put marinara on it and warmed it up but not great.

So far I like the egg salad sandwich thing where you mash the tofu with a fork, add vegannaise, chopped celery and green onion, salt and pepper. That recipe called for turmeric but I liked the smell of coriander so I used that instead. Would this egg salad thing be good as stuffing for a baked vegetable? Maybe hollow out a tomato and stuff it? That seems like it would be better if I found a way to cream spinach into it.

[nervine]

I love a sandwich made with buttered wholemeal bread, raw slices of tofu, cold tomatosauce and kidneybeans and white pepper and salt!

[absentmindedfan]

Mmm that sounds tasty Nervine!

[cedarblue]

i just found this in the sainsbury's mag.

'tommy tofu'
(serves 2)

3 heaped tbs tom ketchup
2 tbs soy sauce
2 tbs veg worcestershire sauce
4 tomatoes coarsely chopped (or some canned)
1 tbs hot chilli sauce or pinch crushed dried chillies
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp chilli oil
1 tbs olive oil
1 onion, peeled & finely chopped
1" peice root ginger, peeled & thinly sliced
8oz (225g) cubed tofu
handful fresh coriander

mix together ketchup, soy sauce, worc sauce, chilli sauce or chillis, sesame oil & chilli oil.
heat olive oil in wok or frying pan, add onion and cook till soft but now brown.
add tomatoes and ginger and stir for 2 mins.
pour in the sauce, add tofu and cook gently for 7 mins, stirring occasionally.
scatter over the coriander.

for infomation - per serving;
269 cals
1.7g sat fat
29g carbs
12.8g protein
5.7g added sugar
5.5g salt
3.2g fibre

the picture looks very yummy, i'll be trying this myself.

[Gorilla]

sounds interesting, thanks cedar!

i deep-fried some tofu last night for a thai curry i made, i'd never done it before but it came out nice and crispy, yum!

[cedarblue]

i always fry my tofu for thai curries, the texture is better and the taste too>

[LuC]

Breaded and fried, then dipped in peanut sauce. Yummy...

[sacrilegend]

Try tofu jerky. I haven't ever, but I've heard it's pretty goooood.

[cedarblue]

is it ready made or how do you make it??

[sacrilegend]

You can get it ready-made in some health shops, but most people make it themselves. http://www.vegparadise.com/asknettie23.html DO NOT ask me what liquid smoke is, on the contrary, tell me if you know.

[Enchantress]

I like to marinade chunks of tofu in soy sauce for about half an hour, then dip the chunks of tofu in flour, then shallow fry them in hot oil.

It's presumably loaded with salt and fat when cooked that way, but damn, it tastes good.

[emmapresley]

i mash up fresh ginger and garlic (loads), pop into a bowl..put in tamari...sesame oil..maple syrup.. cube up the tofu (better if it's been frozen)..all squeezed dry..little bit of marigold powder..leave it to marinate for as long as you're organised for.

stir fry it in a non stick pan till it's done..but keep some of the marinatey sauce..
bung in thinly sliced veg (anything you fancy??) i put in courgettes, carrots, red, yellow, green peppers, spring onions, red onions,brocolli, green beans, beansprouts...anything that needs using up or that's about.. cook all that up...pop in the marinatey sauce.

when the veg is done, dish it up...pop the tofu back into the pan to quickly reheat it and crisp up, then pop it on top of the veg.
i sometimes put a blob of nice peanut butter at the side

[blackbird]

On a french cooking blog, there is a recipe called "a tofu recipe who will make you love tofu, even if you always say you "will never like it"!

And it is great actually : hot or cold ! with a salad !

Here is the website : http://clairejapon.canalblog.com/arc...17/724344.html


Basicallly you need :
500g tofu
80ml soy sauce
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp grated ginger
1 tbsp sugar
60g sesame seeds
3 tsp flour
sesame oil

Cut the tofu in small cubes, marinate them in a bowl where you've mixed : the soy sauce, sugar, garlic and ginger as long as possible (one night is brilliant).
The next day, in a small plate, mix the flour and the sesame seeds and roll the tofu cubes in this mixture. Heat a frying pan with a little sesame oil and cook the cubes on each side !

Enjoy!

[A.Sphere]

I am not sure if this has been posted yet (too many pages to read) but a good way to cook tofu is to cut it into half inch cubes and lightly fry it until it turns golden. Put the tofu aside and prepare another pan of hot oil. Throw the tofu in and add some soy sauce - toss it around a bit and then add some Nutritional yeast. This is called "cheezy" tofu - I got this recipe from a resturaunt in atlanta.

[emmapresley]

i started doing like in my above post ^ ^ but then eating it without cooking it. so marinade it in soya/tamari sauce..bit of maple syrup...gralic, ginger..sesame oil..then just scoff it...nice.

[DancingWillow]

i love fried tofu until golden-brown (more on the brown side) with stir-fried veggies (peppers, broccoli, zucchini, etc) and served over either rice or pasta.

[bryony]

i marinate it (soy sauce, ginger, garlic, maple syrups pinch of chilli, cumin, turmric) overnight or for a few hours, the i dry fry it and eat in sandwhiches.
i aslo like it in crock pot recipes, make vegan french bread with it, cheese cake filling, etc, etc.
i think toffu is something you can do pratically anything with

[thecatspajamas1]

I mash tofu in a blender (for only a few seconds) with olive oil, basil, sea salt, and lemon juice or vinegar. This is my "ricotta" that I use for making lasagne and ziti. It's really good. You can make it more chunky or creamy depending on how long you blend it.

[cobweb]

^ good idea, i'll try that


I have just made some, it was lovely and simple . I dried it a bit, cut it in half length-wise through the middle of the block, shoved it in an oven dish, slopped soy sauce over it and smeared it with smooth peanut butter, then baked it for 15 minutes .

[yab yum]

i really enjoy this easy meal i threw together, really through sheer hunger and not a lot of ingredients in the fridge...


cut tofu into chunks, and slice mushrooms, red onion, red pepper. then fry until golden in olive oil.

prepare plain cous cous in a bowl. when the fried mixture is ready and tried off, throw it ontop of the cous cous. add lots of soy sauce.


i guess you can modify it so many ways. there's countless ways to enjoy tofu. i find this way very satisfying and quick whenever i need a good meal.

[daniel22132090]

DAN'S VEGGIE PASTA SALAD:

1 lb. of Penne or Corkscrew Pasta
chopped veggies of your choice, ie,:
1 of each, red & green bell pepper,chopped
1/3 - 1/2 lb. steamed green beans
2-3 carrots, sliced and lightly steamed
1 can of artichoke hearts, in water, drained and quartered
1 medium red onion, diced


Dressing:

4 chopped roma tomatoes
1/4 cup of fresh basil
1-2 cloved garlic,minced
salt and pepper to taste
about 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar

Cook the pasta and rince with cold water. Lightly steam/sautee
the veggies(with a little olive oil if desired). Mix dressing with pasta
and veggies and serve.

[touchaddict]

Daniel that sounds delicious!

[MarkAnthony]

At the moment my favourite tofu recipe is the scrambled tofu from Vegan With A Vengeance. I made it last night for the first time with a side of new potatoes tossed in margarine and mint. It was awesome.

The best tofu I've ever eaten was 'Salt and Pepper Tofu' from a Chinese near me. It's tofu tossed in salt, pepper and spices and then deep fried. I've never found a recipe that comes close to the way they do it at this restaurant though.