Tofu

[sunflowerseed]

I have never cooked with this, primarily because there seem to be lots of different types and I've never known which one to get or what to do with it! I'd really like to get my head round it though! It's mainly the big block of tofu that we can get in the supermarket - I've seen other people talking about silken tofu though? Could someone give me a crash course please, it's the only vegan thing I've ever felt utterly clueless on!

[BilTan]

Hope these links help:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tofu
http://chinesefood.about.com/od/tof1/p/tofu.htm
http://www.savvyvegetarian.com/veget...fu-recipes.php
http://vegetarian.about.com/od/maind...fu-Recipes.htm
http://vegweb.com/index.php?board=557.0

Personally, I am not very fond of tofu yet, but, as I have only been vegan for a few months, after 21 years as a vegetarian, perhaps I will acquire a taste for it in years to come. At the moment I am not keen on its texture and blandness, but I will give some of the recipes above a try. And I have just purchased some tempeh to try.

[leela]

I find the Cauldron block in the supermarket is easy to use for savoury dishes, its quite firm.
Some weight it to squeeze out the moisture, but I'm can't be bothered doing that. I drain it, cut it into small cubes, put into a non stick frying pan with the heat on low for a few minutes and this is enough to drive off the excess water.
Then I add a little oil, turn up the heat and stir fry the tofu then add a sauce (sweet n sour, satay, hot bean paste etc), or do it simply with plenty of soy sauce, garlic and ginger. Add some 5 spice powder, its even better.

This type of tofu is also good for a tofu scramble.
Stir fry some veggies, eg onions, peppers, grean beans. Throw in some chopped tofu and stir, and break it up with the spatula/spoon while doing so.
For seasoning I add soy sauce and curry powder when breaking up the tofu.

The softer silken tofu is good for desserts.
You can put it in the blender with a bar of melted dark chocolate some sugar and whizz it together to make a choc pudding.

[begreendee]

Sunflowerseed - Tofu is very versatile. It is bland on its own so it is best to cook in savoury sauce like Leela says or marinate beforehand. It can be used to replace scrambled eggs. People call it scrambled tofu. Just fry in a little oil. Break tofu up with your hands. Then add a bit of spice like tumeric to give it a yellowish colour. Season to taste. For extra flavour you can fry some onions first then add some herbs or even chopped mushrooms. You need to use firm tofu for this dish. The silken tofu is more for whisking to make dishes like vegan quiche. You can get them in Sainsburys. The brand is Mori-Nu. They come in small cartons. Cost around £1. They have firm and soft varieties. For quiche, get the soft version. They have a silky look thus the name.

[BilTan]

Don't know what's wrong with this forum today, but first I tried to edit my previous post to add web links about tempeh, but the site would not play ball. Then I compiled a quick reply with 3 web links, but when I posted it I got a message along the lines that the message was too short, because it contained only 1 character! So I am trying again, but will keep a copy this time before I post my reply:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tempeh
http://vegweb.com/index.php?board=330.0
http://www.vegancoach.com/tempeh.html

Got the same response, and when I tried to "Reply With Quote" nothing would load in the message box. Have notified " Contact Us" link, and now trying again.

[Mymblesdaughter]

There's also the chunks that cauldron make. I haven't had them for a while but they are really easy to use as are already flavoured so are nice to just throw in to Thai curries or stirfries. As Leela says scramble is really good and easy to make. Personally I usually prefer to keep tofu to the more traditional tofu dishes like Chinese and Thai. I don't like it added to British food. If you buy the block you really need to chop it up and marinade it to get some flavour into it then fry it in some oil.

[sunflowerseed]

Thank you everyone, that's all really helpful! Good to know the big block is one I can use for scrambled tofu too!

Off to look at the links now!

[porcupine_treats]

Peas go nice is scrambled tofu too. (:

My current favourite way to cook tofu is fried to a golden brown colour with lots of black pepper and a tiny bit of soy sauce.

[Risker]

If you're going to fry it as chunks then make sure you fry it well to give it a good crispy texture and add some taste. My favourite method for cooking it is deep frying but it's not the most convenient.

[veganosie]

i love to blend up silken tofu with some truvia and vanilla extract and make vanilla pudding! it's lovely topped with frozen bananas. or you can add cocoa powder, lemon, banana and peanut butter, canned pumpkin etcccc. i love tofu pudding!!

[nut_cutlet]

I found a great satisfaction in conquering tofu. Turning this floppy squidgy block of slippery tastelessness into a tasty yummy meal! Definitely heat the tofu first to remove the moisture like leela suggested as it makes it so much easier to work with! I make a sweet chilli sauce with soy sauce, mustard, sugar, ketchup, chilli, garlic, vinegar and then coat the tofu in that over a heat and have it with rice. The sugar makes it go all sticky and caramelised and ahhhh it is lush! Holland and barrett sell another brand of tofu that i prefer to cauldron as it seems firmer and less delicate. Its called dragonfly. Comes in a little white and blue box. Hope that helped!

[Gwydion]

Squeeze/Press -> Freeze -> Defrost -> Squeeze/Press -> Fry or deep-fry. If frying, try press any remaining liquid out with a spatula or similar whilst cooking.

Can bake/grill as well at a push.

Best. Texture. Ever.

[VeganAthlete]

Squeeze/Press -> Freeze -> Defrost -> Squeeze/Press -> Fry or deep-fry. If frying, try press any remaining liquid out with a spatula or similar whilst cooking.

Can bake/grill as well at a push.

Best. Texture. Ever.

I'm totally with you on that one!! I think the squeezing/draining, freezing, thawing, baking is AMAZING! It's probably one of my favorite things to prepare. I think it's bizarre how fermented soybeans turn into curd/tofu and how that can turn into almost anything. Savory, sweet, you name it! Yum!

[Firestorm]

I just tried Taifun Tofritto Capers/Bell pepper, its really good. It has the texture of Tofu (which I usually hate) but it tastes pretty good except its quite salty.
Anyone else tried this or the Cashew Olive one?