[catering_by_jul]

I need to add tofu to a southwest corn and black bean salad for a vegetarian who can't eat my delicious sour cream enchiladas! What's the best way to prepare it, and should I use firm or the silken? Thanks!

[foodnfoto]

A product called Bragg's Aminos is the secret to making delicious tofu. Most natural food stores, and some groceries carry it.
I marinate slices in Braggs for about 30 minutes, then pat dry and pan or oven roast until the edges are golden brown.
You can also marinate in Braggs, then rub the slices with Mexican spice rub and either pan or oven roast until crispy- it's also good fried.

[AndyG]

Use firm tofu, imo. Give the tofu plenty of time to soak up flavor--marinate it or cook in the sauce. If you cook it in the sauce, separate it out and then put it in the enchiladas. The texture of firm tofu is great, and with the flavor it fits in really nicely.

[Mezzaluna]

The only place I've ever had satisfactory tofu in Southwestern food is at a local Moe's Grill. In fact, it's the only burrito I order there. I wondered how they got the texture and flavoring right, but I hadn't thought of Bragg's. It just gives a savory flavor, right? It wouldn't overpower the seasonings of the dish?

[foodnfoto]

Braggs can become overbearing and way too salty if you marinate the tofu in it too long. However, it can add a lot of flavor to very bland tofu with careful use.

[boar_d_laze]

AndyG is one smart cookie. The soft and silken tofus are entirely the wrong texture for your salad. You definitely want firm.

If you can get it, use smoked tofu. Tastes great, regionally appropriate, and zero effort on your part. If you have a smoker, you can smoke it yourself at an as low as possible temperature for a relatively short time. Mesquite would be killer. You could even use hard tofu for this, which has a texture a lot like cheese.

This might be a stretch for corn salad, but I'm wondering whether you might not deep fry some. It's very much a to-order thing. You want to serve it hot enough to melt (and raise blisters) in your mouth. The trick is to cut the tofu in pieces and roll it in corn starch (or potato starch or flour or rice flour or... ) at least an hour before frying, so the breading has a chance to dry. I think I'd cut the tofu in wedges, then plate them around the rim of a large plate with the corn and bean salad in the center.

Good luck,
BDL