How to season & cook Tofu?

I love Tofu, but can't seem to get anyone else to even try it.

I'm not a vegetarian, but I do like to change things up ever so often.

 

Soybeans are the only plant proteins that contain all 8 essential amino acids, meaning they are "complete" proteins like egg whites or chicken. A slice of firm tofu (2.86 ounces) contains 13 grams of protein, 2 grams of fiber, 0.5 grams of omega-3 fatty acids, 55% of the Recommended Dietary Intake (RDI) for calcium (when made with calcium sulfate), 12% RDI for iron and magnesium, 20% of the RDI for selenium, 9% for vitamin B1, and 6% for folic acid.

the above:

By Elaine Magee, MPH, RD
WebMD Expert Column

 

When I'm cooking just for myself, I like grilled Teriyaki Tofu

made with the firm or extra firm tofu

cut into "steaks", marinated for the day in the fridge, with whatever type of teri sauce,  home-made,

bottled, it's up to you

and simply grill, maybe sprinkle the finished product with some sliced green onions, some furikake, toasted sesame seeds, YUMMY!!

Tofu will adapt nicely to what ever you decide to put on it, soak it in, the skies the limit.

Another simple supper is silken or the softer tofu drowning in soy sauce or tamari, sprinkled with bonito flakes and grren onions

I'd cut it in strips, marinate in soy, garlic, pepper.

Sear off in a non-stick skillet or broil--non stick if you can as tofu will stick and fall apart otherwise.

If you freeze it first, then thaw, you get more chew out of it .

Whatever you marinate it in, it helps to press some of the water out of it, first. Wrap it in a couple of layers of paper towels, place it between two plates, weight the top one down with a couple of cans and let it sit for twenty or thirty minutes. It will soak up more of the marinade and hold its shape better once some of the water has been displaced.

 

I usually do some version of soy sauce, rice vinegar or citrus, garlic, ginger and/or wasabi, sesame oil and chili paste. A little sugar or mirin--or not. 

 

Be careful when you add it to the hot oil. The liquid will sputter and spray.

 

Freezing it does help.

 

If you have an Asian market near you, the already fried cakes have a bit more texture and flavor, too.

 Weekday Vegetarian: Mustard Tofu on the Barbeque

 

 Weekday Vegetarian: Hunan-Style Tofu

 

 Weekday Vegetarian: Tofu en Papillote with Miso and Rosemary

 

 Weekday Vegetarian: Vegan Ginger Tofu

 

 Weekday Vegetarian: Baked Tofu with Steamed Sesame Bok Choy

 

 Weekday Vegetarian: Tofu and Wild Mushrooms

 

OK. I don't eat tofu because it's Communist and it will make you sterile. I do however, have numerous well paying clients that do enjoy this mutant form of clay. I've made and served each of these dishes, and there was no take-home at the end. They seem to have been accepted very well. I hope this helps. Please feel free to peruse some of our vegetarian threads here in the forum. 

 

 

* None of these recipes are original to me.

Iceman, did ya' just hear my stomach growl, wow, those dishes look very ONO!!

OK. I'm a dinosaur. LOL @ ME.   "... those dishes look very ONO!!"   Is that a good or bad thing?

Ono:

definition: delicious (oops, also a type fish, Hawaiian words have multiple meanings, but yummy applys in this case)

origin: Hawaiian language

::giggling to myself that you're just the cutest thing, dinosaur::

Tofu is a very neutral taste on the scheme of things.  More of a vehicle to carry flavor for the most part.  I'll add that a great way to press it (and other things) is to get two stainless steel or pyrex loaf pans (SS preferably because the stack closer so that the bottoms of the pans are in close contact) and then throw a canned food or two on top and set it in the fridge a few hours, or overnight...no rush, but it's better to use the firm to begin with for the "meatier" style.  I make Prik Khing with it, cubed, subbed in for the chicken.  Season with a dash of Worcestershire, a dash of Shoyu and a sprinkle of corn starch.  Toss that around for a bit and you can cook it via shallow fry in a wok, I usually use Sesame but you could use Soy, etc. Let it crisp brown on one side, flip and when it browns again remove and drain on a paper bag. You can make the Prik Khing sauce or buy a can of Mae Sri brand which is decent.  I serve it with steamed Jasmine rice.  Only thing is with this dish the Kaffir Lime leaves really make it.  You can get them shipped fresh online for a very reasonable price if you can't find them locally.  Freeze what you don't use.

A classic Mapo Tofu from Szechuan (may be the absolute best of Tofu recipes in my opinion) pretty well explained:

 

 

A more original version, but in Chinese...:

 

 

 

It's all about the layering of the hot spices. Curiously, the best Mapo Tofu i eat in China was in Beijing, ha!

Too many Tofu recipes to share. You'll find a lot on youtube and Chinese food web sites.