I suppose I could have put “help me like tofu,” but I’ve already tried it a number of ways, and I think I’m beyond help.
Here’s the deal: I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Surgeon got it all–clean margins, clear nodes–so no chemo, for which I’m grateful. But radiation is out due to lupus and attendant skin issues. The doc says if I take the aromatase inhibitor faithfully, monitor closely with mammograms, and follow a healthy lifestyle, my odds are still very good. I lead a pretty healthy lifestyle now, but she wants me on a plant-based (aka vegan) diet. However, two flies in the ointment*: I loathe beans, peas, and lentils. This is deep-seated and dates to babyhood, so there’s no hope there.
And then there’s tofu. Blech. Not as blech as beans, but still. So far, I haven’t had anything made with tofu that hasn’t had that telltale texture, including “mousse” and “cheesecake.” Then again, those offering haven’t been too discriminating. I know nuts and seeds are alternatives, but I’d like some variety.
If you hated tofu but found some way to befriend it, please share.
*I refuse to remove meat from clichés.
I was gonna chime in with fried tofu, but I’ve well been beaten to the punch there. Also, ma po tofu, but that has a little bit of ground pork (or sometimes beef) in it. I have seen vegetarian versions of it, though.
Does frying tofu change the texture then? Does it need to be deep-fried? I have to say, those dishes look better than what I’ve seen IRL. Hmm.
The doc did have a bunch of science to back up her claim (and not from woo-woo sources), and she’s not a naturopath. She’s actually a radiation oncologist. I have an old friend who’s a scientist. She’s not a nutritionist, but she brings scientific inquiry to everything, demands data–kind of a Doper, actually, even though she’s not a member. Anyway, she’s been telling me the same things.
I don’t crave meat that often, but I’m Italian, and I do like my ricotta and parmesan. But since I’m doing this to decrease my chances of recurrence, not out of moral or more immediate medical concerns, I’m not going to feel guilty if I eat meat or cheese once in a while. I just have to make sure “once in awhile” doesn’t happen too often.
I’d also be somewhat skeptical of the idea that a plant based diet is inherently healthier. (And I’m a vegetarian.)
Anyway, fried tofu is probably your best bet. I also sometimes toss tofu cubes in sesame oil and soy sauce and bake it. That’s not bad.
Honestly, I’m OK with tofu, but I’ve never particularly liked it either. You might try tempeh or seitan instead. I find that seitan has a better texture and takes flavors better than tofu. Seitan is basically pure wheat gluten, so you’ll want to give it a pass if you’re gluten sensitive.
The main way I eat it is in a spicy peanut ginger sauce. What I’m gonna say is gonna sound awful, maybe, but bear with me.
I make a broth of water, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and hot pepper flakes, and nuke cubed tofu in it for about 5 minutes to get the flavor to soak in. Then I drain the tofu and fry it in a little oil, reserving the broth. I add a lot of natural creamy peanut butter (“natural” isn’t me being snotty, it’s just that you don’t want it to be Skippy-sweet) to the broth to thicken it, and pour that over the tofu.
While it simmers in that sauce, thickening up, I tear up a bunch of kale, which I add to the sauce.
Here’s the texture thing: by the time the sauce thickens up, you have a stew, with a texture somewhere between sag paneer and some kind of thick soup. The tofu’s distinct texture fades into the background.
My daughter is a fairly picky eater, but this is one of her favorite dishes. Might be worth a try.
Missed the edit window: Mark Bittman and Deborah Madison both have good vegetarian cookbooks, and Chloe Coscarelli has some good vegan cookbooks. You might check them out for some ideas.
Not sure what you mean by “the” texture - tofu comes in a variety of textures, from “silken” (wigglier than jello) to “extra firm” (like a medium firm cheese) - and you can even press liquid out of the firmer varieties to your preference.
Have you ever tried “mock” meat?
It’s some type of textured vegetable gluten, and I really like it. It was one of my favorite foods as a kid.
Also, when my wife was in her vegetarian phase, we had a lot of Textured Vegetable Protein instead of ground turkey.
I thought it was pretty good, and made tasty dishes like taco salad.
The only time food ever made my old dog sick was when the trendy vet gave him dog cookies made of TVP. (the dog threw up not long after, that’s all, nothing bad actually happened)
I fry it, too. There are actually a number of good-tasting plant-based recipes in Mark Fuhrman’s Eat to Live cookbooks. My mother is a big foodie and she calls me fairly frequently to tell me which dish she’s prepared this week from his books.
Actually, if your local grocer carries “House” brand, look for the extra firm (Momen) version or ask if your grocer can order it for you. You might like the texture even better.
I suspect you’d have to special-order it, but there’s a tofu made way up in the hills in Japan in a region called Gokuyama where the losing side of the Great Civil War fled (Taira village). It’s tough to raise livestock up there, so they developed this amazingly firm tofu that feels like perfectly-cooked tender chicken breast when you bite into it. I liked it so much I bought 4 pounds of it and brought it back home to my little apartment and lived on it for a month. In addition to mabo-dofu (yeah, everyone’s gonna give it a slightly different spelling, there’s not a really exact equivalent between the Chinese roots, the Japanese mangling, and the English attempt to translate both) I substituted it for chicken in my cashew chicken and chicken & black bean recipes.
Anyway, if it’s part of a Chinese style stew (which most of the stereotypical meals at a Chinese restaraunt are) the Tofu might not seem quite as distinctly foreign to you.
I must admit, though, I’m with the others here who really like “lightly deep-fried” tofu, particularly in pockets called abura-age. I’ve been known to sit and consume a half-dozen inari-zushi for lunch and kitsune-soba is one of my favorite weaknesses. Being deep-fried, they’ve probably acquired that acrylamide stigma but since I treat myself to kitsune only once or twice a year now, I’ll probably be okay (at least where those pockets are concerned). And they’re typically not crunchy like other deep-fried foods, so maybe they’re slightly healthier (?)
Another vote for “extra firm” tofu that you can find in most grocery stores these days. It doesn’t have that gelatinous texture that you dislike.
There are endless varieties of dishes you can prepare but if you want to eat healthier and reduce unnecessary fats to some extent, here is a prep trick that will work in a variety of tofu as substitute to meat dishes:
Bring oven to 425F. Use Convection setting if your over has that.
Place damp tofu on some paper towels, cover with paper towels, set a heavy pot on top to press out the liquid. Leave it for about 30 minutes to properly drain.
Cut tofu into sugar cube size chunks. Place on tray lined with parchment. You can dust the tofu cubes with starch but it’s not necessary.
Place the tofu in the over, near the top closer to the heating element and cook for 20-25 minutes. Just until the corners start to turn golden brown and crispy.
Remove when done and use in a variety of recipes that you would use chicken or beef or pork. Only caveat is that it’s cooked now so you mostly need to add at the end, rather than start of dish. Best to use the tofu while it’s still hot from the over so it maintains nice texture and absorbs whatever sauce you choose.
It’s great added to salads, stir fries, rice dishes, stews, various grains like quinoa, farro. Use it in tacos.
In it’s raw, ground up form, it can be combined with ground beef/pork to make meatballs. Combine it with some lentils (I know, just try it) and make your traditional pasta sauce.
Finally, seek out Field Roast products in your vegan section of the grocery store. I love meat (tying to eat less of it) and these are the best meatless substitutes I’ve ever tasted. Really excellent.
I seriously question your doc’s credibility. There is no good evidence that a vegan diet is necessary. Best evidence indicates that one can achieve the benefits by just increasing the proportion of plant-based food in your diet, while still having animal products. To assert otherwise these days is to enter the world of woo.
I’m not opposed to vegan diets but it’s a shame so many folks, including those who should know better, are making false claims about them.
And tofu is yummy. I love it in soups, where it’s absorbed the flavor of the broth. I use it in my hot and sour soup recipes, and triple the amount called for!
(the dog threw up not long after, that’s all, nothing bad actually happened)