OK, I’ve begun a diet recently (-13 so far!), and I’d like to make something with the Tofu bricks I bring home, preferably that isn’t bland, oily (I’ll explain below), and makes the tofu into that nice “tough” texture I get from Chinese restaurants in my ma po tofu.
Oily…why? Well…I decided that olive oil would make a good oil for frying the tofu…it isn’t. I don’t know if I’m just not doing it right or what, but the tofu comes out oily and (frankly) nauseating. I eat it anyway (I’m a guy, what can I say?).
For tonight, I’d liek to whip up some stir-fy for the missus and me, but I don’t want it to suck. Is it my choice of oil? The temp at which I’m frying?
Which herbs/flavorings shoudl I use in the stir-fry, and when do I introduce them?
I’m not looking For Iron Chef-level aptitude…I want somethign that tastes good, that I can expand upon later in my adventures (add differetnt veggies, egg, who knows what else).
Make sure you get firm or extra firm tofu. Then press it for about half an hour. (Slice the brick into quarters and press between two plates topped with something heavy, like a teakettle. There should be a couple of paper towels around the tofu to absorb water.) Then fry in canola or peanut oil. You can toss the tofu cubes in some cornstarch first, if you want, which gives it more of a crust.
It’s pretty neutral all by itself, so any combination of vegetables you like should work. Oyster sauce or hoisin sauce make good flavoring options.
First off, use firm tofu, silky is usually only good for soups/stews and falls apart like nothin’.
I usually freeze mine overnight, then thaw and weight it to get most of the moisture out. This makes the texture denser and chewier. Then cut into cubes or strips, marinate and put in stir-fries, casseroles, pan-fry, etc. Tofu prepared this way can even be grilled or broiled.
Peanut oil is great because it can be heated to a much-higher temperature. Mariante the tofu, too – it’s very bland on its own.
Try using silken tofu as a base for sauces or smoothies, too. It’s fabulous. I’ll be happy to share my chocolate pudding recipe, too. It’s delicious beyond belief!
Alton Brown did a Pad Thai just the other day that looked pretty dang good. While the whole recipe might not be up your alley, he did go into the pressing, marinating, and stir frying of the tofu.
Oh, whoops, missed the soy sauce question. It makes a nice marinade but you don’t have to use it.
Here’s the pudding recipe:
**The Word’s Best (And Easiest) Chocolate Pudding **
From Vegan Vittles by Joanne Stepaniak
Great homemade chocolate pudding in under five minutes? You’ll be an instant believer with this remarkable recipe.
1 10.5 oz. package lite silken tofu (firm), crumbled
2/3 cup unbleached cane sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp. vanilla extract
pinch of salt
Place all the ingredients in a food processor fitted with a metal blade and process until smooth, creamy, and thick. Transfer to a storage container, and chill the pudding in the refrigerator until serving time.
Yield: 1.5 cups
I just use regular sugar, or fruose. No idea on the calories, etc. I tend to think of it as a healthier treat because of the protein in the tofu.
I frequently make tofu smoothies, but I don’t have a recipe. Just blend silken tofu, fruit juice, a little sugar and some fruit together in the blender. Crush ice first, though, if you’re not using frozen fruit.
This is a bit of a long shot . . . or not, now that I see where you are. I assume you live in Arlington Heights, MA? I live in Arlington Center, right by the firehouse. Anyway, do you know the Super 88 in Brighton? They have the best prices on tofu, and they also sell pressed tofu. The texture is different from any other tofu - much firmer than you can get by pressing it yourself, and smooth like silken tofu. The closest comparison I can think of, texture-wise, is to cheddar cheese. It’s great stuff for stir-fries because it doesn’t fall apart at all. I don’t care for deep-fried tofu, so I don’t know how well it works for that, but I do usually pan-fry it until it’s golden, and it never absorbs much oil.
Actually, it’s Arlington Heights, IL. We have a large Asian population, and I suspect I can find pressed tofu at my Mistuwa/Yaohan (think monstrous Japanese supermarket).
I think I’m with you. I don’t want the tofu to be deep-fried, but a nicepan-frying for texture woudl be nice. I’m going to try pressing this batch before I go out looking, though. I’ll probably end up taking your advice.
You might also find you like it baked. It gets an interesting kind of crusty that is different than frying and it isn’t to hard to do right. You’ll probably want to flip the tofu halfway through.
Pretend I know nothing (which isn’t that far off). What temp, and for how long? I had a pre-packaged “Baked Tofu” with Italian seasoning, and it was great.
You can also get a nice spongy, chewy texture from freezing then thawing the tofu. This is often done to make tofu more meatlike and I have done it with good success in a tomato sauce for moussaka, crumbling up the frozen tofu into the sauce.
Well, darn. I was hoping we could get together some time for some tofu-munching. Oh, well. Glad to hear you have a huge Japanese supermarket nearby - I love those places!
A staple Japanese food is the nabe (nah-beh). It just means “pot,” but usually involves tofu, napa cabbages, and other vegetables boiled in a fish stock or kelp stock. You can put white fish or salmon in there as well. Use a ponzu (citrus sauce) or sesame sauce as a dipping sauce. You probalby need to go to an Asian market to get these, but it’s a very healthy meal.
If that’s too bland, try a kimchi/tofu soup: just boil napa cabbages, tofu and lots of kimchi in some chicken broth, then season to taste. I usually put a couple strips of bacon and some chopped garlic for flavor, but I think these are optional. You can also put sliced daikon (radish) in it.
For stir fry, you don’t need much oil at all, just barely enough to make sure the ingredients don’t burn and stick to the pan. The important part is to use corn starch; mix some with water and add at the very end. This will thicken the sauce and make it stick to the tofu without making it oily. For flavoring, I usually use soy sauce, oyster sauce and some chicken stock. Teriyaki sauce is also good.
I’m veg, but I’m no tofu fan. But tofu is cheap, so I make it now and then.
I heat up some olive oil on medium, and then toss in some spices. My "generic’ combo is salt, pepper, coriander, cumin and cayenne pepper. Probably I’ll add a tiny tiny bit of cinnamon and some tumeric for color. I fry the spices until they turn browish, then I add some chopped garlic and onion (if I’m feeling ambitious). Then comes 3/4 inch cubes of tofu. Then I stir it all around for a LONG TIME. Tofu takes a while to get a chewy texture. Usually I blast the heat up to high in the last few minutes to brown the skin.
You can use these in recipes, or just laze out and add a sauce from trader joes and some frozen veggies, eat the whole thing over rice, and call it dinner.
