Tofu

[The Storyteller]

I'm slowly working my way toward a vegetarian lifestyle and want to begin including tofu in my meals. For those of you who do this already, how do you personally use tofu? What is your routine, how is it prepared, and what are your favorite recipes?

I know I can google this, but I want to hear from people who are actually using it in their diet.

Thanks!

[Zoe Girl]

I have had tofu for something like 30 years? here are some tips

* give it flavor, it can soak up most any flavor, soaking in soy or teriyaki sauce is good
* squeeze it out well, the cut it into the shape you want and squeeze out some more
* frying until crispy is a really good way to eat it
* I like making saag paneer and instead of paneer using fried cubes of tofu ( all my attempts at paneer have turned out horrible)
* in a stir fry cook separately from the veggies.

Let m know how you like it

[kally]

go to a super website Engine 2 (read the story if you like) and find the recipe for Lynn's loaf. I make this at least once a month with a vegan gravy and cranberries. May I ask, if it is not to personal, what is sending you towards more vegetarian foods?

[The Storyteller]

go to a super website Engine 2 (read the story if you like) and find the recipe for Lynn's loaf. I make this at least once a month with a vegan gravy and cranberries. May I ask, if it is not to personal, what is sending you towards more vegetarian foods?

Sure. Ethics, the environment, and health.

I'll explain each of those later.

[pony mom]

For the short time I was a vegetarian and ate tofu, I made a simple lunch snack with it. Not sure of exact details, but I'd cut it and fry in a pan a bit, then add some broccoli heads. Put in a bowl, mix with Thousand island dressing, then stuff in a pita pocket. It was really good.

The tofu was usually wrapped in a paper towel to soak up any moisture before cooking.

[kally]

I get ya. I am vegan so I know these points well. I had some lovely tofu tonight. It was fresh and soft, so I dipped cubes in corn starch and lightly sauteed. Then I served it with brocolli and rice with a homemade peanut sauce. So good.

[lessisbest]

I think you can do MUCH better than to choose soy products of ANY kind as food. Soy is one of the great Franken-foods - cheap to make, one of the most highly-processed foods in the world using lots of harmful chemicals in the processing, soybeans are all genetically modified, top of the allergen chart, and all around BAD CHOICE. Do read "The Whole Soy Story" by Kaayla T. Daniel, PhD, CCN before making soy a large part of any diet; or at least some articles on the subject at her web site: http://drkaayladaniel.com/?s=soy

Just one soy story to help make my point: My friend switched to soy milk and other soy products for her "health", thinking they were "healthier" choices. Another friend and I warned her about this and shared our own bad soy experiences. She quickly developed what can be best described as gut issues that were similar to gallbladder disease. This friend was the epitome of health and fitness prior to "soy". She quickly became sick more often. Went from doctor to doctor trying to get them to remove her gallbladder, which they all said was not the issue. FINALLY, she went to a real "quack" who agreed to remove the gallbladder - which was, by-the-way, a HEALTHY gallbladder.

With the gallbladder gone, the problems remained and if anything, got worse. Finally, my friend and I talked her into going soy-free for 2 weeks - out of grave concern for her health and wellbeing. Within a few days she was free from her soy-related problems. So buyer beware.....

[cdttmm]

Although 93% of the soybeans grown in the U.S. is genetically modified, it is quite easy to buy non-GMO tofu. Most GM soybeans are being added to processed foods, but the non-GM soybeans are what people eat as edamame or tofu or drink as soy milk. Just look for the non-GMO labels on food. I buy Nasoya brand tofu, which is made using non-GMO soybeans. Soybeans themselves aren't a Franken-food, but the processed food that soybeans are often used in are often Franken-foods. But we could say the same about corn, canola, sugar beets, and the other crops that are largely GM foods at this point.

If you're at all concerned about the processing involved in making tofu, don't be. Tofu is just soybeans, nigari (aka magnesium chloride -- a coagulating agent), and water. You can make it at home and it's as easy as making yogurt or cheese.

As for whether eating tofu is good for you, I'll just suggest reading the Okinawa Centenarian Study found here: http://www.okicent.org/study.html. If you've ever read Dan Beuttner's The Blue Zones, you'll be familiar with Okinawa and the other 4 locations that he researches as part of a broader project to try to understand why some places in the world have a well-above-average number of centenarians (people over the age of 100). If eating some tofu is part of the magic formula that will help me live to be 100+ then sign me up! :D

[The Storyteller]

Well, I will expand further in another thread (I'd rather not hijack this one from it's stated purpose) but I don't buy at all the anti-soy arguments, and have come full circle on the GMO debate. I equate the former with wheat-belly pseudoscience and the latter with climate change denial. The science just isn't there, in either case.

But, YMMV, as they say. Believe what you wish.

[The Storyteller]

I recently finished both The Blue Zones and The Blue Zone Solution, both excellent books. It's what got me thinking about tofu. And I'm now an absolute freak for sweet potatoes and eat them pretty much daily.

[Mary B.]

Tofu works really well in spicy soups, or any other soup, really. (If you are a Chinese hot and sour soup fan, you will have noticed it there.) I cut it in sort of giant match-sticks -- do we not have a generic word for a three-dimensional rectangle? A cube, but not square! -- and add it towards the end of the soup cooking time, to just heat through. It's important not to stir really vigorously after it's added, since if you do it will break up. No damage to the soup, but it doesn't look as interesting.

Tofu can also be added to smoothies. It gives a certain creaminess and can help cut the sharpness of greens.

It can also be part of just about any sauce -- blend it in.

You can also bake it. Cut it in slices, marinate in something and stick it in the oven for a while. This dries it out quite a bit. In fact we once had a culinary disaster with tough baked tofu, which was indeed disgusting. Be warned!

[Dhiana]

I enjoyed tofu in all kinds of meals. My favorite was a green curry, pumpkin veggie mix over rice.
A super spicy fried sweet potato mix has been a favorite of mine for a while now, you should be able to add tofu to that if you'd like.

A different caution from me. It took me a while but I did discover that I am very sensitive to the plant estrogens in soy.
This lead to problems for me that it became essential for me to avoid soy.

I am a vegetarian also and am much happier getting similar nutrients from bean & veggie curries.
It's less expensive, also.

[kally]

today I am making a tofu scramble. Basically tofu, veggies etc.

[SteveinMN]

I've eaten tofu for years; decades, maybe. I also do not subscribe to the "Frankenfood" ascription. I find too much of that argument is tied to anecdotal data. And, anyway, if it isn't one thing that's going to kill you, it's another. The benefits of moving to a more plant-based diet greatly eclipse, I think, a minimal risk of eating more soy (unless, of course, one's body "just says no").

So, with that, I will note that tofu comes in a variety of firmnesses. The firmest tofu will hold its shape while cooking, making it more suitable for stirfries and the like. The softest tofu will more closely resemble a soft cheese or a custard and will work better in dishes with other ingredients of a similar texture. I tend not to use the softest tofus just because I don't often cook softer foods in which I am interested in adding tofu.

One way to gradually move into eating more tofu is to make recipes like ma po tofu which season the tofu with a flavorful sauce. In the case of ma po tofu, the sauce is spicy and has a little bit of ground pork in it. Ditto a dish like lasagna, in which tofu can substitute for some of the meat or cheese.

Otherwise, I will stirfry it or use it in soups (not in stews; my experience is that it does not do well cooking for hours on end). Occasionally I will mix it in with vegetables, as Zoe Girl does, like a paneer or even as steamed julienne-ish cuts with vegetables like carrots or burdock, seasoned with maybe a little sesame oil and/or soy sauce.

One last comment: I never liked tofu all that much until I tried a really good one. Really good tofu has a taste to it. I don't really know how to describe it; maybe a little grassy. You may or may not care for that taste. It doesn't tend to carry through flavorful sauces or seasoning. But for dishes like baked tofus or the tofu-with-vegetable steamed dishes, buying better-tasting tofu does make a difference. So does rinsing the tofu once it's removed from its container. And any remaining raw tofu should be stored in clear water, which is then changed every other day or so.

[The Storyteller]

Thanks all so far. Do I need to marinate it all cases? If so, what do you recommend? If not, when, and why?

And a bit of a sidetrack... how does it compare to tempeh? (Which I am also just learning about).

[kally]

I get my tofu sent up to this little island fresh and soft. It is so good.

[Zoe Girl]

Tofu (or bean curd) is made from soy milk, and is formed in different firmness. You can get soft (good for desserts) or firm or extra firm. Tempeh is made from whole soybeans fermented. Tempeh has a different, chunkier texture. You can slice it and it is more likely to be used as a meat substitute for the texture. I really liked BBQ tempeh, cook and put on the sauce.

There is one plain way I make tofu now that you mention it Steve. I cube it up and get it really firm and then fry until toasty, but just add a little salt. It is tasty without a lot of sauce.

[Mary B.]

I don't fry things very often at all -- can't honestly remember the last time -- so I often do put tofu in some kind of sauce, or soup, or stew. I really like little bits of tofu in miso soup -- forgot about that earlier.

[SteveinMN]

And I forgot that one way to firm up tofu a little is to dredge it in cornstarch (or, presumably, rice flour or other fine starchy flours) and then fry. Doesn't take much oil, though it does take a hot pan. And it helps to have a sauce ingredient to deglaze the pan afterward (or just serve the tofu seasoned as you like and know you're in for a bit of scrubbing).

Storyteller, tofu does not need to be marinated. It's not tough and does not soften with soaking in anything. You may prefer the way flavors permeate tofu more deeply if it's marinated or long-cooked in other ingredients. But it's not necessary.

[The Storyteller]

Thanks again for all the excellent input on tofu. I've already cooked a couple of meals with it and enjoyed them a great deal. I picked up a bunch today at the Asian food market in town, and look forward to experimenting some more.

[kally]

Today I chopped up a block of extra firm tofu into cubes. Then I marinated it in a homemade kind of chili sauce (not very thick). Then I baked it in the marinade about 40 minutes. It was fabulous. Put it in a Buddha bowl.

[iris lilies]

I had my favorite Dish at a Vietnamese restaurant today, sliced tofu in a light coconut curry sauce. It is lovely.

[jsmadge]

I made some last night: pressed extra firm tofu between 2 plates with cans on top for weight for about 30 minutes. This makes it even firmer. Then brushed with bbq sauce and baked at 350 for 50 minutes in my toaster oven. Cut it into cubes, mixed with rice and peas. I have enough for two big servings.

i also make eggless salad with tofu. Drain firm tofu, crumble with a chopped scallion, capers if you got 'em, celery,add 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric and 1/4 teaspoon of honey, add mayo to taste.

and you can always add it to a banana smoothie for extra protein.

Enjoy.