Tofu question veg?!
Tofu question veg?
I want to prepare tofu, for the people with experience how is the best way to make it? or what kind? firm, soft?
How do you know when is cooked?
Answers:
use soft for soup or boiled
use firm to deep fry or cook with mixed veggs stir fry
the best way to make it is
bring a pot of water to boil
throw in a block of tofu, you can cut it anyway you like, or don't cut, it don't matter.
wait 5 minutes
drain water, move only tofu to eating bowl
add some brown sugar, soy sauce, hot garlic spicy paste,
seasme seed oil, and thats it
The kind you use depends on the dish you are making. I find soft best for desserts or spreads; firm if I want to make a "meat" dish. It is ready to serve out of the package so if you are making a hot dish, tofu is "cooked" when it is heated through. Regardless of what dish you prepare, use a lot of your favorite seasonings as tofu has absolutely no flavor of its own.
Here is a previous Q&A
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...
Tofu does not have to be cooked, so it doesn't matter much how long you cook it as long as you don't burn it. However, the longer you cook it the more sauce/spices it will absorb, just like anything else you cook.
Tofu is soya bean curd made from coagulated soya milk. In commercial factories, soya beans are soaked, crushed and heated to produce soya milk. Then a coagulating agent is added such as calcium sulphate or calcium chloride. The resulting soya curd is then pressed to remove the last of the whey and to produce tofu. This is, in fact, highly similar to the cheesemaking process.
Firm tofu is sold chilled in blocks packaged in water. This needs to be rinsed off, after which the tofu is cubed or cut into strips, added straight to dishes or marinated in a mix of suitable spices first. Firm tofu can also be purchased in ready marinated pieces and in smoked blocks. Silken tofu is sold at chilled and ambient temperatures in small board packages. Silken tofu is soft and creamy and is used in dips and desserts.
Commercially produced tofu can be quite bland in taste and texture and is best used in recipes where flavour is imparted by the accompanying ingredients. Firm tofu is best frozen and then thawed to improve texture, then cut into cubes and marinated, then oven baked on a high heat for 20 minutes. Firm tofu is great for veggie kebabs, stir-fries, in salads, in Chinese and Japanese dishes and even as part of a veggie fry-up.
As well as having a high protein content, tofu also contains calcium, iron and B vitamins.
Tofu is edible without cooking, sometimes I eat them just like that :)
My mum deep frys it (if it is flavoured five-spice tofu), you can eat it with chili sauce.
Sometimes she cuts them into small rectangular pieces and fry them slightly, then stir fry the fried tofu with veggies, or use in soup.
My quick way of doing it is crush the tofu into bits, toss in some curry powder and some salt, mix them all really well, heat a little oil and stir fry the curried tofu. Then I sandwich the tofu and eat.
Mostly soft silken tofu is for clear soups. Combine it with mushrooms and leafy vegetables. Firm/hard tofu is best for frying and braising. The best is to use firm tofu and fry lightly so that it's firm on the outside while soft on the inside. Prepare some sweet and sour Chinese sauce for it. Or you can also fry tofu and eat it with peanut sauce. It's really delicious and a very common dish all over Asia.
http://www.supatra.com/pages/thairecipes...
I like firm best. And I prefer to take it out of the water and let it drain overnight to remove excess liquid. For summer, grilling might be a good idea. Cut into blocks and put on skewers... maybe season with some spices. My favorite is just olive oil, salt and pepper. But I like plain things...