Tofu recipe???!
Answers: any body have a goof tofu recipe they would like to share? I have never used tofu before.. but want to try it.
First, make sure to buy Firm or Extra Firm tofu.
Second, when you are getting ready to prepare the tofu, about an hour BEFORE hand remove it from it's packaging and wrap it with a few layers of paper towel. Then set a plate on top of the tofu and let it sit for at least a half hour to 45 minutes. This will pull a lot of the excess water out of the tofu. If the tofu is too wet it will fall apart when you're cooking with it.
As for a recipe I find an easy way to start working with tofu is a stir-fry. Dice it up into bite sized cubes and then fry it up in some olive oil until it's a nice golden brown. Prepare the stir-fry as normal and add tofu at the end, coating it with your favorite stir-fry sauce.
My husbands favorite is when I fry up the tofu and then let it sit in BBQ sauce for a bit and put it over brown rice. Very simple and very delicious!
Good luck!
Thai style coconut stir fry with tofu
Pour coconut milk into wok (amount used will depend on how many people you are feeding- 1 can should do for 4 people)
Add fresh chopped garlic, cayenne pepper and red pepper flakes ( you may alter this by adding curry instead of the pepper- more indian feel)
Add desired veggies ( I usually use snap and snow peas, brocolli, green beans, asparagus and peppers- water chestnuts are also good and carrots are decent too....) and tofu (If you like spicier then season the tofu with pepper prior to using)
Simmer and stir until the veggies look cooked (approximately 5-8 minutes) remove from heat and serve over jasmine or brown rice.
THAI STIR-FRIED NOODLES WITH TOFU
Noodles, stir-fried with tofu and bean sprouts accompanied by a soya sauce.
Cooking Time : 10 min.
Preparation Time : 10 to 15 min.
Serves 4.
Ingredients
2 cups rice noodles
1 teaspoon ginger, grated
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup tofu or paneer, cut into cubes
8 small onions, peeled and halved
1 tablespoon soya sauce
1/2 cup bean sprouts
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons roasted peanuts
1 tablespoon oil
salt to taste
For the sauce
2 to3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons soya sauce
4 tablespoons castor sugar
4 tablespoons peanut butter
salt to taste
Method
1. For the noodles
2. Heat the oil in a wok, add the ginger, garlic, tofu, onions and soya sauce. Saute these till the onion browns.
3. Add the noodles, bean sprouts, lemon juice and salt. Mix well.
4. Place on a serving dish and sprinkle chopped peanuts on top.
For the sauce
1. In a saucepan, combine all the ingredients with 1/2 cup of water and bring to a boil. Keep aside.
How to proceed
1. Serve the stir fried noodles and sauce side by side, so guests can pour as much sauce as they like over the noodles.
Tips
The sauce might need a little more water, so adjust the consistency as you go along.
The key to appreciating tofu is seasoning it well and knowing how to cook it properly. You will have to experiment a few times, but I would suggest that you go to a vegetarian restaurant in your area first and try a few good dishes first so you know what it's like. I really like fried tofu dishes that you can find in Thai restaurants (try an order of Pad Thai with tofu).
Here is a foolproof "tofu scramble" which is very good if you follow it carefully.
People think I'm crazy.. but i love tofu on french bread split in 1/2 like a french bread pizza..
I soak my tofu in hot sauce first then just crumble on top of some pizza sauce and throw a little sweet peppers on it.. Great for a quick easy dinner when i haven't had my protein for the day.. :o)
Check out this free cooking E-book, it might have what you're looking for.
If you're trying it for the first time, there's only two kinds of tofu I would recommend.
1/ Nigari Tofu - this stuff is extra extra firm. You can marinate it and grill it as if it were chicken. And I do! I soak it in teriyaki marinate for a few hours (or over night) then grill - in a press grill, not an open oven grill thing.
Serve over your choice of noodles or rice with some veg that have been stir fried in mirin, soy sauce, sesame oil & olive oil. For veg, I recommend snow peas, bean shoots & red capsicum.
Garnish with chopped up spring onion & sesame seeds.
2/ Tofu puffs - a little harder to find, but in my opinion, the best tofu to have as an introduction - especially for a meat eater. My partner loves the stuff. They come in a packet of 1-inch cubes. When you cut them open/slice them, they look like a sponge on the inside.
Add at the last minute to any kind of asian dish or salad. I like it best in salads & in Pad Thai (even though traditionally this is not the kind of tofu that's used in this dish). If you'd like the full Pad Thai recipe, let me know. It's got a MASS of ingredients in it, but it's absolutely delicious (and simple if you're an organised cook!) AND definitely worth it!!
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Just another point... I don't recommend ordering it from a restaurant unless it's specifically a vegetarian/vegan restaurant. Cooks who don't specialise in it normally don't know what to do with it and your first tofu experience will end up like mine was - TERRIBLE!
Oh, and while veg*ns think scrambled tofu is the bees knees, you may not. I've never liked other people's scrambled tofu recipes - they're boring and they taste too much like tofu. Flavourless and strange.
I tend to make mine in a frying pan with whatever veg I have in the fridge. HEAVILY spice it (coriander, cumin, garam masala... whatever you've got lying around) and let it cook/simmer for a while. As one of my friends who tasted it once said "it's just like egg!".
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