TOFU Cooking Techniques and Recipes PLEASE

[Lynn_Marie 0]

:help: I know how beneficial soy is, especially for women.

I like Tofu and I REALLY want to learn how to cook it! I have been reading up on it and looking for demonstrations at the health food stores in my area, but so far no luck. (hands on learning works best for me) I was thinking that if some of you on here would share some recipes and include step by step instructions and allow me to ask a few questions it might do the trick!

[Cerrin 3]

My brother and his girlfriend are vegitarian. They taught me how to make miso Soup cause I LOVE it. all you do is

Get "Miso Paste" from the health food store

Boil Water add a chopped up veggies and green onion of your choice

Chop "Firm" Tofu into small squares

when the veggies are slightly cooked add the tofu and stir in a small amount of Miso Paste I mix the paste with the broth before adding it to the soup to get out any clumps.

You just add as much or as little as you want

It is a nice soup that is extremely healthy What I am going to do during mushy stage is make the soup drain out the veggies add the tofu to the broth with miso and eat/drink it that way.

Yum I might make that tonight for dinner.< /p>

[Vex 0]

And I'm not a vegetarian, I just like it. Here's my personal favorite tofu recipe, and the one that always knocks the socks off of my non-tofu-eating friends!

Baked Thai-Style Tofu

The Marinade

2 tablespoons tamari soy sauce

1 tablespoon oriental sesame oil

1 tablespoon canola oil

1/2 teaspoon minced gingerroot

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 pound extra-firm tofu, cut into 3/4-inch cubes and patted very dry

1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips, 1/4 x 2 inches

The Sauce

1 tablespoon natural-style Peanut Butter

2 tablespoons lime juice

1 scallion, very thinly sliced

2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil, or 1/4 teaspoon dried

2 teaspoons chopped fresh mint, or 1/2 teaspoon dried

1. Combine the marinade ingredients in a large bowl. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the tofu and red pepper to coat them evenly with the marinade. Let sit 30 minutes at room temperature, or up to 8 hours chilled. Toss occasionally.

2. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place the tofu mixture and any remaining marinade in a large, shallow baking dish so that the tofu rests in one layer. Bake 15 minutes, tossing once with a spatula after about 7 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, make the sauce by stirring all its ingredients together with a fork. Remove the tofu from the oven. Spoon on the sauce, then, using a spatula, toss the ingredients together until everything is well-coated. Return the dish to the oven and bake undisturbed for 10 minutes. Let the tofu sit at least 10 minutes before serving it, for it is better when warm, not piping hot.

Notes:

Be sure to use toasted or dark sesame oil– they also sell a regular kind that doesn’t taste as good.

I used the mint once, but personally, I’m not a fan. I omit it and use double the basil.

I also usually make this with two peppers instead of one, because there is enough sauce to go around and it fills it out nicely.

I usually make a simple cous-cous to go with this: 4 parts chicken stock to 3 parts plain cous-cous, with extra chopped basil and garlic thrown in.

4 non-bandster servings

[Cerrin 3]

oooh I am going to try that this weekend it sounds yummy

[Lynn_Marie 0]

Thanks to those of you who have responded so far. Tomorrow is a payday for me so I plan to go to the store and buy what I need to try these recipes. I'm SO EXCITED! You know, you can look at recipe's all day long on the internet or in books, but it's so much better when someone GIVES you one that is THEIR favorite!

:whoo: :clap2: :whoo: :clap2: :whoo:

[Lynn_Marie 0]

YEA!!! I am so excited about cooking with Tofu! I tried the Thai Tofu Bake and thought it was great but I have some questions.

VEX - What should the consistency of the sauce part be like? Mine turned out pretty thick. If it's not supposed to be that way I think I know what may have gone wrong. The Peanut Butter I used I got at the health food store and I ground the peanuts myself in a machine they have there. Nothing else is added...just peanuts. I'm thinking maybe it was too thick???

I left the mint out and doubled the basil (fresh Thai basil!) but I only used one red pepper because they were so high. Next time I'll use two.

Cerrin - Which kind of Miso paste was I supposed to get. They had a red, a soy and a barley. I bought the soy but can take it back if it's not the right one.

Also, I noticed you said to use whatever amount of miso I wanted to make it taste the way I want, but how much should I start out with? When you say to put in just a small amount...are we talking about a tablespoon or more or less???

Thanks for you help! I would still love to get more of anyone's favorite Tofu recipes!

:hungry:

[Vex 0]

My sauce usually turns out pretty thick, too. It melts well in the oven, though, but I also have been using this recipe so long that I play fast and loose with the proportions-- I might use a little extra lime juice to thin out the sauce at the end if it is too hard to work with. I also get my Peanut Butter from a similar place, my local farmer's market, and they make it fresh in the same way.

Glad you enjoyed it!

[WASaBubbleButt 41]

How do you know when to use soft, firm, or extra firm tofu? Does it matter? Would firm tofu be harder to use vs. soft for a bandster who gets stuck a lot?

Which would be best for a salad, or does it matter?

[Vex 0]

Well, for starters, even extra-firm tofu is pretty soft, about the consistency of a good, thick cheesecake. I doubt even a very restricted bandster would have trouble with extra-firm tofu.

That said, cooking method changes the texture. So, for example, pan-frying extra-firm tofu with oil would result in a pretty chewy texture, but most of my recipes are baked and so the result is still pretty soft.

I almost always buy firm or extra-firm. Soft is so very soft, moist, and ready to fall apart that its really only good if you are blending it up for something, in my opinion. Firm is good for things like chunked up in brothy Soups where you aren't trying to get a denser texture. Anything else (like the baked Thai tofu I love so much), I get extra-firm for. Alot of people have a hard time getting over the texture of tofu, and so using extra-firm and a cooking method that improves the texture (pan-frying, baking) usually makes it more palatable for tofu newbies.

For salads, I would roast extra-firm tofu in cubes in the oven, probably with vegetable oil, sesame oil, and tamari soy sauce, and refrigerate. Those little cubes are pretty darn good, and have a nice chewy (but still moist) texture.

The real difference between the types of tofu is Water content. So extra-firm tofu has more Water squeezed out of it than soft, and so it has more tofu per unit: the calories are a little higher. What changes the texture as you prepare it is removing more of the water content. Sometimes I'll buy firm if that's all I can find and then let it sit between two plates, with a few heavy cans on the top plate, and let some water squeeze out for a couple hours, before I use it.

[WASaBubbleButt 41]

For salads, I would roast extra-firm tofu in cubes in the oven, probably with vegetable oil, sesame oil, and tamari soy sauce, and refrigerate. Those little cubes are pretty darn good, and have a nice chewy (but still moist) texture.

How long do you roast it for? At what temp? If you roast it does that get excess Water out or should I squish it between two plates before roasting?

Sorry, I'm a tofu newbie in a big way. Never tried the stuff before.

[Vex 0]

How long do you roast it for? At what temp? If you roast it does that get excess Water out or should I squish it between two plates before roasting?

Sorry, I'm a tofu newbie in a big way. Never tried the stuff before.

Don't worry about plate-squishing your first go-round. This is the basic recipe for roasting, and if you use extra-firm, I bet you'll like the texture just fine.

1 lb extra-firm tofu

1 1/2 tablespoons tamari soy sauce

1 tablespoon dark or toasted sesame oil

1 teaspoon canola oil

1 tablespoon dry sherry (you can omit if you don't have any on hand)

1. Slice the tofu into 1/2-inch thick slices. Lay them on a clean cotton kitchen towel or on paper towels and pat very dry (little squishing here is okay-- start off gentle though). Cut the tofu into cubes, triangles, or any shape of your choice (I like mine in small cubes about the size of dice).

2. Combine the soy sauce, sesame oil, canola oil, and sherry in a large, shallow (I recommend glass) baking dish. Add the tofu, and very gently toss it with the marinade. Let marinate at least 30 minutes, or cover and chill up to 24 hours. (I toss periodically during marination, about every 5 - 10 minutes.)

3. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Make sure the tofu is tossed one last time, and resting in a single layer in the bottom of the baking dish. Bake 25 - 30 minutes, or until golden all over. shake the pan after 15 minutes to prevent the tofu from sticking. Serve warm, or better yet, cool the tofu then refrigerate until very cold, at least 2 hours.

Sometimes I add minced garlic, freshly grated ginger, and/or red pepper flakes or freshly ground black pepper, depending on my mood. I think the basic recipe is usually best though!

I love this stuff on a regular salad with off-the-shelf sesame ginger dressing. Good with a cold Asian-style noodle salad, too.

[WASaBubbleButt 41]

Sometimes I love this stuff on a regular salad with off-the-shelf sesame ginger dressing. Good with a cold Asian-style noodle salad, too.

That's exactly what I have in mind. I have been eating Chinese chicken Salads on a daily basis. I wanted to find something to substitute for the chicken. Tofu sounds like it would be doable.

I found two salad dressings I dearly love. One is Ken's Asian Dressing but you have to really love soy sauce before you'll like it.

The best one is Girards (triangular bottle) Chinese Chicken Salad Dressing. OMG, that stuff is great.

Thanks for the help, I've always seen tofu in the grocery store and wondered what the heck you are supposed to do with it.

BTW, had you not told me how to do that I would have thought it was used cut up and raw. I wonder if that is what others do and that's why they don't care for it?

[Vex 0]

That's exactly what I have in mind. I have been eating Chinese chicken Salads on a daily basis. I wanted to find something to substitute for the chicken. Tofu sounds like it would be doable.

I found two salad dressings I dearly love. One is Ken's Asian Dressing but you have to really love soy sauce before you'll like it.

The best one is Girards (triangular bottle) Chinese Chicken Salad Dressing. OMG, that stuff is great.

Thanks for the help, I've always seen tofu in the grocery store and wondered what the heck you are supposed to do with it.

BTW, had you not told me how to do that I would have thought it was used cut up and raw. I wonder if that is what others do and that's why they don't care for it?

Glad to be able to be able to help!

I also love Ken's Asian.

Yes, I imagine a lot of people do do that. I'm not vegetarian, but I did it for one year on a bet (long story) and got to try alot of stuff I normally wouldn't have. I love tofu and eat it pretty regularly, now, and even I don't usually care for straight up raw tofu, unless its in a strongly-flavored Soup. Its really bland like that and reminiscent of very bland, unsalted cottage cheese.

[Lynn_Marie 0]

Wow! You guys are awesome! Good questions WASabubblebutt!!! And great answers VEX!!! I just love the way you are sharing techniques with us! I never would have thought to 'press' the tofu between 2 plates with some weight on top to get more Water out! Thanks, too for the roasting directions! This is exactly what I was hoping for when I asked for recipes and techniques!

Care to share any other of your baked (or other) recipes? Our group's 1 month bandiversary is next Monday and I would like to take a tofu cheesecake. I have a couple recipes but would prefer one that someone has personally made and knows is good.

So...More recipes anyone??? :hungry: :bounce:

[Vex 0]

Glad to help!

I don't have a tofu cheesecake recipe that I have personally made and can recommend. I'll have to dig into my archives for more good tofu recipes. I have one that I love that is a garlicky Pasta recipe, but I'm not sure how many of you bandsters are looking for a Pasta recipe. Vegetarian cookbooks seem to be big into that.

I'll look to see what else I have and come back with 'em.