Even more tips for cooking delicious tofu

I just love tofu. And use it all the time. Well not really all the time but at least once a week. And I always learn something new. Cooking tofu is so easy but there are few tricks and tips. 

There was nice article about cooking tips for tofu.

http://panlasangpinoy.com/2011/03/06/11-ways-to-cook-tofu/

Tofu is made of soy. There are three main types of tofu: firm tofu, soft tofu, and silken tofu. 

Firm tofu includes firm, medium firm, and extra firm. These are uncooked tofus that are usually used in dishes that call for meat. This type of tofu is sold in blocks with water. It needs to be drained and pressed with a paper towel before cooking. Soft tofu has a softer and more jelly-like texture. It is a good substitute in dishes that use eggs. It can also be mixed with other ingredients such as sour cream and cream cheese when making dips and sauces.Silken tofu is very soft. It is already precooked. This type of tofu is the best choice in making soups; it is also a good substitute for milk and heavy whipping cream. 

What can you do with tofu?

 Sliced tofu is great for sautéing. You can either sauté it with vegetables or plainly sauté it in any oil that you want, without adding anything.

If you are trying to cut on eggs, try replacing half of the eggs that you should be using with soft tofu. For example: instead of using 4 pieces of egg for an omelet, use only 2 eggs and replace the others with tofu.

The most common method of cooking tofu in the Philippines is frying. Blocks of tofu are deep fried until the texture becomes crunchy. It is eaten as it is after dipping it in vinegar or Asian Dipping Sauce.

Being a good substitute for meat, tofu can be used for your soup dish. Add small cubes of medium firm tofu to your soup, and simmer it just the way you do with meat. You can also use soft tofu for your soup. By doing this, you’ll get the protein that you need less the cholesterol and fat.

If you are hosting game day in your place, you can save on ground meat by adding frozen extra firm tofu to your chili recipe. All you need to do is thaw the frozen tofu, crumble it, and add it to your chili.

Baked tofu is perfect if you want to cut on fat. You can easily do this by slicing the tofu and place it in a baking tray greased with olive oil. Try preheating the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and bake it until the color turns golden brown.

Tofu can be used in making desserts. Take Leche Flan as an example. You can use soft silken tofu to replace the milk that the recipe requires. Substitute half of the required milk with soft silken tofu.

 

Steaming is a good way to produce soft and flavorful dishes. Similar to the way Siopao and Siomai are cooked, you should try steaming firm tofu. To add some flavor, try marinating it first in sesame oil and light soy sauce.

 

 

Stir-fried tofu can taste good depending on how you do it. If you want to stir-fry tofu without any other ingredients (such as vegetables and meat), try adding some stir-fry sauce to give the tofu some taste. You can also stir-fry tofu along with your favorite stir-fry vegetable and meat dishes.

Tofu makes a good finger food. One way of doing this is by rubbing your favorite spices around cubed extra firm tofu, and then broil. You can serve each piece with fancy toothpicks to make it more attractive.

Believe it or not, you can make milk shakes with tofu. You can replace 1/4 of your milk ingredient with soft silken tofu. You can also add tofu when making smoothies.

Check out some other cooking tips for tofu.

Fantastic Tofu Sour Cream

Sour cream tastes good and is a must in some meals. It can make all the difference. But vegans don't use it since it is made from cows milk. 

But wait. There is another way.... Tofu sour cream! Ouyeah, simple and delicious. Well it doesn't taste exactly the same as sour creme but it is tasty nevertheless.

Check out this recipe and go ahead and make it yourself. All you need is firm tofu and food processor, olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar and some salt.

Fantastic video. Check it out. Cooking with tofu can be so easy and so much fun.

http://delicioustv.com/

Great Tofu Recipes

Before checking tofu recipes read further tips for cooking tofu. Tofu is quite unordinay food. Many people like it and many dislike it. The reason for disliking is mostly it's non delicious non-distinct mild taste. It has also strange texture and it is not very tasty on its own. 

But if you prepare it properly it can taste delicious. For everyones taste. Yes, everyone can like it. The main reason that everybody can like tofu is that it can taste almost whatever you like. It acts like a flavour sponge and absorbs other flavours. So if you prepare delicious marinade that you like it will absorb the taste from it and you will definitelly like tofu. 

But there is one catch. If you want tofu to absorb all flavours you have to remove existing water out of it. Otherwise it will taste like that water... Not very good. So before you start marinating or cooking tofu you have to remove existing water from it. Press it, dry fry it or squeeze it. But do remeber to remove as much water out of it. It will make all the difference when cooking. You can marinate tofu for days but if you don't remove water out of it it will absorb only a fraction of the flavours it could absorb if it was properly drained.

That is it. Cooking tofu is relly simple.

What is Tofu Made Of? Soy, off course

No, it does not grow on tofu tree.  I am sure you probably knew what is tofu made of.

The process of making tofu is similar to cheese making. Off course, there are no dairy ingredients. It is 100% vegan, animal friendly and healthy product.

 

Tofu offers many valuable nutritional benefits including high concentrations of B-vitamins, easily digestible proteins, isoflavones, and unlike most soymilk products, calcium.

Soybeans are one of rare plants that contain all 8 essential amino acids in sufficient amount. That means they are complete proteins like meat or eggs.

There are many ways you can cook tofu. With some great tips you can lear how to prepare the best tofu in the town. 

What is Tofu Made Of

Do you know, what is tofu made of?

Tofu is made by coagulating soy milk with salts such as calcium sulphate and pressing the resulting curds.

Soy beans are soaked and then ground down with water, the resulting liquid after straining is what makes soy milk. 

The soy milk is then heated up and coagulated. The common coagulates are calcium sulfate, magnesium chloride and nigari. Less coagulant produces softer tofu, more produces harder tofu.

Read full story about what is tofu made of

Tofu tutorial

Ever heard of tofu? I'm sure you did. If you really don't know what to do with it I suggest reading this tofu tutorial.

Who gets a hankering for some tofu?

Me! For those of you who have been reading my blog for awhile, I am sure you have figured out that I am not normal

Is it me or does tofu get a really bad reputation?

Whenever I just mention the word tofu, people instantly express a strong hatred for it. I guarantee that 95% of those people have not even tried it…

If you prepare it right, tofu can be can actually be really delicious. Once you find the right marinade and cooking preparation, it will hard for you not to like it.

It is such a blank canvas for any craving!

In the mood for BBQ?

Tofu can do that.

In the mood for Asian?

Tofu will shine there as well.

Trust me and give it a shot!

 

Read entire article here: Tofu Tutorial with aditional tofu recipe inside.

 

What do you think? Do you like tofu?

Useful Tips for Cooking Tofu

I love tofu and have been eating it quite some time. Here are some really useful tips that are good to know when using tofu. 

Did you know that it is essential to remove as much water as possible from it before marinating it? And never to marinate it with oil.

Store Tofu in a Fridge
If you open a pack and do not use it all, then drain, rinse, and submerge in fresh cool water in a clean container. Store in the fridge for no more than a few days.

What is the right amount

Tofu is a concentrated protein and should be eaten in small quantities, combined with grains and veggies. You do not need it as much as meat. A couple of smaller slices will usually do.

Choose the right type of Tofu 

Tofu comes in a wide variety of forms, from extra soft to extra firm. Some types are better for particular cooking method. Soft tofu may be scrambled like eggs while firmer tofu is better suited for frying.

Press the Tofu
Because tofu is full of water you should press out the old water so you can get new water with flavours in.

First drain the water that it's packaged in and cover in a clean paper towel. Weigh down the dish towel with a kilogram weight to remove any excess water that's left. This should take around 15 minutes. If you slice it first you can speed up the process.

Marinating tips

Marinating tofu is popular way of giving it a flavour of your taste. If you are marinating for less than one hour, it can be done at room temperature with tofu covered. Check tofu recipes here.

Tofu hates marinades containing oil
Tofu has a lot of water in it, even after you press it. Since oil and water don't mix stay away from oil in your tofu marinade. Using oil will actually create an oil slick on the tofu and the flavors will have a hard time to get in. 

How to Cook Tofu
Tofu may acts like a sponge. If you removed the water from your tofu be careful if you put it in any liquid since it will absorb that taste.
In a soup or stew, you can preserve the the flavor of a marinated tofu by first frying it on a little oil. If this process is skipped, the tofu's flavors will mix with the soup or stew broth.

Barbecue it for 4-5 minutes on each side.

Bake it. Slice pressed and drained firm tofu blocks into thin slices and bake on a cookie sheet (sprayed with non-stick spray) at 350-400 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Saute cubes or thin triangles of pressed and drained firm tofu in coconut oil until golden brown.

Deep fry it. Fry thin slices of pressed and drained firm tofu in your deep fryer until light brown and crispy.

Add it to chili or stew. After firm tofu is drained and pressed, it can be crumbled into pieces that are much like ground turkey or ground beef. Add crumbled firm tofu to chili or stew and cook through for at least 15 minutes at medium heat. If you marinated it, fry it on oil to lock in marinated taste inside.

Or you can just stir-fry the tofu

Read entire article with important tips to cook tofu.

What do you think about tofu cooking tips?

 

How to make Tofu - really simple guide

Tofu is irreplaceable food in vegan recipes. It is nutritional, tastes good and is simple to cook with. But how easy it is to make it on your own?

 

According to this article it is simple, you even don't need any special equipment.

 

One of the keys to making good tofu is using quality ingredients. I've found that the cheapest (and yummiest) dried soybeans are from my local organic market where I can buy them in bulk (as opposed to small packages of beans).

 

 

What do I need to make my own tofu?

Ingredients needed:
- 1 1/3 cups dried soybeans
- Coagulant: You have several choices in this department:
1) 2 tsp. liquid nigari or
2) 2 1/4 tsp. granular or powdered nigari or
3) 2 tsp. Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) or
4) 4 Tbsp. lemon juice (freshly squeezed) or
5) 3 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar

 

 

To sum up the process:

1. Make your own soy milk

 2. In a cup, mix together your chosen coagulant with 1 cup water and stir until dissolved.

3. Quickly rinse out the cooking pot and put it back on the stove. Transfer the soy milk to the pot, and cook it over low heat, stirring continuously with a wooden spatula. When the of the soy milk is between 150 to 155 degrees Fahrenheit, remove the pot from the heat.

4. Add coagulant 

5. With a soup ladle, gently transfer the coagulated soy milk into the cloth-lined colander

6. Fold the cloth over the top of the coagulated soy milk, and place a weight of about 1 1/2 pounds on top and let stand for about 15 minutes

7. Place a large bowl in the sink and fill it with cold water. Gently transfer the tofu into the bowl of cold water. 

 

And that is it. Of course, for a detailed instuctions please refere to original article.

 

What do you think? Which recipe do you use for making your own tofu?