Dare I ask... Tofu?

So all I ever see here is meat threads, for the most part. I'm a huge meat water myself, and I love those threads.

However, in the interest of expanding my horizons, I bought a block of tofu last week. Having never cooked it before, I was wondering if anyone here had any tips? Baked, fried, broiled... whatever. Lay em on me!

Fry it in small cubes until golden. Drain it from the oil, then cook it like you would chicken.

Don't stir it too much when cooking. Just enough to keep it from sticking.

A bit of soy sauce adds colour and flavour.

You can slice it into patties, and line a plate with paper towels. Place the tofu slices on the paper towels, and leave to drain in fridge over night. This dries it out enough to give it a nice firm texture, and allows it to marinate well with whatever flavour you wish. Ginger marinades are good. You can add ginger, soy sauce, garlic, and a bit of sesame oil. Marinate, then fry. Serve with rice and veggies. Pairs well with a sharp beer. An IPA, cream ale, or lager.

You can also barbecue these tofu slices with a quick garlic and beer marinade, and some sliced up peppers. Serve this with spanish rice, fried onions, and corn tortillas. Lot's of hot sauce, and a brown ale.

First thing I'd do is get some of the water out. Some paper towels and a couple plates will take care of that. A little bit of weight on top will squeeze the water out.

Couple things you can do:
Chop it up and put it in a flavorful curry. Tofu doesn't have much flavor, but it's really good at sucking up flavor from the dish. I'm not a veggie but I prefer tofu in some Thai curries for that reason.

One thing my wife likes to do is to cube and bread the tofu in rice flour and fry til crispy. It's good dipped in a soy sauce/rice vinegar mix.

Gotta go grilled. Buy a nice big piece, slice into 1/2" wide strips. Marinate it a mod sauce for a few house. Rub down with a light beef or chicken rub and grill just till you have a little bit of char. So good!!

Try smoking it. Then fry it.

errmm....and I don't mean roll the tofu into a joint btw lol

Stuff it with sausage and wrap in bacon.

dataz722 said:

Stuff it with sausage and wrap in bacon.

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I like the way you think!

One of my favorite tofu recipes is to slice it thin (~1/4") and lay it in a baking pan. Next, I drizzle it with a spicy Thai peanut butter sauce and then sprinkle it with scallions. Bake for ~30 minutes and serve with rice. Delicious.

Ace_Club said:

One of my favorite tofu recipes is to slice it thin (~1/4") and lay it in a baking pan. Next, I drizzle it with a spicy Thai peanut butter sauce and then sprinkle it with scallions. Bake for ~30 minutes and serve with rice. Delicious.

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Thai peanut butter? or, do you just mean Thai Peanut Sauce?

That actually sounds REALLY good (with peanut sauce). Only I'd be inclined to add a layer of "Kicap" (sweet dark soy)flash sauteed Bean Sprouts too.

Do you like spicy food?

If so I suggest trying mapo dofu.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mapo_doufu


There are plenty of recipes around on the internet, and if you hit up an asian market they usually sell pre-made mixes that you combine with some ground meat and the tofu. A little freshly chopped green onion right at flameout really goes a long way, too. Personally I just sort of throw things together off the top of my head, but I've made it many times. I like mine with a bit of ginger, and the garlic is really a must-have.


You will want some rice to go with it.

GilaMinumBeer said:

Thai peanut butter? or, do you just mean Thai Peanut Sauce?

That actually sounds REALLY good (with peanut sauce). Only I'd be inclined to add a layer of "Kicap" (sweet dark soy)flash sauteed Bean Sprouts too.

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It's a Thai sauce made from peanut butter, rice vinegar, brown sugar, soy sauce, etc. So it would be technically a Thai peanut sauce, but I always refer to it as Thai peanut butter sauce.

Ace_Club said:

It's a Thai sauce made from peanut butter, rice vinegar, brown sugar, soy sauce, etc. So it would be technically a Thai peanut sauce, but I always refer to it as Thai peanut butter sauce.

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Ahhh. So it is a smooth consistency sauce then. I have only ever had the "chunky" version and we make a Malay adaptation all the time for "Satay".

Basically raw peanuts pan roasted and then chunked in a mortar and pestle. And blended in a sauce base much like what you described but with a heavy dose of Sambal Olek (Garlic Chili sauce) for some heat.

I am going to have to try this Tofu bake.

GilaMinumBeer said:

Ahhh. So it is a smooth consistency sauce then. I have only ever had the "chunky" version and we make a Malay adaptation all the time for "Satay".

Basically raw peanuts pan roasted and then chunked in a mortar and pestle. And blended in a sauce base much like what you described but with a heavy dose of Sambal Olek (Garlic Chili sauce) for some heat.

I am going to have to try this Tofu bake.

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Yes, the rice vinegar does well to break down the peanut butter and after it is all whisked together, it is a creamy consistency.

- Cube or Julienne tofu and deep fry til golden.
- Shred or julienne daikon radish and carrots

Roll the tofu, daikon, and carrot in a rice wrapper (think Spring Rolls).

This is a great summertime snack. Variations have included bean sprouts and/or Enkitake mushrooms. We always serve these with peanut sauce.

Sometimes a sweet fish sauce is served with Vietnamese Spring Rolls in restaurants. I don't care for the fish sauce but, for those that do, a a splash of vinegar (Usually rice, balsamic, white, or cider works too) "dressing" of the vegetables pairs well for a touch of tartness.

We make a tofu stir-fry once a week and just use any/every vegetable we can find. I typically cube and pan fry the tofu in my wok over med-high heat using sesame oil or flavored grapeseed oil or some other high-flashpoint oil ( like avocado oil)...

Remove the tofu, sautee the onions/garlic then add a crap-ton of veggies. High water content or very hard veggies first and things like broccoli or bok or pak choi later. Season allt he veggies with your sauce of choice. I usually free form the sauce out of various ingredients (my staples are oyster sauce, plum sauce, soy, fish sauce, red chili sauce, red bean paste, mirin, kecap manis, rice vineager, and I am sure I am missing some other ingredients I usually have around)...

If I am serving with rice, I finish up by adding tofu back to finished veggies and sauce.

If I am serving with rice noodles, I add chicken broth to the wok, bury the rice noodles in the veggies and broth and cook till the noodles are done and then add tofu back and mix up..

edit: forgot to mention the wife periodically makes a yellow curry dish with tofu that is pretty good, but I think it has coconut milk, so it sort of defeats the whole "healthy" thing.

Ace_Club said:

One of my favorite tofu recipes is to slice it thin (~1/4") and lay it in a baking pan. Next, I drizzle it with a spicy Thai peanut butter sauce and then sprinkle it with scallions. Bake for ~30 minutes and serve with rice. Delicious.

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GilaMinumBeer said:

Ahhh. So it is a smooth consistency sauce then. I have only ever had the "chunky" version and we make a Malay adaptation all the time for "Satay".

Basically raw peanuts pan roasted and then chunked in a mortar and pestle. And blended in a sauce base much like what you described but with a heavy dose of Sambal Olek (Garlic Chili sauce) for some heat.

I am going to have to try this Tofu bake.

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You are both my new heros, I am going to give this dish a whirl, with a homemade Thai peanut sauce!

A few years back I cooked for a party where there were some veg heads amongst the normal people. I had both jerk chicken wings and Korean bbg wings for the meat eaters. I bought extra firm tofu, and sliced it into quarter inch thick strips and fed them onto skeweres (cubed would work too but I wanted it to look like Thai Satay) and marinated them for 48 hours in the jerk and bbq marinades and grilled them. They were a huge hit.

Best tofu I ever was a very spicy Chinese dish that included ground pork!

arturo7 said:

Best tofu I ever was a very spicy Chinese dish that included ground pork!

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I think you mean the one I posted about...

Fried tofu goes amazing with spicy kimchi.

Revvy said:

A few years back I cooked for a party where there were some veg heads amongst the normal people. I had both jerk chicken wings and Korean bbg wings for the meat eaters. I bought extra firm tofu, and sliced it into quarter inch thick strips and fed them onto skeweres (cubed would work too but I wanted it to look like Thai Satay) and marinated them for 48 hours in the jerk and bbq marinades and grilled them. They were a huge hit.

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I'm a huge fan of jerk chicken, I really like the sound of that. Thanks everyone!

Thai Peanut Tofu

1/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 tsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp sesame seeds
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1 lb. regular or firm tofu, drained, cut into 1/2" slices
4 servings hot cooked rice

Combine the peanut butter, soy sauce, water, sesame oil, ginger, vinegar and brown sugar in a small bowl and mix well. Stir in the garlic, sesame seeds and green onions.

Spoon 1/4 of the sauce in the bottom of an 8x8 pan. Arrange the tofu in a single layer and spoon the remaining sauce over the tofu.

Bake at 375F for 25 minutes. Serve over the rice.

Ace_Club said:

Thai Peanut Tofu

1/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 tsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp sesame seeds
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1 lb. regular or firm tofu, drained, cut into 1/2" slices
4 servings hot cooked rice

Combine the peanut butter, soy sauce, water, sesame oil, ginger, vinegar and brown sugar in a small bowl and mix well. Stir in the garlic, sesame seeds and green onions.

Spoon 1/4 of the sauce in the bottom of an 8x8 pan. Arrange the tofu in a single layer and spoon the remaining sauce over the tofu.

Bake at 375F for 25 minutes. Serve over the rice.

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Garnish with pan sauted Bean Sprouts in Kicap Manis.

GilaMinumBeer said:

Garnish with pan sauted Bean Sprouts in Kicap Manis.

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Isn't Kicap Manis similar to a thick soy sauce? sort of sweet if I recall.

Gila, could you share your Thai peanut sauce recipe?

If I owned a commercial deep fat fryer I'd drop the tofu in and do a quick fry. It is the easiest way to get the moisture out. Then you can continue with other methods or just finish off the frying.

Otherwise it creates so much splatter and grease that I prefer to wait until going out to eat. Pad Thai or Singapore rice noodles for me. Steamed tofu Chinese style has to be one of the all time worst ways to eat Tofu, yuck.

I have to say, this thread is one of my favorites! I am getting so many ideas from it! a quick stop at Lee Lee's for some Asian style shopping, and its off to the tofu races!

I am thinking of gently smoking some firm tofu over pecan wood and finishing it Ace_Club style with a belt of added sambal oelek, and use Gila's sprouts in lieu of a bed of rice.

azscoob said:

Isn't Kicap Manis similar to a thick soy sauce? sort of sweet if I recall.

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Yes. It is a dark, sweet soy sauce. We usually go woth the ABC brand because that is a M'sian local favorite.

azscoob said:

Gila, could you share your Thai peanut sauce recipe?

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1 1/2 cup dry roasted peanuts (unsalted)
1 cup water
1 tablespoon sweet soy sauce (Kecap Manis)
1 1/2 tablespoon sugar (palm sugar preferred)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup oil
1 heaped tamarind pulp (soaked in 1/4 cup water for 15 minutes, squeeze the tamarind pulp for juice and discard the pulp)

Spice Paste:

6-8 dried red chilies (seeded and soaked in warm water)
3 cloves garlic
3 shallots
2 lemon grass (white parts only)
1 inch ginger (galangal preferred)
1 tablespoon coriander powder (optional)

Method:

Crush the peanuts coursely with mortar and pestle or mini food processor and set aside.

Chop the spice paste ingredients and blend until fine. Heat oil and fry the spice paste until aromatic and smell spicy. Add the peanuts, tamarind juice, water, sugar, sweet soy sauce and stir thoroughly. Simmer in low heat while continue stirring for about 3 minutes until the peanut sauce turns smooth.

We usually substitute Sambal Olek in lieu of the actual chilis.

azscoob said:

I am thinking of gently smoking some firm tofu over pecan wood and finishing it Ace_Club style with a belt of added sambal oelek, and use Gila's sprouts in lieu of a bed of rice.

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I adore Tofu. It is rather versatile.

While at the store, look for Tempeh. That is another asiatic favorite for most (not me tho). It is a fermented Tofu with some whole beans. Cube it and fry it as an accompanyment.

There is also "Ketupat" or Wedding Rice. This is a sticky rice in a boil bag. You boil it, it expands to fill the bag, and eventually becomes this large, pillow shaped, mass of sticky rice. Cube it and serve it on the side with the peanut sauce. Amazing!

Awesome! I will add these additional items to my cart, I LOVE trying new foods.

If you want easy tofu curry, find an ethnic shop and buy a jar or two of Patak brand curry paste. It comes in many flavors - my favorite is vindaloo but garahm masala, and just plain hot curry are all great. You can mix them as well.

1 block of firm tofu cut into small cubes (about 3/4 inch)
1 medium onion coarsely chopped
2 medium tomatoes chopped (or a can of chopped tomatoes)
about 1/3 jar of Patak curry paste of your choice

Fry the tofu and onions in a tablespoon or so of light oil until the tofu is a bit brown
Add the curry paste and mix it in so it coats everything and has a chance to cook for a minute
Add the tomatoes (including the juice) and mix well
Depending on the amount of tomato juice you may need to add some water - give the tomatoes a few mintues to cook down and see if there is enough liquid
Mix well and simmer for 15 - 30 minutes.

serve with basmati rice and if you can find kefir cheese (strained yogurt with the consistency of sour cream) it adds a nice balance and removes some of the heat.

Goes great with any beer but I like it with Weizenbocks - the malty fruity taste of the beer goes great with curry

I love Patak's! Vindaloo is definitely my favorite, but the madras and hot curry are good too. I made something similar to this the other night. Fried the tofu, put it aside, fried peppers, onions, garlic, carrots for a few minutes, adde a boatload of spices and curry paste, dump in a can of coconut milk, some curry powder, then throw the tofu in. Give it a good stir, then simmer for a while. Served over rice, 'twas tasty!

Thanks for all the advice though! Great thread! Im inspired to buy more tofu just so I can try some of these!

The members here never fail to impress me, great beer recipes, fantastic cigar and liquor suggestions, so much more here than beer chuggin scruffs

I bet there are fantastic yet oddly manly-man quiche recipes out there too!

azscoob said:

The members here never fail to impress me, great beer recipes, fantastic cigar and liquor suggestions, so much more here than beer chuggin scruffs

I bet there are fantastic yet oddly manly-man quiche recipes out there too!

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Well since this is a beer site, what's better than....Beer and Cheddar etc.. Quiche

With bacon no less.....

That looks like a fantastic recipe, thanks Revvy!

mikebowman said:

I love Patak's! Vindaloo is definitely my favorite, but the madras and hot curry are good too. I made something similar to this the other night. Fried the tofu, put it aside, fried peppers, onions, garlic, carrots for a few minutes, adde a boatload of spices and curry paste, dump in a can of coconut milk, some curry powder, then throw the tofu in. Give it a good stir, then simmer for a while. Served over rice, 'twas tasty!

Thanks for all the advice though! Great thread! Im inspired to buy more tofu just so I can try some of these!

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If you can still find it - they used to make a flavor called Kashmiri masala and it is down right NUCLEAR spicy (pun intended). I have not seen it around LA for several years now so I think it might have gone away but you never know.

Beer and curry are one of my favorite pairings. I have yet to find a beer that does not match well with it but darker maltier stuff or IPAs are my favorites with indian food. I don't really drink IPAs much otherwise.

Patirck said:

If you can still find it - they used to make a flavor called Kashmiri masala and it is down right NUCLEAR spicy (pun intended). I have not seen it around LA for several years now so I think it might have gone away but you never know.

Beer and curry are one of my favorite pairings. I have yet to find a beer that does not match well with it but darker maltier stuff or IPAs are my favorites with indian food. I don't really drink IPAs much otherwise.

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Hot damn that sounds tasty.

Yeah, I'm not a huge IPA person, but if I'm eating something spicy, I definitely grab the hoppiest beer in the fridge

Just stumbled upon this and had to add to it. I've been a vegetarian for almost twenty years and have always been an adventurous eater.

Have you ever frozen tofu? It becomes a sponge as the protein is denatured. The texture changes from mushy to spongy and it soaks up marinade like you would not believe.

Get some firm or extra firm tofu and stab the top of the package a few times. (This keeps the package from exploding when the water expands as it freezes.) Completely freeze and thaw the tofu and you'll be amazed.

Here's a taco recipe off the top of my head...

1 package frozen and thawed tofu - diced
4 tsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp peanut butter (chunky is best, but creamy will work)
Mash all this up in a bowl to the extent that the tofu is broken into little pieces and resembles cooked ground beef.

1 large diced onion
1 Tbsp diced garlic
1 diced jalapeno
1 Tbsp olive oil
Saute until onions are translucent.
Add tofu mix, 1 Tbsp chili powder, ½ tsp cumin, ½ tsp oregano
Saute about 2 minutes or until the tofu mix starts to stick to the bottom
Add a can of refried beans and heat thoroughly.

Spoon this mess into corn tortillas that have been warmed on a griddle and top with cheddar cheese. Add fresh tomatoes, onions, cilantro, chiles, diced avocado, hot sauce, etc. to taste.