Bought Tofu, now what?

[Rick]

An Asian market near makes their own tofu ($0.30 for a 3"x3" square!). I finally decided to try some today, and from what I can tell they had a softer and a firmer tofu. I got the firmer one. I'd like to make something that showcases the tofu instead of it being an added in ingredient. Any idea?

[Jibe]

"How to make tofu so it doesn't suck" - some good info here:

http://maysmachete.blogspot.com/2008/...

[limonay]

You can just serve the tofu as a block with some dipping sauce. Bring some water to a simmer in a pan and place the tofu in it to warm it up. Then make a sauce of chopped scallions, soy sauce, chili oil/flakes, minced ginger, and sesame oil. Take the warmed tofu out of the pan and place on a dish. Spoon the sauce over the tofu and serve warm.

[rabaja]

I like this with cold, sliced tofu as well.

[joonjoon]

IMO the two best showcases for Tofu is Mapo Tofu and Soft Tofu Soup.

Also good is tofu simply fried or steamed, drizzled with some form of seasoned sesame oil. I like it with scallions/garlic/pepper flakes.

[Alica]

What is Mapo tofu?

[joonjoon]

It's a sichuan dish with a spicy bean sauce. If you've never had it before, you can order it at almost all chinese restaurants (even take out ), just ask for it by name.

If you want to "make" it at home this is a great place to start: http://www.amazon.com/House-Foods-Mab... They have this at a lot of non-asian markets now (like my local wegmans' asian section.

Oh, and I meant seasoned soy sauce, not sesame oil. Hehe.

[Alica]

Thank you so much, I love to try new things!

[Rick]

Thanks for all the tips. Since I didn't have time to marinate overnight, I ended up mixing up some soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, and garlic chili sauce and marinated cut up cubes of tofu for a few minutes. Cooked it in a non stick pan for a few minutes then added garlic, green onions, and some water/cornstarch mixture to thicken it up, then grated over some fresh ginger the last minute of cooking. I liked it, but definitely would've benefited from marinating overnight as recommended.

[Alica]

I do this often, cut block in half, wrap in paper towels to absorb extra moisture. I do this twice. Cut the block into 8 1/2in "steaks". Panfry in some oil, flip when browned coat the slabs with barbacue sauce and just cook a few minutes longer. Easy, but good!
There is so much you can do with tofu... I used to use it instead of ricotta in lasagna. With the sauce, people could hardly tell. You can use it in desserts, dips, smoothies....

[gansu girl]

fresh tofu is delicious! you could cut it into 1-inch thick slabs, press it and then marinate it in your choice of seasonings - then broil it. really, the possibilities are endless! I have a ton of bok choy in my fridge and tofu too - going to marinate in soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar and broil up the tofu - save the marinade and pour over the broiled tofu + steamed bok choy and serve w/steamed rice.

GG
http://www.semisweetonline.com

[tazia]

Broiled tofu is one of our favorites....it's really lovely if you get a little bit of char around the edges. It serves as a great traditional American "protein" centerpiece to dinner.

One of my favorite marinades is actually a cheat. Trader Joe's has this really fantastic Soyaki sauce (riff on teriyaki), and it makes a fantastic broiled tofu.

[Emafer]

I often drain and press the tofu with clean cotton towels. Then cut it into bite size chunks and dredge it in cornstarch and whatever seasoning you like. Then I throw it in a pan ith sizzling olive oil and brown on all sides. I servie with srit fried veggies and rice.

[LaureltQ]

This is my favorite way to eat tofu!

[Megbeck]

General Tao's Tofu! The recipe isn't the most popular on vegweb for nothing! See here: http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=8769.0

[rabaja]

Ma po dou fu.
I made Dunlop's version first the first time last weekend and it was easy, quick and delicious.
I used a combo of med and firm tofu, I liked the softer texture, but they both were good.
You basically saute ground pork (or beef, or no meat at all. Next time I plan on trying ground chicken), then add some different chili pastes (chili bean paste, fermented black beans, ground Sichuanese chiles) pour in some stock (I actually used water as I'd forgotten to defrost my stock, it was still good), season with sugar and soy and add leeks and then a cornstarch slurry to thicken.
I subbed green onions, because I just wanted to. Had a warm bowl of it over pearl rice, it was fantastic and came together in about 10-15 minutes.
I plan on keeping tofu around more often now.
eta: you are supposed to cube the tofu and steep it in hot or simmering salted water. I skipped this step, but with very firm tofu I might do as instructed.

[emu48]

Ma po dou fu is like meatloaf: There are as many ways to make it as their are cooks. I like it best with ground pork, but other ground meats are OK too. I use whatever combination of store-bought whole brown bean and chili or chili/bean sauces I can find ... sometimes fermented black beans too. Sometimes Korean bean pastes if nothing else is available. I use soft or firm tofu but prefer soft. Just before serving, I stir in a handful of frozen peas, sprinkle with sesame oil and garnish with chopped cilantro (coriander leaves). I like it saucy rather than dry and add water or stock, if needed, to get it that way. I cut the tofu into small dice, sometimes press excess water out of it, but have never heard of steeping or simmering it in advance. No doubt somebody likes it that way too.

[akq]

Cold tofu salad! Press & drain the tofu to remove excess water, then slice and place on top of watercress (or other greens). Top with tasty dressing - we do a shoyu, mirin, sesame oil, green onion, hot sauce dressing. YUM.

[Veggie Liv]

This thread had some yummy looking ideas: http://www.chow.com/food-news/54938/take-your-lunch-to-work-tofu/

When I'm making tofu, I like to bake it. My boyfriend doesn't care for the texture, so I like to make it a bit denser and "meatier" by drying it really well and then baking it at 350 for about 7 minutes on each side. It firms up, and you can use it just like a meat or mushroom. It also won't grab on to all salts so easily.

Tofu can also be great in other recipes to supplement and make it at bit healthier, like eggs. Here is a thread that includes tofu in cookies too: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/759130

Hope this helps!

[invinotheresverde]

How moist is it? You may need to press it and freeze it to remove excess water before you marinate it. Nothing is worse than wet tofu.

[tzurriz]

Bread it in panko and fry it. Yum. Serve with spinach sauteed with a bit of soy sauce.

[Rick]

Not wet from what I can tell. They sell sitting out on a metal tray, not packed in water.

[invinotheresverde]

Cool. Next step is to marinate it. I find vinegar-based marinades work best. 24 hours is fine, but the longer the soak, the better the flavor.

After that, you can bake it, grill it (it will stick, so use a decent amount of oil) or fry it (no need to use crumbs, as the tofu will crisp on its own). I love little fried pieces in soup in lieu of croutons. They never get soggy.