so i have a deep affection with coagulated soybean curd.
perhaps, dear reader, you also share this devotion to the multi-faceted culinary swiss army knife. or perhaps your face contracts in a distasteful recoil from that bad experience you had in college experimenting with substituting tofu for chicken in a stirfry and it completely fell apart.
which brings us to the point. like aficionados of other delights in life, one must understand the subtle nuance of each nigari-laden cut off the block.
many of the bad tofu experiences can be chalked up to a misunderstanding of the "field meat"(as the japanese sometimes refer to it). that tofu that fell apart in your stir fry was most likely mori-nu soft tofu, which is available even in south dakota. you gotta seek out the goods in the refrigerator section of your local health food or asian grocery store. stick with the firm or extra firm, and leave the soft for your baking needs.
you can use it for tofu scrambles, in desserts, cookies, spaghetti sauce, smoothies, frozen and then thawed and marinated, baked, straight up, in soy "ice cream," dehydrated (tvp)--virtually anything, really.
i don't really have any favorite recipes, as my cooking style is very much ad lib. that said, i did adapt a ginger snap recipe not long ago that got some rave reviews from my vegan pal and fellow aficionado, sean.
a bit off subject, but has everyone read those chain letters about the neiman marcus $250 cookie recipe? i remember my dad receiving a photocopied version of the letter in the usps mail back in the 80s. that hoax has been around for awhile, eh?
9 comments:
Have you ever tried Central Soy tofu? It is made here in Larrytown. The Best Tofu EVER! Mark wants to overnight some to you. Also, a great recipe is "Szechwan Tofu Triangles in Triple Pepper Sauce" from "The Enchanted Broccoli Forest" by Mollie Katzen...a must have cookbook for any soyboy (or girl). page 182...try it.
looks yummy! i've never heard of central tofu. it appears that they do it right! and tempeh, too.
How do you work tofu into baking? I've heard of using it in ice cream or smoothies, but what do you substitute out in baking situations? Is this an moisture replacement (I.e., trade milk, eggs, or water/oil ingredients)? I've recently grown quite fond of tofu (albeit, NM isn't a mecca for such things) but I'm still a novice at knowing what, where and how to use it.
E./George
one trick i've learned for firmer yet tofu is the tofu press (i.e. the fatest dictionary i can find).
wrap the curd in a cloth towel and just set the book on top for half an hour... salt will also help but i know of spenser's salt-phobia...
E.
you are correct in your assumptions, the true diplomat is usually used as replacer for moisture and body of the dessert. i believe that soft silken tofu (the mori-nu brand stuff)is exceptional in fudgey brownies. bone may have had some experience baking tofu, too. thanks to the silk soymilk craze, a fine tofu staple is available in many supermarkets. additionally, rossi's comments are highly suggested and i would suspect if using firm tofu using this "press" method and then cubing and sauteeing the tofu in a little oil for about 5 min. while bone is making his curry sauce-- the marriage of the two flavors would be unbelievable (obligatory wedding reference).
I have a "tofu shirt" that I use for drying out the curd. Lately I've been too lazy to use it, tho. If you buy the right brands, it's not too wet. One of my favorite recipes is this Korean BBQ Tofu that I've been making for a few years now. I'll have to pass you the recipe...
it's not a staple but damn i love spicy fried tofu when i go out to a restaurant. i don't think tofu has ever been prepared within the confines of my house.
"the marriage of the two flavors would be unbelievable (obligatory wedding reference)."
Cute. :)
E./George
Everything anyone could need is availble in South Dakota.
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