Tofu gets a bad wrap. Sure, you bring it home in its little tub full of water... it's off-white squishiness may not look very appetizing, but it can really be quite good! And it's CHEAP! It's only about $2 per pound at Whole Foods - and that's organic! This post will give a very basic way of cooking tofu in healthy ways. (Your local Chinese restaurant may fry the tofu, and let's face it, anything fried tastes good... almost!)
We like tofu a variety of ways, from adding it to stir fry, to adding different sauces and marinades and enjoying it as a protein, to adding it to shish kebabs.
The texture of tofu can turn people off, so one way to change the texture considerably is to freeze then thaw it before pressing and cooking. Whether you've frozen (and thawed) it or not, you'll want to press it before cooking. If it has been frozen, simply pressing the entire block gently between two hands will squeeze a significant amount of water out.
If you haven't frozen it first, it's much more fragile. One effective way of pressing it and keeping it intact is wrapping it in a CLEAN tea towel (lint-free towel) or 3-4 layers of paper towels. Then sit it on a cooling rack over a cookie sheet with another cookie sheet on top. Lay 1-2 of your biggest cookbooks on top of the cookie sheet, and watch it drip!
After you've let it press for 30 minutes or so (and if you're short on time, 10 minutes is enough to get a good amount of water out), cut it into cubes that are 1/2 - 3/4 inch per side. You're now ready to cook! There are multiple methods of seasoning your tofu:
1. Mix a bit of flour (whole wheat or white) with your favorite seasonings. We use Greek seasoning, BBQ seasoning (a random blend my husband found at the market), Hidden Valley Ranch powder, curry, garlic, you get the idea. Gently toss your tofu in the mixture.
2. Sprinkle your favorite spices on the tofu directly (no flour).
3. Marinade your tofu in your favorite flavor. When using a marinade, pressing is especially important, as whatever water comes out, the tofu will reabsorb the marinade.
Method:
1. Using a large frying pan (or a wok), heat a small amount of oil (1-2 tbsp) or spray with cooking spray (we use Pam).
2. Heat to medium heat.
3. Add your tofu gently. When you place it in the pan, you should hear a light sizzle. The idea is to lightly brown your tofu and crisp it on the outside, and heat it throughout, without burning it.
4. Check your tofu at around 5 minutes in the pan and turn them over. I actually stand over the pan and stand them all up on every side to brown every side!
5. Once they're cooked on each side, you're done! ...or... you can add a little more of your marinade and heat it us, or, if you're cooking with just spices, you can also add a new sauce, like BBQ, buffalo, peanut, etc.
Favorite dinners at our house...
- BBQ tofu, steamed broccoli and brown rice
- Tofu in peanut sauce with stir fried veggies
- quinoa salad with spicy tofu and veggies
Yum.
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