Tofu Eaters?!!?

Question

I want to start eating it, but I dont know what to make that wont scare me off, or how to make it so it tastes semi decent. I am also thinking about cutting out all meat, so Tofu will substitute. Any easy quick recipies, websites.

Oh and I cant cook very well either so easy fixes might be best. Thanks so much.

Answer 1

Hey.

Tofu can go for a substitute in a lot of your favorite meals, try adding tofu instead of meat to your favorite curry sauce, or adding it on top of pizza if you make some.

Here is a recipe you might like:

Tofu Burgers

Makes 8 burgers

Once cooked, these tasty burgers freeze well.



Ingredients:

1 block/285g/10½oz firm tofu

50g/2oz bulgar or 100g/4oz cooked millet or rice

2 fl oz/50ml hot water

1 small onion, very finely chopped

50g/2oz mushrooms, very finely chopped

50g/2oz carrot, grated

1 vegetable stock cube, crumbled

2 tbsp soya sauce

1 tsp dried mixed herbs or 2tsp any fresh herb, coriander, dill etc.

2 tbsp wholewheat flour plus a little extra for coating.

Method:

1 Break up the tofu with your fingers into very small pieces.

2 Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and squeeze well to shape into burgers.

(As the mixture is very sticky it will help if you dip your hands and utensils in cold water).

3 Refrigerate for an hour or two.

4 For a crisp coating, toss the burgers in a little wholewheat flour before frying.

5 Deep fry the burgers in oil, a few at a time.

6 Drain well and serve hot or cold.

NOTE: it is most important to fry tne burgers in very hot oil to avoid disintegration.

Heres a link to more recipes using tofu you might find quite useful - http://www.vegsoc.org/cordonvert/recipes...

Hope this helps.

Answer 2

http://www.your-vegetarian-kitchen.com/h... has a section called All About Tofu. There is a link on the page that will take you to Our Recipes. Follow the trail to amazingly delicious recipes for Tofu, with clear directions. While they vary in complication, they are pretty easy to prepare too.

There are other Tofu Recipes under Vegetarian Breakfast too.

Have fun.

Answer 3

Get a tofu cook book. Because there are so many ways depending on the softeness, and the type..

Answer 4

How about tofu scramble? Here's the recipe I use:

1 box Mori-Nu silken firm tofu, patted dry and mashed

1/8 tsp. turmeric

1 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup of veggies (I use sliced tomatoes and red peppers. You can use your favorite veggies - broccoli, fresh mushrooms, onions, etc.)

Place the tofu in a lightly oiled sauté pan and cook over medium heat for 3 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients, stir well, and cook for 5 to 8 minutes, until the vegetables are cooked and the tofu is heated through.

Enjoy!

Answer 5

There is so many more meat substitutes out there besides tofu. People generally think 'vegetarian' and instantly a block of white blobby tofu pops into their head.

Different meat replacements:

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

With that said, there are many different ways to prepare tofu, all of them very delicious! Tofu basically acts as a sponge and will absorb whatever you cook it with or in.

A buttload of easy tofu recipes:

http://vegetarian.about.com/od/maindishe...

If all else fails, buy some firm tofu, press it to get the water out, drain the water, cut it into thin slices, fry it with some garlic, salt and pepper and soy sauce, and BAM! You have tofu bacon.

Answer 6

If you freeze your tofu, it will change the texture and make it chewier.  Your tofu will also change color, but don't worry, that's normal.  After that, it's what you cook your tofu with that determines how it will taste.

You can also try tempeh, an Indonesian product made from fermented soybeans, or seitan, a.k.a. wheat meat (made from wheat gluten) as well.  I make my own seitan, as the stuff in stores is just awful (and overpriced).  Marinate and grill tempeh, crumble it into a chili, or dice it in a stir fry.  With seitan, you can saute, bake, grill, or use it as you would in a meat recipe.

Check out www.vegweb.com.  And while www.recipezaar.com isn't all veg, they have a good vegetarian selection.

Answer 7

Tofu is truly a miracle food for veg*ns who like it. It's versitile and quite tasty.

There are different firmnesses of tofu. They range from soft to extra firm. The soft type is good for (custard-like) desserts and the extra firm is good for stir fry or grilling because it holds up better. Then, the firmnesses in between can be used for baking (for egg substitute), scrambling (like faux eggs) and so on. The type you use largely depends on what you plan to do with it.

For a beginner, I'd suggest that you try a simple stir fry with extra firm tofu. The type I prefer is found in the refrigerated section of the grocer. It is packed in water. Make sure you also have some rice and vegetables. You can always grab a bag of frozen veggies that have an "Asian" or "stir fry" theme on the package and that way you have less work to do. Brown or white rice will do (I prefer brown, it's healthier).

Once you get home, you'll want to drain your tofu. This can be done by taking it out of the package and placing it in between two plates. Set everything in your kitchen sink and place a somewhat heavy object on top. (I use a couple cans from the cupboard). Allow the weight to press out the water. This takes a few hours. It's perfectly safe to leave the tofu out at room temperature.

Next, you might want to marinate the tofu for an hour or so to give it flavor. I use fresh garlic, pepper and soy sauce, but you can use any combination that you fancy. I place the tofu in a shallow dish and then pour the liquid on top. I cover it with plastic wrap and stick it in the fridge.

If you'd like, you can start cooking your rice and veggies while the tofu marinates.

After an hour, take it out and cut the tofu into cubes. Put a pan on the stove and turn the heat up to medium. Put just a bit of oil in the pan to coat the bottom. Once your pan is nice and hot, carefully pan sear your tofu cubes. They will turn a nice brown color when they're done. Make sure you stir frequently so they don't burn.

Drain on a paper towel and allow to cool for a minute or two.

Add the tofu to your veggies and rice.

Ta-DAH! You're done.

I hope that helps.

You might also want to find some cookbooks for ideas. Your local library should have some good choices.

Don't be afraid of tofu - it won't hurt you!

;-)