Help with cooking tofu!?

Question

Help! I've tried making tofu taste good so many times, but I can't get it right! I've been a vegetarian for 4 years and I feel like a poser because I can't cook tofu and every always asks me to make a tofu dish for potlucks. Any ideas on how to make tofu taste better?

Answer 1

Tofu "Chicken" Nuggets

1. Take the tofu out of the package.
2. Place tofu on the table long side going up and down. Cut into slices about as thick as your finger. Then cut those slices in half to make square like peices.
3. Place tofu in a zipploc bag.
4. Then add to that bag a cup of water, 6 spashes of soy sauce, a table spoon of italian seasoning, 1/8 of teaspoon of garlic powder, tiny bit of salt, and 1/8 teaspoon of pepper.
5. Place bag in the frezzer over night.
6. Thaw the tofu by placing in a pan of water on the stove. Then turn the heat on medium.
7. Check every now and again. To know if its thawed touch the middle. If still cold at all its not thawed. This should take about 15 minutes. More or less depending on the pan and your stove.
8. Then drain the tofu.
9. Then take the tofu and dip them in flour seasoned with a little salt and pepper. If the flour doesn't stick to the tofu in either a mixed egg or just water. It should though.
10. Heat your favorite oil in a skillet and cook tofu until golden on each side. Or cook in the oven on 350 degrees untill golden about 15 minutes on each side, thirty in all.

I know it doesn't sound like it will make anything near "chicken" tasting but it does. It tasted nothing like soy sauce or italian seasoning in the end if you're wondering. It's so good! TRUST ME.

Answer 2

Do you freeze your tofu? It gives it a chewier texture. You also have to press as much water out of it as possible before you cook it.

Here's a recipe I love, from VegWeb:

1 lb tofu, sliced
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
2 tbsp flour
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
a few green onions, chopped
a handful or two of frozen Stoplight Peppers (from Whole Foods). Or you can also just cut up 1/2 a bell pepper
a tablespoon or so of capers

Saute tofu for about four minutes on each side. Add nutritional yeast and flour and stir to coat tofu slices. Add lemon juice, soy sauce, and vinegar and cook until liquid is absorbed. Toss in green onions, bell peppers, and capers and stir until bell peppers are tender-crisp.

Answer 3

Easy one is to make stir fry with Tofu. Some green leaves(anything you like, like bokchoi), sweet peas, baby corns, green onions and tofu. Make sure you get 'firm tofu' or 'extra firm' and dice it. I use Canola oil to stir fry and add little bit of Sesame oil to taste and for aroma at the end. The secret weapon to flavor this to get 'umm-umm good' is adding small amount of Oyster sauce with oil. You can get the real McCoy, which is expensive, but you can use artificial one. You can also add some soy sauce or teriyaki sauce and a little bit of slivered ginger(Do not add too much. The flavor will overpower everything else. Ground Ginger works, too.), depending of your taste. When you cook tofu, use a paper towel to take some water off from it. It's safer. (Less splash from the pan) Enjoy!

Answer 4

One of my favorites:

Slice firm tofu and lay in shallow dish. Make a marinade of sesame oil, soy sauce, ginger, a little rice vinegar, red pepper flakes and garlic - pour over tofu and let sit at least a few hours, overnight is better. Then fry the slices in peanut oil. Good in sandwiches, or cut in strips and stir-fried with veggies and rice.

Or cube and add to chicken stock to make a hot and sour oriental soup.

Another is to mash and mix with celery, carrots, scallions, add curry powder and mayo and it looks and tastes like egg salad - yummy in pita bread.

Answer 5

Yuck tofu is gross.