tofu question?

Question

ok so i bought tofu I havent opened it yet but its jiggling like Jello. What does it look like and how am i suppose to cook it to sub. meat cause i want to make stir fry with it. any suggestions?

Answer 1

“Chicken” Nuggets
Serves 4

1 14-ounce package of extra-firm tofu
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper
salt, to taste
1/2 cup water
Unwrap the tofu and shake off any excess moisture. Place the tofu in a freezer bag or wrap well in plastic, then freeze the sealed tofu for at least 24 hours.

The next day, thaw the tofu by placing it—unwrapped—into a microwave-safe bowl. Cover the bowl and microwave on high, checking every 2 to 3 minutes to make sure the tofu doesn’t cook. Once thoroughly defrosted, gently squeeze out any excess moisture and cut into 1-inch cubes.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

In a shallow bowl, add the bread crumbs and spices, mixing well. In a separate bowl, pour 1/2 cup of water.

Dip each piece of tofu first into the water, lightly shake off any excess water, and then coat with the seasoned bread crumbs.

Put the breaded tofu cubes on a lightly oiled baking pan and baked 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown and crisp.

Serve with a dipping sauce such as sweet and sour or barbecue, or spicy mustard


Tofu Tacos
Makes 6 tacos

1/2 onion, chopped, or 1 tablespoon onion powder
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed, or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 small bell pepper, diced (optional)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 pound firm tofu, crumbled (about 1 cup)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast (optional)
1/4 teaspoon each: cumin and dried oregano
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 cup tomato sauce
6 corn tortillas
garnish: lettuce, onions, tomatoes, salsa, and avocado, if desired
Sauté the onion, garlic, and bell pepper in oil for 2 to 3 minutes, then add the tofu, chili powder, yeast, cumin, oregano, and soy sauce. Cook for 3 minutes, then add the tomato sauce and simmer over low heat until the mixture is fairly dry.

Heat the tortillas in a heavy, ungreased skillet, turning each from side to side until soft and pliable. Place a small amount of the tofu mixture in the center of each tortilla, fold in half, and garnish, if desired

.• Silken tofu: Use for desserts (lightly steamed, with maple syrup or honey), in dressings as a thickener (emulsifier), and for spreads in place of mayonnaise.
• Firm or extra-firm tofu: Use scrambled, in stir-frys, burritos, tostadas, and chili; cubed for brochettes, soups, and curries; cut into slices ("cutlets"), breaded and fried, or marinated and then grilled, baked, or smoked.

Answer 2

I love tofu. It is spongy and the best thing is that it incorporates any flavor that you cook it into. First, i cut the tofu block into 1 inch cubes or bite sized pieces. This makes cooking it easy so that it doesn't crumble. Then I normally throw them into a Korean spicy soup, or just sautee them with onions, pepper and salt and served on the side with veggies...it almost tastes like scrambled eggs that way. If you don't end up using all of it, put the rest of the block in a dish and add water until the tofu is submerged.
Then place it in the fridge! It will stay firm and fresh for days!

Answer 3

Maggie was right on about putting the tofu between two cutting boards to remove moisture. After you do that here is my suggestion. It is my FAVORITE recipe.

Cut the tofu into 1 inch cubes and marinate it for a minimum
of 20 minutes or several hours. Here is the marinade:

1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup oil (or water if you want it to be lower in calories, you need the extra liquid because the soy sauce is so salty)
1 tsp dry mustard
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

After it marinades for a while bake in the oven until it drys.

You can prepare this in advance. Have these tofu cubes in the refrigerator and add to your meals.

Answer 4

Alright, tofu comes in various types of firmness. For a stir-fry I would suggest extra firm tofu, but you can still work with the one you purchased.

You have to remove it from the little container it comes in and gently pat all the liquid off of it with paper towels. Set it down on two folded paper towels on top of a cutting board, put more paper towels on top of it, and a second cutting board or another heavy, flat surface (even a clean but useless thick book or a large skillet). For extra weight, put canned stuff on top of the flat surface.

Wait AT LEAST 15 minutes; it should be much more firm and might be a little smaller-looking. Now it'll be workable; you can dice it or crumble it into a skillet (use some oil to fry it). Make sure you use lots of diced vegetables and seasoning. Tofu absorbs the flavor of food easily, so I would suggest pan-frying it with seasoning, diced onions and mushrooms and some oil before adding other vegetables, so it has a taste to it.

Answer 5

I am a former chef and a vegetarian/diabetic, what you purchase is silken tofu, and as "Maggie" said there are several varietys, for stir frys the firm or extra firm are best, but the silken is o.k, it will break up a bit more.

I would make your stir fry, and warm the tofu in the microwave and like croutons and cheese in a salad, ad it at the last moment and gently toss, the one lady said something about BBQ tofu, I prefer the firm for all my cooking, stewed, fried and in stir frys, soups, on a skewer and basted with various sauces on the BBQ or my indoor grill, I make a chinese style braise with mushrooms, chinese cabbage, shiitake mushrooms, tofu, hot peppers, bamboo shoots, bok choy, I have a clay/sand pot and bake it in the oven or use my crockpot.

Try them all and see where you like to use them, I also buy a flavoured one with almond flavouring that is a dessert style they have peach and mango also.

Answer 6

well, there are many different types of tofu. basically for tofu, it won't really have a taste except for whatever sauce that you put on it. you got the jello-ey kind. that one is the most bland. i suggest cutting it up into little cubes and whatever you throw it in, make sure that there's there is good sauce on it, and don't skimp on it.

if you want to try other tofus, there's lots. my favorite, there's one type that is fried and it has a spongy consistency, but it's sooo good. i love it in hot pot.

Answer 7

it's pretty easy to work with but make sure you drain all the water out of the tofu by pressing firming with paper towels on the block. It may take several times before it's "drained". You can also mash it up to include it in receipes like lasagna or stuffed noodles.

Answer 8

I freeze my tofu. I have tips in my profile on how best to do that, so go check there.

I don't make many stir fries with tofu; I usually slice it and saute it. When I do stir fries, it's usually with tempeh.

Answer 9

If you're doing stir fry, it as simple as that....heat your oil and slice the tofu as you want, throw it in and voila. Barbecued tofu (barbecue sauce and bake in oven) is another easy and tasty method.
Silken tofu chocolate pie
puree the tofu and add melted chocolate chips, pour into pie crust...

Answer 10

I usually dice it and fry it. If you want to make it tastier, dice it and leave it soaking in a sauce for half an hour or so before you fry it.

Incidentally, it's quite easy to make it yourself from soya milk and lemon juice.