Tofu

Rosyrain

Rosyrain

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Washington, USA
Tofu is a very popular food substance, especially for vegetarians. I have never tried it before, nor have I ever even touched it. From what I understand, it is a soy bean based product. What does it taste like, and what is the texture of it when you eat it?
 
Well Tofu is essentially tasteless. It comes in soft, firm and semi soft versions. Since it is bland it generally takes on the flavors of anything around it. I like to use Tofu ocassionally in a stir fry as it adds protein and is extremely low calorie. Just make sure you drain it very well, or you will have a panful of liquid. It has a very high water content.
 
To be honest it really doesn't taste of anything much. You wouldn't want to eat it on its own. I sometimes snack on it by cutting into cubes and tossing in soy sauce and chilli sauce. Its main use is to soak up other flavours. You can get smoked tofu, though, which does taste...well, smokey!

The texture is soft. No real bite. Although, if you stir fry firm tofu it does develop a slightly chewy 'rind' which is OK.

Have a quick peek at this:http://www.jamieoliver.com/news-and-features/features/fell-love-tofu/#HG6X1PzShoH5WEsd.97
 
The time I tried it, it had the consistency of jello but it was in a savory dish. As a result it didn't go over well with me! I think I'm a textural eater, so weird textures don't really jive with me!

My husband adores it though - there's a particular Chinese dish called Mabo Dofu, which is literally tofu in a spicy, red chili type sauce. He often orders it if we are eating at a Chinese restaurant and they have it on their menu.
 
I have had it on occasion and have found it to be tasteless. How I have found it to take on the taste of whatever you were cooking it with.
 
I like it but it needs to be prepared correctly.
Silken tofu is best scrambled with plenty of tasty ingredients, herbs and spices to make it taste of something. Firm tofu also needs flavouring. I find it is best marinated and then fried, though I have had a dish where it was marinated and then boiled and it was fine.

Served as is, warmed is a big no no! :sick:
 
When we have no budget for meat, we buy tofu because it is cheap, one of the cheapest but most nutritious. One block of tofu (we call it bean curd here) is sliced in 4 or 5 sheets and fried until brown and crisp. The dip is a mix of soy sauce and vinegar with crushed garlic for flavoring. It is good for a snack together with porridge or just by itself. But sometimes we at that fried tofu with steamed rice. That is one of the preferred meal of poor people here for its nutritive value.
 
I've made it in stir fries and fried rice, and it's fine for that, because it takes on the taste of the other ingredients. It's not something I often buy, so I forget about it, since it's not in a section I frequent much. I have been meaning to buy some, so maybe this thread will remind me. It's about time for another batch of fried rice :):chef:.
 
Seems like it would be very versatile way of getting protein in your body, and low calorie is also a bonus. I think I am going to pick up a package and try it out in an Asian dish. My thought is to use it in place of chicken in my favorite lo mein dish. Thanks for the tips everyone.
 
If you are avoiding eating meat a tofu can be a substitute to get your protein needs. It is made from a soy bean and it is soft in texture and white in color. It had a bland taste or it is tasteless. But you can make a lot of tofu recipes so that you can enjoy its taste. There are many simple and easy recipes that you can search in the internet that can be your guide in cooking your tofu.
 
Tofu is tasteless, one must add their own flavoring to it to make it edible. That being said, it wonderful when flavored right. There are many ways one can use tofu in their cooking or as a substitute in a recipe. Depending on what you are using tofu for there are three different textures you may buy, soft, medium and firm. I like using the firm one if I am adding it to a salad or making a fake out "egg salad" sandwich. The soft texture tofu I use in dressings or as a substitute for other cream-based ingredients.
 
One of our most loved recipes here is Stuffed Tofu. First I cut them into blocks and soak them in a mixture of soy sauce and scotch bonnet pepper oil and garlic. I use a small knife and cut a cone shape out of it. I season minced pork and shrimp with garlic and scallions, five spice, oyster sauce etc and stuff them. After which they get chilled for a while. I prepare them much like you would cook potstickers. Heat pot/wok on high with small amounts of oil. Brown the base then add water and steam. They taste great!
 
aquaticneko said:
One of our most loved recipes here is Stuffed Tofu. First I cut them into blocks and soak them in a mixture of soy sauce and scotch bonnet pepper oil and garlic. I use a small knife and cut a cone shape out of it. I season minced pork and shrimp with garlic and scallions, five spice, oyster sauce etc and stuff them. After which they get chilled for a while. I prepare them much like you would cook potstickers. Heat pot/wok on high with small amounts of oil. Brown the base then add water and steam. They taste great!
Click to expand...
That sounds fantastic! You should post it as a Recipe.:D
 
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