Poor Richard’s Almanac

The truth about tofu. June 14, 2009

Silence Dogood here. As a vegetarian, I know I’m supposed to love tofu. I’m supposed to eat tofu the way meat-eaters eat chicken. There are just two problems: tofu’s lack of texture and its lack of flavor. Now, that’s not to say that I haven’t enjoyed amazing tofu dishes in Chinese, Vietnamese, and Thai restaurants. But in every case, the tofu was fried, giving it a crunchy exterior which perfectly offset the soft interior, and then drenched in rich, flavorful sauces. These dishes were delicious, and I wish I could eat them every day. But they’re about as healthy as fried chicken or pork barbecue, and just as calorie-laden.

So, how to have your tofu and enjoy it, too? Here are some suggestions. Let me say right off that I’m not a believer in substituting tofu for dairy in things like cheesecake, just as I’d as soon be dead as eat tofu-based pseudo-meats like “tofurkey” or “tofu pups” (pseudo-hot dogs). I can still remember the delicious flavor and texture of meat. If I’m not eating the real thing, I don’t want to eat some fake thing, and the same goes for dessert. Ugh! Instead, there are plenty of ways to enjoy tofu in its own right.

First, deal with the texture problem by buying the firmest tofu you can find. “Super-firm” works for me. I’ve finally found super-firm tofu already cubed in a pack in the supermarket (for some reason, they tend to put tofu in the produce section, so check your grocery’s produce department for this wonderful innovation). Okay, I’m not so lazy that I can’t manage to cube a block of tofu myself. But in my experience, the pre-cubed tofu seems somehow denser (uh, firmer), so it has more texture or bite than home-cut tofu from a block. See what you think, but I vote for pre-cubed.

Forget all the endless directions for enclosing a cube of less-than-firm tofu in a Ziploc bag and driving over it with your car to press out excess liquid and firm it up. (I’m exaggerating, but not by much.) These techniques may have been necessary in the days before firm tofu made it into the stores, and they’re still necessary if you make your own tofu. Otherwise, just start with extra-firm and go from there.

So much for texture. Now what about flavor? There are three ways to make sure your tofu has flavor: saucing it, marinating it, and slow-cooking it. (By slow-cooking, I don’t only mean cooking it in a Crock-Pot or other slow cooker; a long-simmering soup will serve the same purpose.)

Saucing is the simplest of these techniques. As you know if you’ve ever enjoyed Bean Curd Szechuan Style or tofu in General Tso’s sauce, sauteeing tofu, mushrooms, broccoli florets, and sweet onion in a flavorful sauce and topping it with chopped green onions (scallions) and maybe a sprinkling of chopped peanuts or sesame seeds will give you a delicious topping for rice.

Marinating is a great technique if you want to grill tofu or add it to a stir-fry or shish kebab. Here are four marinades for tofu from Susan Geiskopf-Hadler’s The Complete Book of Vegetarian Grilling (Fair Winds Press, 2005). Pre-cubed tofu’s too small to use with these if you plan to make kebabs, so instead use extra- or super-firm tofu that you cube yourself into big enough cubes (such as 1-inch cubes) to skewer, or cut into slabs to grill like meat. In all cases, pour half the marinade in a shallow baking dish and add the tofu cubes or slabs, then pour the remaining marinade on top and marinate for an hour, turning the tofu after 30 minutes.

For a spicy peanut marinade, whisk together 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter, 6 tablespoons dry sake, 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, 2 tablespoons peanut oil, and 3 teaspoons chili flakes. For a curry marinade, whisk together 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk, 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice, 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil, 2 teaspoons curry powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. For a garlic-soy marinade, whisk together 1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice, 3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 3 cloves garlic, minced, and 1 teaspoon dried basil, crushed.  For honey-ginger marinade, whisk together 6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, 3 tablespoons dark sesame oil, 3 tablespoons soy sauce, 3 tablespoons honey, 3 teaspoons minced fresh ginger, and 3 minced garlic cloves.

Strangely enough, I only have three books devoted to tofu cookery in my extensive cookbook collection: the first tofu cookbook published here in the U.S., Cathy Bauer and Juel Andersen’s The Tofu Cookbook (Rodale Press, 1979); Tofu Quick & Easy by Louise Hadler (The Book Publishing Company, 1986); and uber-vegetarian chef Deborah Madison’s This Can’t Be Tofu! (Broadway Books, 2000). You’ll also find excellent tofu recipes in Japanese Foods That Heal (John and Jan Belleme, Tuttle Publishing, 2007)—check out their Broiled Tofu with Miso Marinade, Tofu Marsala, and Tofu Satay especially—and in Real Vegetarian Thai by Nancie McDermott (see especially Red Curry with Red Sweet Peppers, Snow Peas, and Tofu; Satay Peanut Sauce with Grilled Vegetables, Fried Tofu, and Toast; and Tome Yum Soup with Mushrooms and Tofu.)

As for This Can’t Be Tofu!, just wait ’til you try Deborah Madison’s creative takes on tofu. You may love them all! Favorites here include Grilled, Braised, or Broiled Tofu with Tamarind Barbecue Sauce, Spinach and Tofu Paneer, Tofu Triangles in Creamy Nut Butter Sauce with Scallions, and Sauteed Mushrooms and Tofu with Tamarind Sauce.

Don’t I have a Silence Dogood original recipe for tofu? Of course! Soup needs a lot of spice to give tofu great flavor, and Silence’s Ginger Snap Soup doesn’t disappoint. I make it in my Crock-Pot, but it would taste just as good if long-simmered in a heavy pot on the stove. (I love my super-heavy LeCreuset Dutch ovens.) Either way, get ready for a warming, spicy, low-calorie thrill. Note that I’ve posted this recipe before, but I’ll give it to you again here so you don’t have to search the site for it.

                       Silence’s Ginger Snap Soup

1 large sweet onion (WallaWalla, Vidalia, or 1015 type), diced

1-2 leeks, halved and thinly sliced (white and light green parts only)

2 green onions (scallions), thinly sliced

1 large carton veggie stock (all brands are good)

1 carton super-firm cubed tofu

1 cup sliced mushrooms, mixed (as, button and shiitake), or more to taste

1/2 cup wild rice mix

1 tablespoon ginger paste (look for this in your store’s produce section)

1 tablespoon ginger chutney

1 tablespoon fresh ginger root, peeled and minced, or more to taste

1 tablespoon Thai curry powder

2 tablespoons red miso paste, or more to taste

hot sauce (we like Pickapeppa, but for this, you might prefer Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce) to taste

Real Salt, Trocamare, Herbamare, or salt to taste

extra-virgin olive oil for sauteeing

Saute all ingredients except green onions, rice, and veggie stock in olive oil until onions clarify and mushrooms have cooked down. (Add cubed tofu just before taking sauteed ingredients off heat and stir in.) Add saute to slow cooker or heavy soup pot with veggie stock and rice. Cook on low 6-8 hours in slow cooker, or simmer on stove for an hour or until soup is fragrant and flavorful, adding more veggie stock or water as needed. Top each bowl with sliced green onion before serving.

One last thought: Recently, our next-door-neighbor Fran begged me for some vegetarian recipes. She said her daughter and her daughter’s boyfriend were both vegetarians, and she needed some recipes to make when they came for dinner. “What have you been making for them?” I asked, after assuring her that I’d get her some recipes ASAP. “Well, I’ve been buying some of that flavored tofu, adding it to veggies in a stir-fry, and serving it up over rice. They think I’m a genius!”

I’ve never tried preflavored tofu myself, but hey, you can’t argue with success. What are your favorite tofu recipes?

           ‘Til next time,

                        Silence