Tofu recipes! :)

[elephantschild]

I love tofu. DH turns up his nose at it. Can anyone help me convince him otherwise?

(Also, I tend to love dishes with tofu when I order them at restaurants, etc., but have not managed to cook one I like at home. Of course, I've only tried once or twice.)

Any help appreciated!

[jmarvellous]

1. If cooking with firm or extra firm tofu (most recipes), always drain the water out by pressing cut pieces between paper towels (possibly with something heavy --but not so heavy it'll smash it -- and flat on top) to squeeze out excess moisture. If you think ahead to freeze blocks and thaw them before this step, it'll be even firmer and chewier.

2. Think marinades. Tofu absorbs the heck out of flavors.

3. Bake or stir-fry for quick prep. Deep frying is the most common method in restaurants, it seems, but I'm not comfortable deep frying.

4. More flavor! Consider maybe buying premarinated tofu if you can find it.

5. Add lots of vegetables to give your dish some texture.

As far as actual recipes, I am definitely prone to winging it ("What combination of soy sauce, terriyaki sauce, peanut sauce, curry, sriracha, hoisin, miso, oils and/or herbs and spices do I feel like today?" Then I go at it.) when it comes to tofu cooking, so I can't help you there. But I find most recipes assume you know these things going in, when (if you're like me) you don't.

I recently made miso soup with miso paste, veggie broth, nori, green onions and silken tofu, and it was fabulous and easy.

[Isometric]

My husband was exactly the same, now he likes it as much or more than chicken! I think it's more about the "stigma" attached to it, or the texture. We use in pasta sauce (chunks) and stirfries with rice. Try "hiding" it first.

Can you get the flavored/marinated tofu where you are? My DH prob wouldn't eat the plain one.

Tonight I'm making tofu with a spicy breadcrumby kind of coating, hopefully that goes well!

[Mikayla]

If I was trying to convince someone to eat tofu, I'd start by using something basic he loves.  What about peanut butter or satay? 

I've tried this and it was delish.  I made it exactly as directed, but if he's more of a purist, you don't have to use all the spices, like the curry, etc. 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/grilled-or-roasted-tofu-satay-recipe/index.html

[elephantschild]

Thanks for the tips and the recipe! DH is really a MEAT (caps and bolding intended) sort of guy, while I'm mostly vegetarian. It's an interesting household.

DH likes all things spicy, so I'm thinking what I need to do is spice the heck out of it and then basically dare him! Some time when the kids aren't eating with us, anyway.

And Isometric, I'd love to have that recipe if it turns out well!

[Isometric]

Good plan! 

This was the base recipe I used

http://www.bhg.com/recipe/vegetables/tofu-stackup/

I changed it quite a lot and would make more changes next time!

The tofu itself worked out really well, I started with marinated (thai flavor) tofu, and used 1/3 cup breadcrumbs and 2 teaspoons chilli powder for the coating. That was enough spice for me (I like spicy foods but am I bit of a wuss!) but if you're spice lovers add a little more! I'd also cut the tofu into smaller pieces.

With the vegies I think they'd be tastier roasted or flame grilled, they just kind of lacked oomph! I will definitely make the tofu part of it again, but try something different for the vegetable part.

Mikayla that recipe looks great!

[Hmmmmm]

We are not vegetarian but I like to occasionally us tofu.  The only way I can get my family to eat tofu is if I cook it as something they don't normally get with meat.  So never a stirfry because they compare it to stirfry with chicken.  But saag paneer is only ever made with tofu, so they'll eat that.  The other is japanese tofu soup.  They've never had it with meat so they aren't looking for meat.  I also make a Korean side dish that is panfried tofu with a spicy sauce on top.  Again, with this dish I'm not "substituing" tofu for a meat but makin a purely tofu recip. 

[jmarvellous]

We are not vegetarian but I like to occasionally us tofu.  The only way I can get my family to eat tofu is if I cook it as something they don't normally get with meat.  So never a stirfry because they compare it to stirfry with chicken.  But saag paneer is only ever made with tofu, so they'll eat that.  The other is japanese tofu soup.  They've never had it with meat so they aren't looking for meat.  I also make a Korean side dish that is panfried tofu with a spicy sauce on top.  Again, with this dish I'm not "substituing" tofu for a meat but makin a purely tofu recip.

That's funny because sag paneer is usually made with paneer, so I never eat it (hard to find paneer in my grocery store). I never thought to sub tofu!


I forgot one of my favorites. I buy dried falafel mix (basically dried precooked chickpeas and lots of herbs) and coat the rinsed/drained/pressed tofu in that (sometimes with egg to help it stick, sometimes not) and cook it. I call it tofulafel.

[Miriam]

Tofu tacos with oyster mushrooms, corn, and black beans. Sautee tofu in taco mix then add all the veggies (i add poblanos and avocados to mine).

[Namárië]

This is one of my favorite tofu recipes: http://chinese.food.com/recipe/general-tsos-tofu-96563

I also recommend putting the tofu between two plates and putting several cans on the top plate to really press out the excess liquid. (Basically what jmarvellous said.) I let it sit for a half hour or so while I prep the rest of dinner.

[cicero]

I love tofu. DH turns up his nose at it. Can anyone help me convince him otherwise?

(Also, I tend to love dishes with tofu when I order them at restaurants, etc., but have not managed to cook one I like at home. Of course, I've only tried once or twice.)

Any help appreciated!

Probably not.

I would continue to make the tofu for yourself, and make what he likes - you can still have the *same* meal, just with different proteins (eg., roast tofu/roast chicken with the same sides/salad)

but that's me - i've tried tofu over the years. i've tried everyone's this-isn't-like-those-other-tofu-recipes recipe. I've done the patting out all the moisture, freezing and defrosting, etc. i just.don't.like.it

having said all that - my sister swears by this recipe:
pat out all the water as a PP explained.
slice into slices about 1/2 inch thick.
marinade in BBQ sauce
put into pan - leave room between slices.
roast in slow oven for a while for about 1 hour.
good hot or cold.

[wx4caster]

Two of my favorites:

Szechuan Eggplant and Tofu (from Moosewood Cookbook): http://www.whatshecooked.com/2011/08/szechwan-eggplant-and-tofu.html
 - I half the amount of sauce and use 3 Chinese eggplants instead of a big purple one
Pesto Tofu Manicotti: http://recipeland.com/recipe/v/Pesto-Tofu-Manicotti-9827
 - messy to make but so good

And one that I really want to try:
Mango Ginger Tofu: http://www.theppk.com/2008/10/mango-ginger-tofu/

[Hmmmmm]

We are not vegetarian but I like to occasionally us tofu.  The only way I can get my family to eat tofu is if I cook it as something they don't normally get with meat.  So never a stirfry because they compare it to stirfry with chicken.  But saag paneer is only ever made with tofu, so they'll eat that.  The other is japanese tofu soup.  They've never had it with meat so they aren't looking for meat.  I also make a Korean side dish that is panfried tofu with a spicy sauce on top.  Again, with this dish I'm not "substituing" tofu for a meat but makin a purely tofu recip.

That's funny because sag paneer is usually made with paneer, so I never eat it (hard to find paneer in my grocery store). I never thought to sub tofu!


I forgot one of my favorites. I buy dried falafel mix (basically dried precooked chickpeas and lots of herbs) and coat the rinsed/drained/pressed tofu in that (sometimes with egg to help it stick, sometimes not) and cook it. I call it tofulafel.

I should have said only made with tofu in my house.  I had a friend who loved it but was lactose intollerent, so we tried it one time and really liked the texture.  It also cuts back a little bit on the fat content.  And I am so going to try our tofulafel.  That sounds great. 

[megswsu]

If you like Hot and Sour Soup, I *love* this recipe. However it's a LOT of tofu so I started to double the broth and all the spices and that's made it into a much better ratio of tofu to broth. I love making it b/c it's easy and delicious.

(I do NOT double the tofu, mushrooms, bamboo, egg or green onion). Also I cut the tofu block in half to help "drain" the water better.

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/hot-sour-soup-with-tofu-10000001973614/

[blarg314]

I would go for dishes where tofu is cooked as tofu, rather than as a meat substitute. I quite like a lot of tofu dishes, but no-one is ever going to convince me that subbing firm tofu for meat in a recipe is is a good idea from a culinary perpective - the taste, texture and way it cooks are totally different. The same goes for most soy-based meat substitutes.

My least favourite type of tofu is actually the firm, pressed stuff - I find it kind of rubbery and tasteless. 

I really like the silken tofu, which is used a lot in Japanese cooking. We have it plain, drizzled with soy sauce and and topped with a bit of grated ginger as a side dish (half a pack per person), or sliced in a salad, with sliced cucumber and tomato and basil and drizzled with olive oil and a pinch of salt, or topped with Thai spicy salad dressing.  It's good in miso soup, or hot and sour soup. Ma-po tofu might be a good start - it's delicious, and not even vaguely vegetarian.

I also like the kind of tofu that's frozen first, making it kind of spongy. It's very good in hot-pots and soups. 

The absolute best tofu dish I've ever had was on a recent trip to Japan, at a tiny grill bar in rural Okinawa.  Home-made silken tofu, stir fried with cabbage and other vegetables, tiny cubes of potato, and bits of flavourful local pork.

I also love stinky tofu, although I suspect you probably can't get it, and wouldn't like it.    It's a fermented tofu that is definitely *not* bland, but smells so bad that people will cross the street to avoid it. It's often served deep fried, with pickled cabbage, fresh crushed garlic, and some sort of brownish sauce.