Itโs too embarrassing to admit how many times Iโve picked up a block of extra firm tofu at The Trader Joeโs Sunday Shop, only to have it end up, four weeks later, in the garbage can of good intentions. Nonetheless, this past weekend, I tossed one into the cart, avoiding eye contact with my husband who would no doubt be happy to point out my current 0-and-5 bean curd record. Why does it go to waste every time? Why do I have such a hard time figuring out what to do with it? Well, in addition to the big huge minus of the kids not fully embracing tofu (โItโs like a wet flavorless marshmallow,โ Phoebe once said), Iโm just not confident cooking and experimenting with it, and I donโt feel like I have an archive of inspiring recipes. Once, I confessed all this insecurity to a blogger whose posts led me to believe she had an advanced degree in Tofu, and begged her to be my Tofu Tutor. I think I scared her off, because I never heard from her again.
But this past Monday, I wasnโt messing around. In order for Tofu Family Dinner to happen, clearly I had to get out of my own way. So I made a plan. First, onย facebookย I asked you guys for suggestions. Wowowowow! Why donโt I do this more? Three hours and over 70 ideas later, I whittled the choices down to five, with the finalists mostly being chosen for simplicity, pantry overlap (no way was I ย hitting the store the day after our weekly shop), and how golden and shiny the tofu looked. (I did not want anything remotely resembling a marshmallow.) Next, I sent this email to Andy.
ย ย ย ย From:ย Jenny Rosenstrach [mailto:jenny@dinneralovestory.com]
ย ย ย ย Sent:ย Monday, May 06, 2013 2:10 PM
ย ย ย ย To:ย W, Andy
ย ย ย ย Subject:ย Tofu Multiple Choice
ย ย ย ย ย Which one do you want for dinner:
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย a) Maple-Miso Tofu
โฆ.. ย โฆโฆ.b) Mongolian Stir-fryย
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย c) Brown Rice Sushi Bowl with Tofu and Avocadoย
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย d) Soy glazed Tofu and Carrots
โฆโฆโฆโฆ..e) Ma Po Tofu
ย ย ย ย ย Iโm not holding my breath that girls will eat. we have leftover chicken for them.
Can you tell Iโm procrastinating my real work in a major way? I hyperlinked the recipes for him and everything. This was his response:
ย ย ย ย From:ย Andy [mailto:andy@dinneralovestory.com]
ย ย ย ย Sent:ย Monday, May 06, 2013 2:10 PM
ย ย ย ย To:ย R, Jenny
ย ย ย ย Subject:ย Tofu Multiple Choice
ย ย ย ย B! But without that much garlic.
So thatโs what youโre looking at below. Did the girls like it? No, but they each tried a bite before digging into their auxiliary proteins (leftover chicken sandwiches). For Andy and me, though, it was one of those dinners that ended up pre-empting all other conversation at the table. (โWe need to make this again.โ and โDamn!โ and โSo healthy!โ and โHow can you guys not like this?โ) Thanks to all my facebook friends who shared their recipes, particularly Libby, Andrea, Mary, and Miller for providing the finalists above โ and big thanks to Jessica who has officially introduced a keeper to the DALS rotation.
Mongolian Stir-fry
Adapted from The Jey of Cooking
I pretty much followed the recipe to the letter, but, per Andyโs request, limited the garlic, used less sugar, and added some vinegar and fresh squeezed lime to cut the salty-sweetness. FYI: To press tofu, place your tofu block on a plate, cover with a few paper towels, then place a heavy pan on top for at least 30 minutes.
1 block extra firm tofu, pressed and cubed
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons sesame oil (or olive oil)
1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 scallion chopped (for garnish)
fresh lime juice
Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.ย Add the cornstarch to the tofu in a small bowl and toss to coat.
Add the tofu to the skillet and cook until browned on all sides, about 6 minutes.
While the tofu is cooking, combine the ginger, garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, 1/2 cup water and brown sugar. Mix well.
When tofu has browned, add the sauce, stir, then bring to a simmer before reducing heat to low. Simmer for 5-10 minutes, until sauce has thickened and reduced.
Serve with brown rice, soba noodles, or green beans, and garnish with green onion and a squeeze of lime.
thanks! great post!
I love tofu and that I have something in the fridge at all times that I can fall back on. (I occasionally make Mark Bittmanโs really basic fried rice and use in that, by the way.)
I am struggling, however, with what I will refer to as โSoy Confusionโ. Iโve heard some random people say that soy isnโt good for you (that makes no sense, considering what I thought the health benefits are of tofu and edamame) but I hear it enough that I kind of want someone to weigh in.
Um, might that someone be you?
Andrea: I suffer from the same confusion. If there are readers out there who might be able to provide some resources, please feel free to share.
^^^ I should add that no one better get between me and my Tofutti Cuties.
I have everything to make this, tonight. And Iโm gonna. ๐
Thanks for the shout-out! So happy I made it into the finalists.
I have two picky eaters but one of them actually (surprisingly!) likes tofu. I told her it is similar to scrambled eggs, so she gave it a try. Victory! Tofu makes for an easy and quick dinner but I too, worry about the conflicting information regarding soy. I have read that tofu is fine but anything with the ingredient โisolated soy proteinโ could be bad for you. Thanks for posting this recipe, it looks yummy.
This looks amazing! Have you tried Ottolenghiโs Brussels Sprouts and Tofu recipe from his cookbook โPlenty.โ Itโs got maple syrup and sesame oilโฆ Itโs truly divine.
sorry i missed the round of suggestions, but this toasted tofu burrito recipe is a KEEPER. no sign of a wet, flavorless marshmallow.
http://www.marcussamuelsson.com/recipe/toasted-tofu-burrito-recipe
Great options! Iโm a little tofu-phobic myself, though I have one good recipe in rotation. Meant to post it on your facebook, but was at workโฆ Anyway, I make a Thai peanut bowl. Something I adapted from Deborah Madison. Rice (or quinoa), topped with steamed cabbage (or broccoli), cubed and sauteed tofu until crispy, drizzled with Thai peanut sauce.
From what I gather on the interwebs, it seems most of the controversy over soy stems from the fact that soybeans are typically GMO. However, if you buy your tofu at TJs (where there are no GMOs) or you seek out organic tofu, Iโm under the impression that tofu can remain in the โhealth foodโ column on your grocery list. Which is a good thing, because itโs super cheap and my 4 & 5 year old love it.
Hereโs another good one from my blog, ya knowโฆin case you decide to challenge yourself again: http://www.flourandchild.blogspot.com/2012/02/lunch-226-sesame-kale-and-cabbage-slaw.html
Thanks for the above recipeโฆi have everything so we may be having this on friday!
OH! also, TJs is now carrying Rice Bran oil and it is the PERFECT oil to get your tofu all nice and golden crispyโฆitโs like 1 billion degrees before it smokes!
Throw that in your cart on your next sunday shop and youโll have guaranteed bean curd bliss that the little people may like too! Perfect for tofu reubens!!
This looks worth trying. I have just a few tofu recipes I fall back on. The favorite is sweet and sour tofu here: http://www.cheapcooking.com/Recipes/sweet-and-sour-tofu.htm. I made it when my vegetarian nephew was visiting and itโs become part of his repertoire, too.
The debate on tofu can be summarized with the basic real food vs fake food, real fermented tofu, edaname, small batch soy sauce, are all good for you. โFakeโ foodsโ processed soy milk, veggie links, etc. . . are not. There is lots of conversation around the estrogen in soy but in some ways it is much like glutenโ if you stick to the โrealโ foods you are getting a reasonable quantity that your body knows how to process. When you use soy as a filler or replacement that is another story.
I think itโs great your trying new things with your family. I also think its great theyโre open to trying it. I happen to love tofu. Itโs taken awhile for me to โloveโ it, but now I really do. I think it takes multiple times of eating and preparing it different ways. I find that roasting it in the oven (after being marinated) is really good. Kinda takes the sponginess away. Itโs really great!
Great post! When Iโve tried to cook tofu I never did the โpressedโ step and it was always too watery and didnโt brown well. I will definitely try this recipe and the pressed step!
In addition to GMOs and over processing of many soy-based foods, there is also the question of whether the phytoestrogens in soy are safe: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3074428/
In my house we still eat tofu, soy sauce, miso, and edamame but limit soy hot dogs, soy-based energy bars, and other processed soy foods.
Perfect timing! I have a block of tofu in the fridge that has been pushed back and forth for at least a week. Time to do something about it.
I definitely buy tofu every time I go to the store and use it about 50% of the time. Haha. I love it myself but the man goes for real meat every time the option is posed. If I want tofu for dinner I have to keep it secret until I call โdinners readyโ.
I usually just marinate it in a soy sauce marinade and then stir fry it. I would love to try baking with it or using it in some other way!
You must, must try this recipe, which enabled me to conquer my fear of tofu: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Black-Pepper-Tofu-365129
Itโs delicious, and sometimes I add in ground pork to up the protein quotient. Also, you can freeze tofu if it ends up getting too close to the expiration date. The texture changes to something more sponge-like, but it soaks up marinades better.
I hope I donโt come off like a tofu snob, but after living in Japan and then tasting many different brands of tofu sold here in the U.S., I think itโs worth mentioning that the quality and flavor of tofu varies greatly from brand to brand. In my opinion, many are just not very good (and with some brands I have to agree with Phoebe about her โwet flavorless marshmallowโ assessment). Not all tofu is created equally, and I would recommend, if you get a chance, to try the House Foods brand next time (they have an organic, non GMO line)โ my entire family (which includes a 9-yr old, 6-yr old, and an extremely particular 3-yr old) prefers it over other commonly found brands, including TJโs.
And of course, if you ever have the chance to go to Japan with your kiddos (if you havenโt been already), please have them try some tofu over thereโฆ I will bet money that they will change their minds about tofu then ๐
Hereโs an easy recipe for baked tofu that I make regularly to have around for snacking/rice bowls/noodle bowls/etc:
http://www.wholeliving.com/216611/baked-tofu
(I cut the baking time to 10 min each side, 20 min total)
(Forgot to mention in my previous comment that I have absolutely no connection to House Foods whatsoever, in case anyone suspects that I may work for the company, etc!)
@Jenny: Have you checked out this website
http://www.vietworldkitchen.com/
Andrea Nguyen has written a whole book on tofu, including how to make your own using soya beans, and lovely recipes for all different types of tofu.
I think the reason tofu often disappoints is because it confuses our senses. It looks like cheese, yet has none of the salty tang; and the firm, vacuum packed tofu that is most widely available has the chewiness of meat, with none of the satisfying meaty taste. It underwhelms, and you are absolutely right to dress it up with flavourful ingredients. Yes, itโs a protein, but treat it like a carb, and pair with small amounts of meat and veg, aromatics, fermented black beans, chili, sesame oil, etc, etc. I grew up eating tofu, and I enjoy it even when it is cooked very simply. My favourite method is to steam cubes of fresh, semi-firm tofu with julienned ginger for 5-10 mins. Top with a scatter of sliced scallions, sesame oil, and a trickle of soy sauce. It has that deliciously subtle, beany mustiness, yet it tastes clean and fresh, and looks so beautiful.
Iโm totally going to make this. Thanks for the tidbit on how to press the tofu!
I made this recipe last night and it was delicious! A keeper in my house for sure. How did you know I had a block of tofu expiring this week??
Try the Soy-Glazed Tofu and Carrots โ itโs one of an unfortunately small number of meals that my 18-month old twins will reliably eat, and my husband and I love it too.