How to eat tofu

[willbefabulousat26]

I loooove tofu after living in the Far East and enjoying their wonderful cuisine so thought I would start a thread singing its virtues

For those that don't know tofu is a soya based product that comes in soft/silken or firm form. It is a staple food in Asia used in a variety of dishes (stir fries, soups) or even eaten on its own. Asians will typically eat it every day as part of their diet. It has a subtle, delicate flavour that absorbs other flavours well.

Tofu may be eaten unlimited on all parts of the diet. See page 318 of the book. It is classed as Vegetable Protein and therefore not subject to the limit on dairy products. On page 259 of the book the Doctor explains the benefits of eating tofu regularly (weight control, easing menopausal symptoms).

Find it in the chilled aisle alongside the vegetarian (Quorn etc) products. Popular brands include Cauldron and Morinaga. Typical cost is £2 for a 400g block.

In my picture I have used 200g of the firm type cut into chunks and fried with dried chili and turkey strips and added chives. Another delicious way to eat it is fried in a small amount of soy sauce and fresh grated ginger with mushrooms and king prawns stirred in.

It is important to dab the tofu with kitchen roll to extract all the moisture before cooking. Fry the cubes until golden brown and slightly crisp on the outside. Rolling the tofu cubes in cornflour prior to frying makes an extra delicious treat (Cruise only).

Enjoy

 

[elida]

This was really helpful, thanks!
I grilled firm once and added it to my salad, it had no taste so wasn't nice or bad, didn't make much difference really. Will try it with prawns next time
I was wondering how to use silken tofu, what do you do with that one?

 

[malevolentnuzzler87]

Second that, I have a tetrapak of silken tofu in my cupboard have no idea what to do with it!!

 

[willbefabulousat26]

Elida - you're welcome!

Silken tofu is used more in stir fries or cooking where it doesn't matter if the tofu disintergrates. It is extremely soft and will break up when you try and handle it. I'd eat it with stir fry veg, ginger, soy sauce and garlic. If this wasn't dukan I'd recommend adding rice vinegar (mirin) too.

You can also eat it with miso soup. If you've never tried this it's really delicious!

I've eaten it in an omelette before along with king prawns and spring onions but I'd only recommend this if you're really accustomed to the taste as there's no sauce to absorb other flavours.

 

[_Becca]

I've never had it before but might be worth trying!

x

 

[willbefabulousat26]

Please ignore the rice but these are two pictures I took showing typical school lunches in Japan. You can see tofu used in both main dishes. Tofu has been mixed with a variety of vegetables and a very light soy sauce based juice.

 

[slimdreamer]

I have been using to make the muffins (I make my muffin in a loaf pan ). I am trying to cut down on dairy so have been using it with tofu in the recipe.

It is ok but it sounds like the silken tofu would work better because the normal one doesn't break down, there are lumps of tofu in the finished muffin.

I assume the silken is not considered a dairy like the ordinary tofu and there is no limit?

 

[willbefabulousat26]

Oh that's a good idea slimdreamer! How do they taste?

In the book he definitely doesn't class tofu as dairy, and I imagine that applies to all types of tofu whatever the texture.

 

[slimdreamer]

Thanks for that info, I'm going to try it with silken, I am sure it will be much better. I have only seen the silken type in Waitrose though.

The muffin (loaf) I find still quite good with the lumpy tofu but I still add some yogurt, once I can get some silken I will try it without any yogurt and it will be guilt free!

 

[anjuschka]

I use the silken from the Tetrapack and 'blitz' it in the blender to get a creamy or joghurt-like consistency. Mixed with a TB or two of Fromage Frais and some sweetener and vanilla (or cinnamon and lemon) I now have it as a dessert instead of baked custards when I was trying to cut down on egg consumption! One pack of tofu makes about 4 little ramekins.

The blended version would probably also work better with the muffins!

 

[slimdreamer]

Hi Anjuschka, do you cook them in the ramekins?

Can I ask where you get your silken tofu? The only supermarket I can find it in our area is Waitrose and it is the firm silken tofu not soft.

I was able to buy the soft silken in the Japanese Centre in central London but it isn't near me just happened to be in the area a few weeks back.

 

[anjuschka]

Hi,

no I don't cook the tofu when making 'tofu cream'- I just use the same dishes as I would when making baked custards. Sorry for the confusion.

I find it in Sainsbury - it's in a long-life tetrapack, sort of near the pulses and dried veg. A white 'brick' with red writing, Mori-Nu is the brand I think. Or they also have firm tofu in the chiller cabinet near the Quorn etc but I have never tried that variety.

 

[slimdreamer]

Thank you!! I have only seen the chilled firm tofu, never thought to look in the veg section. Fingers crossed our local Sainsbury has it, will look for it when I go shopping later in the week.

I do use the firm but it doesn't blend well. It has a lot of water and needs to have a heavy pan or such sit on it to allow some of the water to drain out. It recommends about 10 minutes on the packaging but I tend to let it drain for an hour or so and it is still full of moisture.. So it is a real pain and if using in the muffins it it very lumpy.

Having said this I have started cutting it up in match size pieces and coating with egg white and then adding sweetener and cinnamon (loads) and cook in the oven until very very done (dry and hard). It makes cinnamon crisps. It really has helped with my craving to snack on something very crunchy.

 

[londoner1]

tofu

I use the silken from the Tetrapack and 'blitz' it in the blender to get a creamy or joghurt-like consistency. Mixed with a TB or two of Fromage Frais and some sweetener and vanilla (or cinnamon and lemon) I now have it as a dessert instead of baked custards when I was trying to cut down on egg consumption! One pack of tofu makes about 4 little ramekins.

The blended version would probably also work better with the muffins!

you can also find it in asda near the pulses for £1.10

 

[londoner1]

tofu

Hi,

no I don't cook the tofu when making 'tofu cream'- I just use the same dishes as I would when making baked custards. Sorry for the confusion.

I find it in Sainsbury - it's in a long-life tetrapack, sort of near the pulses and dried veg. A white 'brick' with red writing, Mori-Nu is the brand I think. Or they also have firm tofu in the chiller cabinet near the Quorn etc but I have never tried that variety.

I also use the medium or soft tofu to make a dessert...blend the tofu, cinnamon and a little rose water with sweetner and cool in fridge.
Another way is a packet of tofu with a packet of sugar free jelly blended in a mixer and chilled.

 

[londoner1]

tofu

I also use the medium or soft tofu to make a dessert...blend the tofu, cinnamon and a little rose water with sweetner and cool in fridge.
Another way is a packet of tofu with a packet of sugar free jelly blended in a mixer and chilled.

You can also make pancakes....a tablespoon or two of silken tofu mixed with an egg...i think if you blend it it might mix better but still delicious.

 

[slimdreamer]

Thank you Londoner1. I went to Sainsbury's today but unfortunately they didn't have any. I will try an Asda next time I'm near one. Fingers crossed.

Also great ideas, I will definitely give them a try!