What to do with Tofu

[Cancer Merchant]

As I slide down the socioeconomic scale due to grad school and its accompanying lack of funds, I'm looking for newer and cheaper ways to keep my stomach full. Last week tofu was on sale for a buck a pound, so I picked a package up. Any suggestions on how to make this pale tasteless lump of protein into dinner?

My only ideas are to dump some in ramen with vegetables, or add it to a veg curry in place of meat.

[MrMon]

Tofu and I don't get along. If you have my reaction, you could collect the gas and save mucho dinero on heating bills.

[swede123]

Here you go...

http://everythingmagnets.com/magnets/greentrashcan.jpg

Swede

Sautee it, marinate and bbq, stirfry it, deepfry it.

[Phoenix1010]

Stir fry is really good. Throw some soy sauce on it and mix it in pasta. Very tasty. It goes well with teriyaki sauce, or... pretty much any kind of sauce you like, since it doesn't have a real flavor of it's own. I've mixed it in rice as well, and just eaten it as a seperate dish. It works pretty much any way you eat it, as long as you season it to your taste. Plus it's really good for you.

See if you can find mixes made by the Fantastic company. They're a little over two bucks per box. The two specific ones I would search for are Scrambled Tofu and Tofu Burger. What you do is mash the tofu with a fork and mix it with whats in the package. Then you fry it up, scrambled tofu just like scrambled eggs, and you can make the tofu burger into patties just like hamburger. You can make that single brick of tofu last a couple days this way.

[Phoenix1010]

That sounds pretty nice. Thanks.

[SCfuji]

i buy the nice extra soft kind from the asian markets.

just plain out of the fridge with soysauce. its the best.

[Cancer Merchant]

Sounds like an idea, but I'm cutting back on the packaged stuff. My clothes are shrinking, and it's either the dryer or the fridge that's causing it, probably the fridge.

Marinading sounds like the plan. Can you fry it like meat, or is there only certain ways it can be cooked. Does the firm kind stay in one piece if I throw it in a stew for a couple hours, or should I toss it in at the end?

[Diplomat]

Well tofu can act much like a sponge; if you buy the extra firm stuff and drain it by pressing it between cloth, then soaking it in a decent sauce, then cooking it, it might not come out half bad.

But then again, it might just still taste like tofu.

-Diplomat

[Blarg]

You can add it in almost anywhere.

There are two schools of thought, though they're not adversarial. One is that you do thinks to it that makes it taste better, like marinading, etc. The other is that you simply let it blend into everything else.

I can be a little bit of a fan of both, but mostly do it the second way. Tofu is almost completely tasteless, so I use it as a valuable cheap protein in meals where there is little protein. Salads, spaghetti, and ramen soups are all excellent places for tofu.

For people marinading it or preparing it in special ways, keep in mind the technique of getting some of the juice out of it to make it more dry. Put it on something that will let it drain a bit, either as a whole block or in some slices. Then put a plate on top of it, or a heavy jar or bowl, for a while. The juice will drain out, and it will fry up better that way, and absorb marinade better.

[Blarg]

It comes in different textures. Buy according to whether you really want it in solid pieces, or if you don't mind it breaking apart. You might just find you like one texture better than another, too.

[Cancer Merchant]

Well, marinading does do the trick. Soaked it in rice wine vinegar, soy, garlic, and pepper paste. It tasted just like a soft, slimy piece of the marinade. Fried it and drowned it with curry sauce. Next time I'll get the extra firm; I require some resistance from my protein. If it's not moving, it should at least be tough.

The pakora mix I fried up was too salty. Next time I'll just have that with the sauce and plenty of water.

[Aloysius]

[If you are not a vegetarian and want to add some cheap other protein source..]

Do you like Chinese food? Make Mah-Pah Dofu.

Go to Ranch 99. Asian supermarkets = usually the best deals, very cheap. Buy the following items:
-ground pork (get 2lbs, freeze the rest, it's like $1.99/lb or something)
-soft tofu (if you've run out of tofu)
-scallions
-ginger
-black bean hot sauce
-dark soy sauce and rice vinegar and seseame oil (if you don't have)
-corn starch

Heat wok / pan. Dump like 1/2-3/4 pound ground pork and some chopped ginger. Let it start cooking a little. Pour dark soy sauce liberally. Cook pork through.

Once pork is done, dump in tofu that you've cut into small squares (if it's not precut)like 2-3 boxes. Time is of the essence, that much tofu is very water heavy (even if properly drained) and will start to ruin the consistency of this dish.

Mix in black bean hot sauce to taste, add around tablespoon some rice vinegar and sesame oil. Add some cornstarch to thicken the concoction somewhat (look for a chili-ish consistency). Toss in a bunch of chopped scallions.

Enjoy. I love this dish. It's so easy. I call it Chinese Chili.