My Tofu Experiment

Recently, while eating at a buffet, I had the most delicious tofu ever. And every time I've been back there, I've had this amazing tofu and it's absolutely fabulous. So I decided to try to figure out what they did and recreate it, and this is what I've come up with so far:

1 block extra-firm tofu, rinsed and drained
1 Tbsp sesame oil
2 Tbsp tamari
4 Tbsp teriaki sauce

Cut tofu into 12 logs. Put them in an airtight container with the remaining ingredients and marinate for a day or two or three or four.

Heat a skillet. Dump the tofu and marinate together into the pan and fry. Move the tofu around over and over again to prevent sticking and make sure the sauce is coating the tofu well.

Serve.

This was very popular with the kids. Even family members who 'hate' tofu gobbled it up.


This, however is not how the buffet tofu tasted, even though it was good. I am going to keep on experimenting.

Tofu Burgers

1 package firm or medium tofu
1 onion
oil
1/2 cup wholewheat or buckwheat flour
1/2 cup cornmeal or rice flour
1 Tbsp miso

• Drain and rinse tofu a few hours ahead. Squeeze as much water out of it as possible (for tofu tips, see 'A Word About Tofu' in my Dragon Bowl post).

• Chop onion and saute in a drizzle of either olive oil or veg oil in a large, flat, preferably non-stick pan.

• (Let the onion cool at least a little bit before going on to the next step.)
• Place onion in a food processor. Crumble in tofu and add remaining ingredients.

• Turn on food processor to blend. Stop when it becomes a ball of dough. This should take less than a minute.

• Take your large, flat, preferably non-stick pan and put about 1/8 to 1/4 inch of veg or canola oil in it. Turn on the heat and let it heat up for a few minutes. (You can do this step while blending the tofu mixture.)

• Scoop out the tofu mixture and form into patties, making sure they're around 1/2 inch thick. Fry in oil, about 10 minutes on each side. They will be golden brown. mmmm.....yummy.....

• Drain on a plate lined with several layers of paper towels.
• Serve with any toppings or condiments you like. We like ketchup, mayo, and sliced tomatos.

Makes about 6-8.

Dragon Bowl

 

This is a recipe I've been making for a long time now. It is kid-approved and delicious, nutritious, easy to make and not expensive either.

 

1 Large Bunch of Kale (or any cookable dark leafy green), washed & chopped
3-4 Carrots, shredded
4-5 Green Onions coarsely chopped
1 block extra-firm tofu, drained & rinsed, cut into cubes (please see note about tofu at the bottom of this post)
Salad Dressing

Place kale (or other green), carrots, green onions and tofu in a large pot with a steamer basket with water, cover and steam to cook.

Cook rice of your choice. I prefer whole-grain brown organic, but use whatever you like. You can use another cooked grain if you prefer. Make the amount you'd need for everyone to have it as a side dish.

Serve in bowls: place rice in bowl and then the cooked greens, veggies & tofu on top. Drizzle with your favorite salad dressing and serve. Yumorama!

Dressing suggestion:
I have a special dressing I make from scratch just for this dish. It's called "You-Must-Make-This Dressing". I am not kidding, that's really the name. I got it from the cookbook, The Garden of Vegan and it goes perfectly with this dish. I mean perfectly. I highly recommend it.

2 stalks Green Onion, roughly chopped (I buy one bunch, save two stalks for this dressing and use the rest in the Dragon Bowl recipe)
2 cloves Garlic, minced
2 Tbsp Maple Syrup
4 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
1 tsp Dijon Mustard
1 tsp fresh Chives (from the garden, of course)
1 tsp fresh Dill (less if using dried)
1 tsp fresh Parsley (dried is OK)
1/2 cup Olive Oil
1/2 tsp Salt

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.



A Word About Tofu:
Please don't let the tofu in this recipe scare you. It is really very good, filling and easy to use. I have used tofu a lot over the years and I have found that there are some things you can do to make it work better in a recipe.

What I suggest is that you get as much of the water out of it as possible before you use it. This way it will more readily absorb any flavor you may add, and the texture is better. To do this, simply drain and rinse the block of tofu, then place it in between two clean kitchen towels. Place a plate, upside down on top of it with a can of something (like a can of soup or veggies or sauce) on top of that. This will apply very gentle even pressure to the tofu, which will slowly squeeze the water out, without it loosing its shape. The towels absorb the moisture. This should be done a few hours before using the tofu. It can also be put in the fridge, or even done overnight.

Do this before making your Dragon Bowl and the results will be great!

Shake 'n' Fry Tofu

1/3 cup flour
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
2 tsp all-purpose seasoning
1 block extra-firm tofu, drained, rinsed, water squeezed out, cut into cubes

In extra large frying pan, preheat about 1/4 inch oil.

Put first 3 ingredients in a zip-to-close baggie and close tightly. Shake to mix.

Add about 1/4 of the tofu to baggie, close tightly and shake to mix.

Add to pan. Repeat until all tofu is in pan.

Fry for about 20 minutes on medium heat, turning after about 15 minutes.

Drain on paper towels on a plate. Serve hot.

Serves about 4-5 people.