Tofu - How do you cook it?
#2




Join Date: Jan 2008
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Oh, so many ways. I bake it, fry it, sautee it, dry it and then give it one of those treatments. I serve it in salads, omelettes and on and on. Tofu can be served in nearly every imaginable way. I use it every day in something or another, when I'm home anyway.
#3
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Tofu typically is part of the asian diet.
The soft variey is typically used for soups and some stir frys which tend to be heavy in sauce.
The hard kind is normally used in Laksa or vegetable stir frys.
I have used the soft variery to make grandma's beancurd or "mapo tofu" as well as asian soups.
You have to be careful not to cut the soft variety too small or it might break up into too small pieces.
The soft variey is typically used for soups and some stir frys which tend to be heavy in sauce.
The hard kind is normally used in Laksa or vegetable stir frys.
I have used the soft variery to make grandma's beancurd or "mapo tofu" as well as asian soups.
You have to be careful not to cut the soft variety too small or it might break up into too small pieces.
#4
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Washington DC USA
Posts: 2,571
My favorites:
mixed with the premade ma po tofu mixes from the Asian market (very very high in sodium, but tasty)
extra firm, cut in cubes and fried in butter
coated in cornstarch and deep fried
I also like to buy the pre-fried frozen deep fried pieces (which I can only find at the Asian markets) because no matter how hard I try I'm just not that good at deep-frying tofu.
Wow, after reviewing my list, all of these are incredibly unhealthy!
mixed with the premade ma po tofu mixes from the Asian market (very very high in sodium, but tasty)
extra firm, cut in cubes and fried in butter
coated in cornstarch and deep fried
I also like to buy the pre-fried frozen deep fried pieces (which I can only find at the Asian markets) because no matter how hard I try I'm just not that good at deep-frying tofu.
Wow, after reviewing my list, all of these are incredibly unhealthy!
#5
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Join Date: Jul 2004
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Plain tofu in a soup (such as diced in miso shiru) is probably how I least like it.
I always have three-packs of aburaage in the freezer (the ones crhptic mentions) as it's easy to slice from this and add to pretty much any vegetable dish you could make in a wok as well as making inarizushi skins with (another Korean favourite!)
But, if you have in mind commercially sold tofu blocks, then the question "how do you cook it?" for me always involves the process of wrapping up the block, putting a weight on top and leaving it to drain for at least an hour to firm up before I will do any actual cooking with it. This way it won't break up as ONLY_no_One describes.
Amongst the many, many ways I cook tofu there includes making it into fish burgers, ganmodoki and even adding it to matzoh balls (I don't use chicken fat).
I still haven't learned to make decent agedofu though.
Hiyayakko I'd never try without the very freshest tofu, but you don't really cook with it.
I always have three-packs of aburaage in the freezer (the ones crhptic mentions) as it's easy to slice from this and add to pretty much any vegetable dish you could make in a wok as well as making inarizushi skins with (another Korean favourite!)
But, if you have in mind commercially sold tofu blocks, then the question "how do you cook it?" for me always involves the process of wrapping up the block, putting a weight on top and leaving it to drain for at least an hour to firm up before I will do any actual cooking with it. This way it won't break up as ONLY_no_One describes.
Amongst the many, many ways I cook tofu there includes making it into fish burgers, ganmodoki and even adding it to matzoh balls (I don't use chicken fat).
I still haven't learned to make decent agedofu though.
Hiyayakko I'd never try without the very freshest tofu, but you don't really cook with it.
Last edited by LapLap; Feb 17, 2010 at 11:53 am
#6
Join Date: May 2008
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I tend to prefer the firm texture tofu - the soft stuff just doesn't sit right texture-wise with me.
Standard way to cook: marinate in a sauce (varies.. black bean paste is always good! anything with lots of flavour). Sautee with vegetables and noodles.
Unoriginal I know
Standard way to cook: marinate in a sauce (varies.. black bean paste is always good! anything with lots of flavour). Sautee with vegetables and noodles.
Unoriginal I know
#7
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Washington DC USA
Posts: 2,571
Speaking of inarizushi skins - amazingly, I found a can of it at the grocery store this week - the regular, mainstream grocery store (albeit on the "Asian food" aisle). I haven't used it yet, but I had to buy it just because I was so shocked to find it there.
But, if you have in mind commercially sold tofu blocks, then the question "how do you cook it?" for me always involves the process of wrapping up the block, putting a weight on top and leaving it to drain for at least an hour to firm up before I will do any actual cooking with it. This way it won't break up as ONLY_no_One describes.
#8


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Soondubu jjigae 순두부 찌 Is one thing I do with it.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/40726522@N02/3985505092/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/40726522@N02/3985505092/
#10
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Wirelessly posted (Nokia N97 / Palm TX: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows 98; PalmSource/Palm-D050; Blazer/4.3) 16;320x448)
ma po is the way to go... !!!
ma po is the way to go... !!!
#15
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: USA
Posts: 356
I like my tofu cook this way
http://walkingtower.blogspot.com/200...kwa-adobo.html
http://walkingtower.blogspot.com/200...kwa-adobo.html


