Kevin's Watch

I've had a craving for tofu lately, but have never prepared it before. I had some last semester that was amazing, but I don't know how it had been prepared... other than the professor was a Canadian immigrant of Muslim Indian origin, which means he might well have been using a Japanese recipie as anything actually Indian... you get the idea. I've never, before or since, had tofu that stood so well on its own, without being fired or stirred into something else.

Anybody have any recipies that actually make it taste like something other than bean curd without having to make it as part of a dish? Because the only vegetables in this house right now that are canned beans, corn and peas, and I've already suffered through my monthly grocery run.

Alynna : I usually use mine in a stir fry. but here is a link to multi-prep site.

www.tofu.com/recipes.html

the dips sound great, I'm going to try them!

I decided since I had some time today to go through some older posts in this forum, as I love to cook and read about cooking. I wonder how I missed this thread before.

Most of my recipes are like Sarge's, so I can't help there. But I have bought smoked tofu that is pretty awesome on it's own. It has a brown rind in the package. And tofutti cream cheese is pretty good too. Not to mention the tofutti cuties ('ice cream' sandwiches). Have you seen these in your stores, Alynna?

The GF sometimes roasts smoked tofu essentially on its own, or in a roasting pan with vegetables.

--A

Haven't ventured into the tofu section of the store lately, but I did run across another interesting meat alternative, and I was wondering if anybody had any experience with it: Quorn. I believe that's the only company that makes the stuff, which is a mycoprotein - a protein derived from a fungus, processed into a useable form. Not vegan, as it uses eggs as a binding agent, but apparently this is the great, new meat subsitute, at least in the US. Europe's had the stuff for something like ten years.

So, anybody try this stuff? I'm put off because the predominate marketed form seems to be chicken-flavored, and I hate chicken. Looking to see if there are other flavors, or if the stuff comes unflavored a la tofu.

Quorn is da-BOMB! I have a vegetarian friend who makes all meat receipes, even ones cooked in a crockpot, substituting the appropriate type of Quorn for the meat specified in the dish.

They have a turkey roll type of Quorn, meatballs, and ground crumbles Quorn as well.

www.quorn.us//cmpage.aspx?pageid=461&productrangeid=16
www.quorn.us//cmpage.aspx?pageid=471

i used to make a spinach and red pepper salad at a restuarant with a thai peanut- coconut dressing, i would top the salad with apples pieces and my own sauteed tofu. this tofu can be used in a lot of recipes but i warn: it is very difficult to stop eating.

first, freeze your tofu.

next, thaw your tofu.

then, chop your tofu into bite-sized squares.

ok, make the sauce:1 part soy sauce to 3 parts oyster sauce and a teensy bit(a few drops) of roasted sesame oil.

now, sautee your tofu(hot pan cold oil)in peanut oil until it becomes golden. you may have to add a little more oil because since you froze your tofu it now has a poreous texture instead of a squishy one.

add some sauce now, the tofu will soak most of it up so add some more and sautee and let the sauce carmelize onto the tofu.

now that your tofu is kinda sticky sprinkle on some toasted sesame seeds and sautee till they start to pop.

almost done, with one hand sauteeing the tofu, use the other to sprinkle on enough rice flour to coat and keep sauteeing until rice flour is cooked(a few seconds). this keeps the sauce and juices inside your tofu and coats it.

yeah, i know it sounds like a lot but it really takes only five minutes apart from freezing and thawing. i usually keep some sauce mixed up in the fridge and lots of toasted sesame seeds on hand.

CRAVING TOFU!!! Are you mad!!? That's like craving water torture or somethig!!!

Quorn, on the other hand, is great.

Marvin, I would seriously suspect tofu made in this manner could launch an intense craving in nearly anyone.

Bob, this sounds amaaaaaazing...

bloodguard bob wrote:sautee your tofu(hot pan cold oil)

"Food won't stick!!!"

(g-ds, I miss The Frug...)

Speaking of vegetarian/vegan dishes...

How did Jenn's sampler prep for the rehearsal dinner come out? Did the balsamic reduction for the caprese come out OK?

yeah i thought all the salads were yummers although the wild rice salad was vetoed. i thought the caprece was great. one grape tomato, one basil, one mozz on a toothpick? genius. it stops folks from picking out all the mozzerella and leaving a pile of tomatoes. jenn eyed the balsamic reduction to about half but it went a liitle too long, maybe to about hard ball so it was balsamic caramel. we heated it so it worked. the bbq and kabobs were awsome. by the way the only toothpicks we found had mexican flags on 'em so they matched the tomato, mozz, basil. real cool. i made some cakes, carrot, butter, and devil's food.
( i miss jeff, too.)

Quorn? Try it without the aromatic agents and see if you like it!

I only drink things from fermentor tanks. I don't eat it. Or perhaps I'd reconsider if someone found out how to grow truffle mycelium in fermentors...

www.mold-help.org/content/view/643/

Bob, I will have to try that tofu recipe. I didn't realise that the secret to making tofu taste like anything was to freeze it first...

Yeah, not really impressed with the Quorn thing. I have nothing against fungus as a food ("Shitake stew, shitake salad, shitake stir-fry... shitakes on ice!"), but I'm not too keen on eating things made by people with bad business ethics. 'cause yeah, "mushroom in origin" is a hell of a stretch.