Is tofu for you?
If you’re looking for a tasty, nutrititious alternative to meat, try some of these dishes
By Andrew Z. Galarneau
Updated: 04/30/08 7:16 AM
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- Cubes of tofu, sauteed until golden and tossed with vegetables and teriyaki sauce, is a favorite of the Forgette family of Buffalo.
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The place on Kenmore Avenue had a sign saying “Chinese vegetarian restaurant,” so Dawn Lewandowski figured she’d try this soybean-based food she’d heard about: tofu.
A decade later, she still laughs about what she got: a plate of flabby, flavorless stuff that was a sharp disappointment for a beginning vegetarian.
“I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, I don’t like it,’” Lewandowski said. She had company; a few months later, she remembers, the word “meat” was scrawled on the restaurant’s sign. It didn’t save the business.
Lots of Americans have heard about tofu, the inexpensive source of nutritious, cholesterol-free protein produced from curdled soybean milk. But for every tofu rookie who has tried it and loved it, there’s one who found it gross. With families searching for healthy options, more meat-eating families are choosing to put tofu into regular rotation.
They’re even finding success in feeding the white enigma to ostensibly picky kids. It’s all in how you cook it, say local tofu fans — including Lewandowski, whose husband and two children enjoy tofu sauteed in peanut sauce, scrambled for breakfast and imbued with meaty texture for “boneless spare ribs” made without any pig parts.
Of course, the easiest way to get children to eat tofu is to feed it to them with their first finger foods, said Efrat Forgette, a Buffalo mother of two.
“I grew up eating tofu, so it was something I was very familiar with,” Forgette said. “I don’t think my husband was, but he was very willing to try. It’s all in the preparation.”
Her children’s favorite tofu dish is simple. Extra-firm tofu is cubed, then browned in olive oil with minced garlic and ginger. Vegetables like broccoli, water chestnuts and baby corn are sauteed, then rejoined by the browned tofu and a dose of bottled sauce. (Forgette is partial to Soy Vey’s “Very Very Teriyaki.”)
Tofu is a blank canvas that cooks can paint with chosen flavors, said Lewandowski.
“For most people who have not eaten tofu, I would say make sure you marinate it well,” she said, “or cook it in a flavorful sauce, because it absorbs the flavors of what it’s cooked with.”
It’s bland by itself, said Annie Adams, an Elmwood Avenue jewelry designer who started eating more tofu about two years ago. Crumble a cake of firm tofu into chili like you would add ground beef, though, and it soaks up so much flavor that lots of people won’t know the difference.
About a year ago, Adams said her husband and two daughters started eating vegetarian “about 75 percent of the time.” The benefits were obvious, Adams said: “We feel better. We feel healthier. We lost weight.”
Incorporating tofu into the family diet wasn’t hard for her, because “I cook with a lot of spices, a lot of flavor — onions and garlic and ginger,” Adams said. “If it was just serving tofu on a plate and some brown rice, nobody would go for it. It has tons of flavor.”
But simple can work as well. Adams’ daughters Lucy, 11, and Flora, 8, like “tofu pillows,” the family’s name for cubes of firm tofu sauteed in olive oil and soy sauce until golden brown. Drain them on a paper towel, and the girls go for them like Tofu McNuggets.
Once the province of health food stores and co-ops, tofu can now be purchased in most supermarkets. It typically comes in various textures, from soft or silken to extra-firm. Most Western recipes where the tofu stands on its own or as a replacement for meat call for firm or extra-firm.
Since it comes packed in water, the spongy tofu is typically squeezed gently or carefully pressed before use to expel water. To bring out even more of a chewy, meatlike texture, many tofu users freeze blocks of tofu and then thaw them out, which toughens its texture.
Simple 10-minute Tofu
1 block extra-firm tofu, sliced 1/4-inch
1/2 cup flour Vegetable oil Sauces, including barbecue, hoisin, soy and ketchup
Roll sliced tofu in flour and shake off excess. Barely coat bottom of skillet with vegetable oil over medium heat. Cook tofu until golden and crunchy, about about 5 minutes per side, adding more oil if pan is dry. Dip in desired sauce. Feeds three hungry Galarneau kids.
Orange Chicken-Style Tofu
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 block extra firm tofu, drained For the sauce:
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 scallions, chopped
3/8 cupwater
1/8 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon vinegar
1/8 cupsoysauce
1/8 to 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
Pinch red pepper flakes, or 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Cut tofu into 3/4-inch cubes and saute in 2 tablespoons oil until browned. Drain.
Put other tablespoon of oil in pan over medium heat. Saute garlic and scallion until they are soft. Blend cornstarch and water in a glass and set aside. Add water, orange juice concentrate, lemon juice, vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, and pepper flakes, bring to a boil, and add half of the cornstarch slurry. It will thicken and get glossy as it cooks; if you want thicker sauce, add the rest of the slurry and cook for another 5 minutes.
Toss tofu with sauce. Serve with steamed broccoli and rice.
Sesame-Crusted Tofu Salad With Citrus Vinaigrette
For the marinade:
3 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon water Dash mirin (optional)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/4 cup minced ginger
1/4 cup chopped chives (optional)
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/8 cup olive oil, more or less
4 cakes firm tofu, frozen overnight, then thawed
Whip all ingredients except tofu and sesame seeds in a bowl, whip to blend, and set aside.
Squeeze as much water as possible from tofu cakes. Slice into 1/4-inch thick slices (easier when still partly frozen). Press out all water possible.
Press tofu into sesame seeds on a plate. Coat skillet or griddle with olive oil and saute tofu until golden on both sides. Pour marinade sparingly on tofu. Tofu will keep a week in fridge.
Dressing
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon vinegar (rice wine or sherry)
2 tablespoons lime juice Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon honey (optional) Green salad
6 ounces mesclun field mix (10 loosely packed cups)
1/4 cup torn mint leaves
1/4 cup torn basil leaves
1/2 cup shredded red cabbage
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes
In a large bowl, mix the vinegar with lime juice, extra-virgin olive oil, honey. Season with salt and pepper. Add the greens, mint, basil and toss to coat. Mound salad in shallow bowls or on plates and scatter tomatoes all around. Transfer warm prepared sesame-crusted tofu to the salad bowls and serve.
(This salad is a complete meal. Tofu prepared as above can be stored in the refrigerator and used like cold cuts in wraps and sandwiches.)
(Recipe is from Tru-Teas’ Trudy Stern)
