/ck/ - Food & Cooking

It would help if you specified what kind of tofu. Contrary to popular belief they're not all the same.

I fry it up in a pan and serve it with rice, veggies, kimchi and spicy korean sauce.

i eat that shit plain, fucking delicious

>>4495906
This.
Firm tofu is very good stewed with stuff. You can make the northeastern Chinese version of mapo tofu with it. It's somewhere between the Korean version and the original Sichuanese version. The tofu is cubed then washed briefly and allowed to drip dry until it's no longer dripping but it's still moist. It's then tossed with prickly ash and Chinese/Korean-style hot paprika powders until it's well-coated.
Finally, pork mince is crumble-cooked with garlic and ginger, the tofu is added and cooked and Chinese pork broth is added to cover.
It's then reduced a bit and flavoured with chili bean paste, which acts as something of a thickener, as well.
Lastly, thicken with a little arrowroot starch (not corn nor potato) and serve. It should be bright red, almost see-through, flavourful, spicy and pungent.

>>4495906
mm well i'm not sure about the kind... it says "ready to cook".

>>4495951
Looks like the hard kind.

>>4495951
Are you living in France ? Is this the tofu you bought ? Seems like Carrefour.
This tofu from big supermarkets in France was always the worst in my opinion. Crumbly, taste like shit, hard to cook.Since then, I only bought it in Asian supermarket. Is much better.

>>4495960
Yeah France here. And I know it is shit, it is hard and kinda "sandy" but it was the only thing they had.

Anyway.. ideas? What would you do with it? inb4 throw it and get an asian one.

>>4495897
Fried topped off with soy sauce diced green onions and chili flakes
Eat with rice

>>4495970
Fried with much spices, vegetables.
Or for this kind of tofu, use it crumbled as a meat substitute in some traditional recipe (bolognaise ? hachis parmentier ? lasagne ? stew ?)

Anyway, tofu can taste really nice, so don't bother if it isn't the case this time.

Fry it but don't stir it around, just let it sit in the frying pan for five minutes each side.

>>4496007
Also if you have time, wrap it in kitchen towels and leave it under light pressure (3 soup tins on top of a bread board is good) for 3+ hours before cooking. You can then marinade it, and it'll have much more texture.

>>4495897
>Also, This is NOT a vegetarian thread.

Wrap it in bacons.

Dry fry it!
http://melissaraydavis.hubpages.com/hub/How_to_Cook_Tofu_Like_the_Pros
I do it all the time, it's my favorite way to eat tofu. Great in a sandwich with mustard and tomatoes, great in salad, great in stir fry, with noodles, dipped in guacamole, inside a spring roll, etc., etc.

Marinating after dry-frying is a god idea if the toasted soy flavor isn't enough for you, and the parched tofu soaks it up extra well without falling apart.

>>4495897
my recipe for firm tofu, fried:

1. cut tofu into cubes
2. marinade in soy sauce, chili, a little bit of vinegar, sesame oil, sugar and sherry you can also add hoj sin sauce or other stirring sauce if you have it/like it
3. mix some flour with spices (four spices powder or garam masala)
4.coat marinaded tofu with flour mixture
5.flash fry in olive or peanut oil until golden on all sides
6. reduce heat and add some onion, garlic and szechuan pepper
7.cool down with marinade or soy sauce, add some hoisin sauce
8 serve

>>4496026
HA!

>>4495897
my recipe for firm tofu, fried:

1. cut tofu into cubes
2. marinade in soy sauce, chili, a little bit of vinegar, sesame oil, sugar and sherry or sake you can also add hoj sin sauce or other stirring sauce if you have it/like it
3. mix some flour with spices (four spices powder or garam masala)
4.coat marinated tofu with flour mixture
5.flash fry in olive or peanut oil until golden on all sides
6. reduce heat and add some onion, garlic and szechuan pepper
7.cool down with marinade or soy sauce, add some hoisin sauce and spring onions
8 serve with vegetables and or rice

the longer you marinade it, the better

>>4496142
also add some cashews or peanuts

If you're got to be a retard that doesn't eat meat atleast stay away from soy too. It's fucking bad for you.

>>4496397

>citation needed

>Cut into cubes
>toss in salt, pepper, garlic salt and cornflour
>Deep fry
>serve with a soy and chilly dipping sauce.
yum yum

>>4496051

The "dry fry it" article is good, but the same idea works fine with a bit of oil, if you don't have a good non-stick pan.

In the US, tofu is usually labeled soft, medium, firm, or sometimes extra-soft or extra-firm, unless it's got more esoteric foreign descriptions of its type. Softer tofus are generally used in soups or crumbled, while fried tofu works better with firmer tofu.

Tofu's flavor is very mild...I wouldn't say flavorless, but it's like chicken or white bread or pasta, where most flavor comes from its accompaniments.

Triangles are a good shape for turning them over in a frying pan. It sounds silly, but it helps. Aside from usual flipping, depending on thickness and firmness, you can usually just push down diagonally on a triangle's longest edge to coax a piece to flip.

Here's my basic stir-fry approach:

1. Cut tofu into 1cm-thick triangles, and fry with a bit of oil on medium-high heat, flipping once when a side turns a bit golden.

2. Put the cooked tofu on a plate and start cooking some sliced onions and chopped ginger and/or garlic for a couple minutes, possibly with a bit more oil.

3. Throw in a main vegetable, like chopped broccoli, along with a splash of water to prevent burning, and cover, stirring occasionally until it's the consistency you like.

3. Put the tofu back in, add a good amount of soy sauce, a spoonful of sugar, and maybe a bit of rice vinegar or lemon juice, cooking and stirring on low heat for another 30 seconds or so.

Staggering the ingredients gives you great control over how cooked they are, and lets you prep the next step as the current step is cooking. (I.e. chop onions while tofu is cooking, chop broccoli while onions are cooking).

>>4496397

Plenty of omnivores eat tofu, americlap.

>>4495897
Pour a bit of soy sauce on it.
Eat that shit.

I can't even fathom being a vegetarian in a country with such a refined culinary culture as France.

>>4497219

What does that have to do with this thread at all?

>>4495951
I lol'd

Another trick for firming it up is to press it, freeze it, defrost when needed, and press it again.

After freezing, it's not just firmer - it has a more... fibrous texture, I guess. YMMV.

>>4497230
That fact that OP is French and eating vegetarian.

>>4498377
>This is NOT a vegetarian thread

>OP is French and eating vegetarian

God forbid you don't eat meat exclusively, you fucking autist.