Why do I still persist with Tofu?

[likelysuspect]

Every now and then I give it a bash, thinking its good for me, less meat as they say

Bought some again today, overpriced in some fancy grocers

As usual, its a nice texture but no matter how crispy I made it (I fried it), just nothing, no flavour

Ive served it with a really spicy stew I had in the freezer already so to some degree the blandness is ok

I know people say to flavour it up, but then Ive got to add a load of oil to it and when frying I find the spices or herbs burn. And then to be honest it just tastes of bland, with a coating, the blandness still endures.

For firm tofu I like it in the form of pockets as pp described, stuffed with rice; inari.
I also like pre-fried chunks in Chinese or japanese style hotpot/steamboat with rehydrated shitake mushrooms and some kind of meat like belly pork or ribs and hair moss. the tofu absorbs the broth and is nice and chewy.

I mostly eat silken tofu though.
I make a soup with a smoked tuna broth lots of ginger and garlic, sesame oil, spring onions and preserved mustard greens which are sour. At the last minute you break the tofu up into large clumps and add to the soup, sometimes throw some fishballs or udon in aswell. It's quick and comforting.

I also love to make dango/ mochi with silken tofu and have a bag of them in the freezer to fry up and eat with caramel sauce as a treat.

I wouldnt normally have bought the expensive stuff but it was either that or the alfalfa sprouts or the overpriced not chocolate bars. It was that sort of place, you know how it is.

'oh I'll just take a look, see whats in here'

It's crap.

Just use lentils instead of you want veggie protein

I am not the one who started a thread about my hatred for tofu .... I mean Tofu really doesn't need your outright hatred either. People are helpfully suggesting ways to cook it and you keep claiming you are a master chef and nothing works. Billions of people over time aren't wrong about tofu. YABVU to argue with every suggestion on here. You don't like it so don't buy it. This whole thread is bizarre. But thanks to the other posters for the lovely recipes.

Dear oh dear, calm down Tofu Ambassador

Its a chat forum, dont take things so seriously.

If you can evidence anywhere in any of my posts my 'hatred' let alone 'outright hatred' that would be great

Ive got all night, not doing anything other than the washing up now.

By the way Im not a master chef, or even a Master Chef (Im not on tonight's episode anyway), but I am a very good cook. Its ok to say that and still not really have a preference for an item that you've cooked umpteen times.

I'm a chunks of Tofu fan but I made a recipe with grated tofu the other night and it was really good. I'll try to find it.

Tempeh n the other hand. THAT I can never get on board with.

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1027269-i-cant-believe-its-not-chicken-super-savory-grated-tofu?unlocked_article_code=1.JFA.p9tv.qnaQIcAqx3m_&smid=share-url I wonder if this will work.

I love tofu and I’m not even vegetarian

Same! I eat it almost every day 😂 I get through tons of the stuff. I love it in a stir fry with soy sauce, garlic, vinegar and chilli mmmmmm

I can’t stand tofu.

I have tried all the recipes and techniques, marinading it, crispy caramelising it with all the spices etc, but the peculiarly bland sickliness pervades. A weird sickly taste that cannot be wiped out.

Tofu isn’t compulsory. I have moved on.

Honestly those who hate tofu are not making it correctly.

Nope, we just don’t like it.

It’s allowed.

Agree. Yes, I cook chickpeas with other interesting flavours, but they still have a taste. Same for lentils. Tofu can be a void in a sea of flavour. Flour you don't tend to eat as a thing you can distinguish.

Yes I tend to cook with wholemeal and older grains like spelt so I was thinking of that scent and how it makes the bread taste at the end. Very wheaty. Nice.

The Tofoo Stirfry one (red pack… it’s pre-marinated) is delicious!

Yes, spelt does lend a warm nuttiness.

I've made it and we tend to dial down the chilis and black pepper a bit, think the spring onions are legit though. Agree it looks bonkers but you have to trust it, it's amazing.

Drain the tofu and cut into small (2cm ish) cubes/chunks.
Put into a heatproof (pyrex or similar) bowl and add enough boiling liquid stock to cover it (I use Knorr chicken) add a little salt and a couple of tsp garlic and onion powder too and give it a good stir.
Leave it to marinade for at least an hour (or several - usually marinade mine at lunchtime to make for dinner)
Drain out the stock and fry the cubes in a frying pan. They should turn a lovely golden brown on the outside but still be nice and squishy inside.
Eat them as they are or add them to your sauce of choice (teriyaki is always a hit) and enjoy!

Tofu is about seasoning. I've taken salads into work this week. Lots of chopped kale and spinach and radishes, oven roasted diced tofu and sweet potato, a packet of mixed grains. None of this has a lot of flavor. The seasoning is a mix of white miso paste, chilies, fresh ginger, soy sauce and agave with some fage fat free yogurt. The sauce isn't nice straight away, or at least I find the miso overpowering at first, but left overnight, the next day it's a delicious treat. The tofu gives the salad more bite and is filling. I put a dollop of cottage cheese on top.

Marinate it before you cook it, for a few hours at least. I press and chop a whole block at a time and put it in a Tupperware with vinegar, salt, nooch, garlic powder and lemon juice and it's bloody delicious. Fried and added to dishes or just raw in salad. So much flavour! 2tsps of salt per block and quantities of the other ingredients are up to you

Go to your Chinese and have salt and pepper tofu. I dont know how they do it, but it's bloody delicious 😋

Try smoked tofu for flavour. Or tempeh - also made from soy beans but really nutty flavour and more bite. Really nutrient dense.

I tear tofu into bitesize chunks instead of chop, then coat in cornflour with salt, pepper and spices, and shallow fry. Crispy and delicious!

Someone made me a tofu scramble once and said "it tastes exactly like scrambled eggs". There are no words.

I love tofu, if it’s smoked or marinated I can eat the whole block cold as a snack🤗

Top tip for the tofoo extra firm blocks is to rip it into smaller pieces rather than cutting… it changes the texture when it gets crispy so there’s less of that bland chewiness you describe

The Aldi sweet chilli one is good when you can find it (rare)!