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.

@likelysuspect , I’ve had a journey with tofu over a few decades. It’s not a natural friend. It’s one of those people you meet and initially are not drawn to, you just don’t think they’re anywhere near funky enough. Then you realise what an epic friend they are! They are just generally always making you feel so good. In the end you understand that your wonderful if slightly dull friend who is epically solid and supportive is happy to party! It’s all good when the party starts.
ie tofu tastes of nothing but is way more acceptable in the right sauce/ marinade.

Lentils and rice, beans and rice so many more veg dishes you can do tofu is an acquired taste

It is not translated that way in my language. Everyone does not speak english. I will cry for years over your tofu dislike and be sad what you are missing. 🤣

Try putting it into the freezer then drain of the liquid as it thaws then repeat. I think the hairy bikers did this.
Improves the texture no end and helps absorb flavours from the spices

I love tofu. I actually prefer the less firm tofu I buy from my local Chinese grocery store. I love the flavour.

1. People in the uk do not cook it right...

1. For some reason most UK supermarkets sell a very narrow range that includes only types of tofu that English people are going to find the hardest to adapt to..

When I've brought my English family to China who don't like tofu, they start to eat crispy, textured, nice stuff and ask what it is.. before learning that it is the dreaded tofu...

Here, there are as many types of tofu as bread. All with different textures and uses. Saying you don't like tofu sounds crazy because one type is so different from another. It's like saying you don't like cake. All cake, any cake.

That all said, the reverse is true for many other countries. I've heard loads of people outside of the uk say how they hate X food type, that isn't from their country, and really it is because it doesn't match well with their countries cooking methods, and their countries supermarket/restaurant version of it is awful...

I despise the stuff. Nothing makes it better

Lentils aren't comparable to tofu for protein content relative to carbs. If your tofu is crap then you're cooking it wrong, sorry

I can only cope with smoked tofu tbh

If you don't speak English and are using a translator, why are you correcting people's spelling?

What is your first language, btw? Because I don't believe that the words for pore and pour sound the same in every language.

What if you just don’t like the flavour of tofu, however brilliantly it is cooked?

I have eaten it cooked by professionals in East and Southeast Asia. In good restaurants here. In the homes of very good cooks here. I have followed many authentic methods and recipes cooking it for my veggie Dc.

However it is cooked and however it is marinated , I do not like the intrinsic sickly flavour. Sort of sickly without being sweet.

No other food seems to attract such evangelists determined that everyone would like it if only they cooked it correctly.

If you just don't like it then fine! But the reason people bang on about cooking it properly is because most people don't, and then complain about it being bland or sloppy or like 'putty' (wtf) which can only mean they are cooking it wrong if it turns out any of those things. When it's cooked properly it is completely different. If you've tried it cooked well and you don't like it then fair play.

No other food seems to attract such evangelists determined that everyone would like it if only they cooked it correctly.

Do any other foods get people making threads about how much they hate it but continue to use it and then tell us they hate it some more? This is just another thread to try to bash vegetarian and vegan foods, there are a lot of those about.

Cooked in the right way, tofu isn’t bland, so OP and others saying that are wrong. But whether she cooks it well to make it flavoursome or continues to make it bland, she doesn’t have to like it or eat it. It’s the insistence that it’s bland regardless of how it’s cooked that is weird, because it’s not true. And that is what leads me to believe this is just another vegetarian/vegan bashing thread.

Apparently you’re meant to freeze it twice - I’ve never tried it but that’s meant to be the trick
i just marinade mine, stick it in the oven and coat in sesame seeds and it tastes pretty good to me.

Thank you. Make sure you pray for me too.

If you don't like tofu you don't need to eat it. There are lots of other things you can eat which aren't meat.

However I'd recommend rolling it in cornflour and frying (if that's not what you are already doing) and adding into a delicious sauce.

This is a wonderful recipe:

https://thefirstmess.com/2022/08/17/blackberry-glazed-tofu-black-pepper-chili/

Oh it’s vile. The silken tofu makes a passable cheesecake but otherwise it just tastes of disappointment.

had it once in a restaurant and it was like scrambled egg in a leather coating. 🤢🤢🤢

People have prob already said this, but tofu itself is flavorless. What it does is absorb the flavors of the sauce it is in. Fry it up and then add it to a sauce and continue to cook it in that. It’ll be delicious.

I thought we were buying bad batches of tofu for a while or the recipe had been changed by the manufacturer. Then I realised H had been cooking and frying the tofu. Putting it aside and only adding it to the meal right before serving. That’s why it was rank.

It needs to cook in the sauce to get flavor.

I grate it, cover it in spices used in Mexican food ie fajitas, fry it and use in burritos or quesadillas. Gorge crispy!

Tofu and halloumi shouldn't exist imo!

There’s a takeaway near me that does fantastic tofu and I’ve tried many times to get it the same at home. It’s crispy and extremely spongey so it soaks up masses of the sauce it’s in. I just wish I knew how they do it!

It's worth persevering. Think of it as a sponge, you need to drown it in flavour. Our favourites are tofu kebabs - peel it into slices and add a packet of Schwartz kebab flavouring and air fry it - then have in flatbread with salad and chilli sauce. Then tofu tacos were amazing the other night. You grate it up and once soaked in some flavours you air fry it and add to a chipotle sauce - you couldn't tell it wasn't beef.

I marinate it (in soy, miso paste, ginger, honey, crispy chillies, like) first then dust in cornflour and fry. Lovely and crispy!
Eat with stirfry veg.

I can’t tell if @likelysuspect and @Isthisfunyet are having a pass agg argument or actually flirting. Are you guys married?

Anyway thanks for the recipe ideas. I also like the Ottalenghi black pepper recipe.

I made this recently which was very easy in my food mixer. Even fussy children enjoyed.

Ive been vegan for thirty years so I’ve eaten a lot of tofu. Honestly, if I wasn’t vegan, I’d never touch it again. It’s just a tasteless blob of nothingness. Unless it’s coated with sweet sticky sauce and fried which makes it very unhealthy.