Bought tofu on a whim - what to do with it?

[dinoswore]

Especially useful if you have a use for it that fussy small children will like but they can have beans on toast if they don't so please give me your favourite tofu recipes.

in advance.

Is it the wet stuff or the dry stuff?

Did you get soft, medium firm or extra firm?

What kind of tofu?
Silken or firm?
Plain, or flavoured? :)

Stir fry. Just replace the meat with it.

Erm... It just says 'Cauldron original tofu.' It came from the chilled aisle, it seems to be wet as it's in a packet that feels like there's some water in it (reminds me of mozzarella pack. Definitely not flavoured.

Have no idea if its silken or firm. The packet recommends I press it before using, to firm up the texture.

Right :)
Take it out of packet and put it on a chopping board, place another one on top, and a pan of water on top of that. Leave it for at least half an hour to firm up/compress - quite a lot of water should drain out, so do this on a draining board!

I then cube it fairly small and shallow fry it on 2-3 sides - it will be crispy on the outside and squidgy inside. I then use it in a thai curry - it has absolutely no flavour on its own, so you need to cook it in a fairly strong flavoured sauce - by not frying all sides, it allows some flavour to soak in.

Have probably x-posted with many by now!!

You can make a rather nice chocolate cheesecake with it...

oh, drain cubes on kitchen roll to dry it out as much as possible :)

Yes to what Huevos said, especially to the not tasting of anything on its own - though you can buy smoked and marinated tofus. I use it in hot, sour Asian-y broths for myself, but my fussy, spice-hating toddler likes it plain, just fried in cubes and tossed in with egg-fried rice with vegetables. I like it as a quick meal just sprinkled with chopped spring onions and soy sauce.

We also slice it thinly, dip in fine polenta, fry and eat with a dipping sauce made of soy sauce, rice wine and lots of fiery chilli.

Cut tofu into cubes, place on a dish add a tablespoon of soy sauce and a teaspoon of sesame oil sprinkle with chopped spring onions or chives. Give it a good stir and enjoy.

Definitely best squeezed to remove excess water (I use kitchen towel), then marinate to add flavour before cooking. I do similar to Mumzy, cutting into cubes but adding chopped ginger and garlic as well as soy sauce and sesame oil. I then roast in the oven for 20 mins or so, turning so they're evenly browned. Or you can marinate then fry. (Another option is to cut strips, squeeze out excess water, then marinate in e.g. soy sauce, a little tom sauce, oil and paprika, then fry.)

In summary, squeeze your tofu and add whatever flavours you fancy before cooking. You can also freeze tofu before cooking to give it an interesting texture.

Like GoogleyEyes I also make a chocolate 'cheesecake' with tofu, although silken tofu (comes in a small tetra pak) is best for that.

Definitely press it first like others have said. You can make an easy marinade with marmite, ketchup and soy sauce then bake and serve like a burger.

Drain and press it as below then use it to make this which is gorgeous.

Otherwise drain and press as before then dip slices of it into a mixture of oil, soy sauce and five spice powder and roast until crispy. Then use in a Thai curry or stir fry.

Put it in the bin.

trust me

Carefully remove from packaging, sniff it, then do as gallicgirl suggests. Anything you might use it for would be nicer with chicken, or spam or anything else that isn't tofu, in my opinion. I have a problem with tofu's texture that I just can't get past.

Cut into 'fingers' and marinade with soya sauce and sesame seeds. I either griddle it or dry fry until crispy. My little carnivore loves it.

I don't press it - I tried it once and it fell to public pieces!

Haha yeah lol Gallicgirl and chemenger ... Except maybe not so helpful - I wouldn't post such useful tips on a "what should I do with this lamb mince?" or fish, or chicken drumsticks etc post. But hey :)

But good point - don't assume that you will love it! It has no flavour! Less than chicken, definitely less than fish, prawns, lamb, beef, anything you can think of really!

So there has to be some reason you are eating it? It would be a shame for you to cook a meal and then be disappointed because it didn't taste of chicken..

Hope you enjoyed whatever you cooked :)

I hate the flobby texture if it's left in bigger bits.

I like it sliced very thinly and fried so it goes crispy. I fry in some soy sauce to give it some flavour.

I made this slow cooker tofu and chick pea curry recently and we both really liked it!

delishknowledge.com/slow-cooker-butter-chickpeas/

Ooh that curry looks yum. Thanks for posting I'll definitely be trying that.