What i do with Tofu?

[GateauxFabulous]

I just want to use it quickly in lunches eg in a salad but how do you make it taste good? How do you add flavour to it? I've never used it before :-)

Watching with interest I have heard people stir frying in with soy sauce etc but hoping for more inspiration!

Tofu is tricky because it can be really bland and the texture is a bit of an acquired taste, I tend to use it in place of chicken in asian dishes with strong flavoured dressings or sauces, e.g. pad thai, teriyaki, tom yum soup - ideally marinade it the night before, I usually chop it into cubes and do a marinade of soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic and chilli and leave in the fridge overnight, it soaks up the flavours quite well. Or if marinading is too much faff you can buy ready flavoured ones. Then to cook I cook my vegetables, noodles/rice and sauce as per usual/following the recipe, fry the tofu at the last minute as quickly as possible over a high heat, it only takes a few minutes to cook (careful not to break it up too much by stirring, if it sticks to the pan add more oil).

If you want it in a salad I would definitely try and add a nice asian-y dressing with lots of sesame oil and I'm not sure how nice it would be cold so you probably need to cook fresh...

If you want it in a salad press it, cube it, toss in a mixture of a little oil seasoning (I used smoked paprika, ground coriander and cumin), cornflour, salt and pepper, then bake it on a baking sheet, roll them around a bit now and then so they don't stick. They're yummy. Tofu also goes great in the air fryer. I also press it then thinly slice, marinate for about 30 mins in a mixture of soy sauce, maple syrup, smoked paprika and fry it hot for a few mins each side, then have in sandwiches with lettuce and tomatoes. Put the blower on because the maple catches. So yummy.

Also if you bake as above but with curry powder you can add to a veg curry at the last minute, delicious!

en.christinesrecipes.com/2014/12/salt-pepper-tofu.html

This is yummy and not hard to do.

If you freeze tofu and then defrost before using it tends to have a firmer texture. Also, the extra firm is best if you want cubes. The softer ones tend to disintegrate.

I'm also a fan of baking it. Marinade first - any asian/mexican marinade you would use with chicken works well.

I chop into cubes, coat in cornflour, salt/pepper/spice and shallow fry til crispy, i sometimes then bake in oven to firm up. I then add to salads, stir fry, thai curry, etc. I find it fine to eat cold like this.
I tend to do a batch/ block like this and add to lunches during week

You can buy cauldron already flavoured tofu cubes which are nice cold.

Thanks all!

I used to marinade (firm) tofu in mirin, sesame oil, soy sauce, chopped spring onion, and fresh ginger and chopped garlic. You can flash fry it in a piping hot pan (almost like deep frying, so that there's a nice layer of sesame oil and vegetable oil together in the hot pan). The outside of the tofu will go a little golden if it's nice, firm tofu. It can be gorgeous with some brown rice and steamed broccoli. Cooled down, you can use it in a Chinese 'chicken' salad.

I have it raw in salads, but it's nice cooked too. You just need to press it between two weighted plates for half an hour, then chop it into cubes and marinate in some strong flavours - my favourite combo is vinegar, lemon juice, salt, garlic powder, nutritional yeast and herbs. It tastes lovely though you do need plenty of salt.

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/food/2020/jan/22/how-to-cook-the-perfect-mapo-tofu-recipe-felicity-cloake
The best thing to do with Tofu!

Loads of great suggestions here. I tend to go heavy on the marinades as it soaks up flavour so well and/or the making it really crispy route. This crispy peanut baked tofu is one of my favourite recipes and that site has lots of other great suggestions for what to do with tofu

minimalistbaker.com/baked-crispy-peanut-tofu/

Marinade in mix of soy sauce and teriyaki sauce and fry then stir fry some veg and noodles with same sauce And scatter fried tofu over top. Will reheat next day for lunch ok

I coat in cornflower then fry, sprinkle with a bit of salt and eat cold the next day with salad/rice