- January 28, 2022
Where to start with tofu?
Tofu tofu tofu. This mysterious protein source can seem incredibly daunting when you first look at it. And can make you question where do I start when it comes to tofu.
You have probably heard the horror stories. Seen pictures of a white soggy mass being weighed down by a Jamie Oliver cookbook and 6 tins of baked beans. Maybe you have even personally experienced horrible tofu at that one friend’s house who was ‘trying to be healthy’. But we are here to take all of those fears away and show you the possibilities that tofu has and how to make the most of out of this protein powerhouse.
Tofu’s history is long and seeped in culture. With this has come centuries of lots of tofu, taking all different shapes sizes and textures. This can make picking the right tofu for the job quite hard for a novice, as well as causing confusion on how best to cook it.
SO firm tofu, silken, EXTRA FIRM tofu. What does it all mean? Tofu is an ingredient made from soybeans, created in a similar process to cheese making. So just like cheese, depending on the recipe used, a different type of tofu will be created. This could be a firmer tofu that is solid in structure and doesnt crumble easily, all the way to silken which is soft and almost wobbles like jelly.
At The Tofoo Co, we make extra firm tofu. This means we have prepressed it for a firmer bite (so no need for the cookbook and the baked beans) This also means that our tofu does not soak up as much water as other kinds of tofu as it’s a lot less porous. This makes it great to use in curries, pastas, stir fry’s and even as a pizza topping! This makes firm tofu very different to the puffy tofu you get in Thai restaurants, in case you need the comparison. Silken tofu is a smooth creamy product, almost like panacotta. This has amazing application in desserts and creamy sauces. But it is also very traditional to eat silken tofu raw with an amazing chilli sauce.
Now you have chosen your tofu what do you do with it?
We always find instead of looking at a block of tofu and thinking, what the heck can I do with this. We think of a recipe and go let’s put tofu in that. Seriously any dish tofu can work! Just open the packet and get going.
Tofu can be fried, scrambled, baked, sautéed, blended, grated… the world is your tofu oyster. Start by trying to tofu-ifi your favourite recipes as a starting point. Keep the recipes simple and remember flavour is your friend. Our website is not short on great recipes if you need some inspiration to get started.
Top Tips to Tofu Excellence
Cook it, don’t cook it – you’re the MASTER of your own Tofoo.
But here are some top tips you might find useful.
Marinade
Tofoo loves a marinade to feed its flavour. Hot chilli, sesame and soy sauce are a brilliant starting point. Avoid using too much oil in the marinade as it can prevent the flavours soaking into the Tofoo. The longer you marinate the Tofoo, the better!
Crisp
Give Tofoo some added crispiness with a good dusting of cornflour before it goes into a super-hot frying pan. Add flavour by adding some seasoning or spice to the cornflour.
Scramble
Tofoo Scramble is a really useful dish to master. Crumble a Naked Tofoo block into a bowl and add milk and ground turmeric. Season and combine well. Add to a hot pan with a splash of oil and stir until hot. Serve on toast, in a bagel or with an epic fry-up!
Oil
Olive oil is good for lots of things, but not frying Tofoo. It just can’t take the heat you’ll need in your pan. Use sesame oil or coconut oil instead – it’ll make your Tofoo crispier and tastier. Honest.
Make sure you check out our Instagram @tofoo for more tofu tips and tricks!