This Is For Everyone Who Has No Idea How To Cook Tofu
Welcome to Tofu 101.
Tofu is one of those foods which can be kind of confusing, unless you know how to cook it.
Before I learned how to actually use it in recipes, I was too scared to cook with it. Do I use it like meat? Cheese? Eggs? No idea. But it turns out that tofu is hella easy to cook once you know what you're doing.
First off, wtf even is tofu?
It's made in a similar way to cheese – milk is extracted from solid soybeans. It's heated and separated into curds and whey, then the curds are drained and pressed into a firm block: tofu!
The more the tofu is pressed, the firmer it is.
Usually in grocery stores, you'll be able to find firm or hard tofu, and silken or soft tofu.
Firm tofu can be cut into blocks or squares, while silken tofu is more runny. It can be used in baking, smoothies, pasta sauces, and salad dressings.
You can also sometimes find pre-baked marinated tofu, which doesn't require any prep and can be eaten straight from the pack.
First up: Let's talk firm tofu.
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Because tofu has a pretty neutral flavour, you've really got culinary carte blanche when it comes to how you season it. BUT! Before you cook or marinate it, you really need to drain out any excess liquid. Slice your tofu into thin sheets or strips (about 3cm thick), wrap in a paper towel or tea towel, and place something heavy (like a thick pan or book) on top. Leave it for as long as possible, but at least 30 minutes. If you're going to cook tofu for dinner, just leave it draining in the fridge all day.
If you're low on time, you can just wrap it in a paper towel, and put it on a plate with another plate on top. Microwave for three minutes.
Tofu is like a sponge: By letting the excess moisture soak out, you're making it way more ready to absorb the flavours you're cooking with.
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Yes, you can buy a tofu press but why bother when you can just DIY?
Ok... then what?
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You can marinate your tofu in WHATEVER you want. Avoid oily sauces and marinades, as it won't mix well with the water still in the tofu. Instead stick to things like soy sauce and tamari, or lemon and herbs. Then you can cook it in the oven, for about 20 minutes on 180ºC, or pan-fry it for about five minutes each side.
Want crispy tofu? Toss it in cornstarch and make sure it's got a light coating before chucking it in a frypan.
And what should I eat it with?
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Your options are ENDLESS. You can stir fry it with veggies and serve on rice, you can add it to pasta dishes, you can mash it up and serve it as a scramble, or you can just bake it and eat it as a snack. You can even make nuggets from it. Versatile AF. I personally LOVE this scramble recipe, but usually just cook it in a frypan with veggies and soy sauce to make a super-easy stir-fry.
And how about silken tofu?
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Silken and soft tofu are more runny. They work well in baking and desserts – I've used them to replace yoghurt in recipes. You can also add silken tofu to smoothies for a protein hit, or stir it around in a fry pan the same way you'd make scrambled eggs. Mix it with melted chocolate to make a mousse, or literally just eat it on its own with soy sauce or another dressing. So easy!
Because it's so runny, you wouldn't be able to use chunks of soft or silken tofu in a dish like stir-fry or noodles.
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It would just break up and turn to mush. It's quicker to cook with than firm tofu, because you don't have to drain or marinate it. It just depends what texture you prefer!
Once you start getting comfortable with simple things like stir-frys, you can start branching out into the more ~deluxe~ tofu meals.
And that's it!
As long as you remember to press firm tofu before you marinate and cook it, you'll be FINE.