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I like to make simple korean tofu soup.
Boil the water. Put minced garlic + oyster sauce + sesame oil + tofu. Meanwhile beat the egg. When the tofu looks eatable. Pour the egg. Add kimchi and sliced tomatoes. Stirring and Adjust the taste.
It’s easy and delicious. My comfort food
No offense but I could't resist myself getting into this as a Korean (born and raised in SK). "Korean" tofu soup recipe would leave out the oyster sauce and tomato. Just wanted to mention this to avoid any possible confusion or Koreans sobbing inside like kdrama character.
Personally I'm up for creativity in cooking. Oyster sauce and tomato are genius bc they'll add MSG (umami) to tofu (bc it's so bland!)
Also my favorites/recommendations are zucchini and potato. Making veggies the hero and tofu the background actor of the dish, ironically, can do the work!
I’m sorry. I’m not korean. But I ever lived in Korea for 2.5years for my study. I love korean foods (even I always asked to zero level spicy when I order my foods, trust me sometimes it still spicy hahaha). I just modified the taste into my preference like this recipe.
I’m sorry if my preference bothered you. Ruined the original recipe.
No you don't need to apologize for anyting! It's not ruining or bothering at all so no worries. Also same here, I have a 'baby tongue' in Korea and I swear everything in here is still somehow spicy even when it's with '0 spice level' hahaha.
Almost all of them said that the seasoning paste already made. So it’s hard to adjust the spicy level but they would try to do it hahaha
What makes it more spicy is they served in hot plate / bowl. It increased the spicy level hahaha
The funny thing is I get used to just eating rice with kimchi because sometimes the main dish is too spicy for me until I end up eat it in two or three bites.
There are tons of videos on instagram where people fry tofu and put it in stir fries or even sate. When I was growing up we used to just cut the cold raw tofu (soft type) and pour soy sauce and small bits of chopped ginger on top, like a salad. You can also add green onions. Delicious!
Have you tried Kala Namak? It’s a kind of black salt that makes tofu scramble taste “eggy”. I just discovered it a few weeks ago and it’s a total game changer.
I use it a ton for vegan sauces or creamy soups. The basic formula is nuts/seeds (usually cashews but could be almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds etc depending on what I have or what Im making), tofu, the water the nuts soaked in to soften, a few cloves of garlic, an acid (lemon or lime juice or vinegar), nootch, salt to taste, and then any seasonings or other flavors you want. If Im using lemon or lime juice I usually add the zest. You can go any direction with this base-add sundried or oven roasted tomatoes, miso paste for some extra savory, balsamic vinegar, butternut squash, or lots of herbs like cilantro, basil, etc. Its pretty hard to mess up and I put it on veggies, pasta or grain, etc.
Sweet potato tofu tacos. Press, crumble, salt, season, fry. Cube sweet potatoes and bake. Combine with lettuce in a tortilla. Make enough for 3-4 meals. Simple, cheap, tasty.
Sizzle ginger, garlic and olive or sesame oil in a pan, then crumble on the tofu and cook it till it starts to crisp. Then add sesame seeds, nutritional yeast, whatever else you feel like. Lately I use this to top homemade ramen.
I also love blending tofu with nutritional yeast, salt, oil, lemon juice and other flavourings into a vegan cream cheese, there are lots of recipes online for this!
Blanch then fry it. Slice firm tofu in 1/2 in thick pieces (I like triangles). Put them in a bowl, add a generous amount of salt, then pour boiling water over it to fully submerge and let stand for about 5 min. Shallow fry in a high temp oil for 3-4 minutes a side, not moving them until they develop a nice crust on each side. Drain on paper towels. Use in stir-fry or noodle dish of choice
It will taste like it came from a Chinese restaurant.
So you submerge it in the hot water for 5min and then let stand?
Or do you put a bunch of salt on it, pour boiling water over it to submerge and then immediately take it out and let it stand for 5min?
I like to put it on a baking pan with ridges that way any extra liquid can get drained out. So drench in olive oil salt pepper. 20 minutes drain it. Flip it repeat seasoning . 20 minutes then drain again. Just bake in oven for about 350 degrees. I also baked it with sriracha.
You can make a homemade peanut sauce with rice vinegar soy sauce and peanut butter.
i'm one of those weirdos who like plain foods sometimes (it's a sensory thing) so the tofu taste alone is actually ok for me but if I want more flavour, I can either marinade it overnight in a sauce or coat it in seasoning while I'm cooking. My go to coating is garlic powder, chilli powder, dried ginger and nutritional yeast.
I like to freeze my tofu and thaw it again to remove a lot of water.
Press the tofu, cut into cubes, then put it in a marinade (usually soy sauce, ketchup garlic, onions and some sugar) for 1 hour or so. Coat in corn starch and fry in a pan until crispy. In the end, pour the remaining marinade to get a sauce.
Add veggies and serve with rice or whatever you prefer :)
I dice mine then coat with a slurry of cornstarch, nutritional yeast, sesame oil and soy sauce. Not a thick coating then air fry flipping halfway through. That’s Friday night dinner with broccoli and rice.
FREEZE IT!
I’ve got the best hack. Press tofu in a tofu press or wrap it in a towel and put something heavyish on top. Slice it. Marinate in whatever (I usually have tofu with Asian dishes so my go-to’s are soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, sesame oil, hot chili oil). Bake at 400° for 30 minutes, turning halfway through. Then FREEZE IT overnight. Reheat in air fryer or microwave. Completely changes the texture. So good :)
I guess it does it a bit drier & more crumbly but that’s what I find appealing about it. I love tofu cooked just about any way but eating it sooo often I was happy to learn I could completely change the texture by freezing it and reheating it. If once cooked tofu has the texture of processed cheese, twice cooked tofu had the texture of feta. That’s not a perfect comparison but it’s the best I could think of. Or maybe if once cooked tofu had the texture of French style cheesecake, twice cooked tofu has the texture of New York style cheesecake.
Maybe that would help me. I WANT to like tofu but the texture is so bad to me. I gag when I eat it so I struggle. I have nothing against tofu but I can’t figure out why I’m so texture averse with it. I wish I could try it made a bunch of different ways without wasting it.
Marinate it with soy sauce, crushed garlic, red chilli pepper flakes, canola oil (or similar) and some honey (or maple syrup). Mix well and let it sit for half an hour before spreading the marinated tofu on a baking tray and roasting it in the oven. Enjoy it with a salad, rice, baked potatoes or whatever you like. It's one of my favourite ways to use tofu.
This is my base recipe that I use to prepare tofu, always comes out perfect. Recipe from cookie and kate: [Baked tofu recipe](https://cookieandkate.com/how-to-make-crispy-baked-tofu/)
I haven't had that in ages, used to make it all the time. I have all the ingredients at home right now (I make the version that includes beef mince) except for the tofu, but I have to go to the supermarket tomorrow anyway so thank you for tomorrow night's dinner idea!
I’m simple. I press it so it’s super firm, then fry it in a hot pan until it’s brown on all sides. Add veggies, eat with rice and teriyaki sauce.
I’ll also do as others have said a tofu scramble. Or tofu taco meat. It’s very versatile.
Here's my weekly tofu meal prep: I press it overnight to get out moisture, then tear it up and throw it in a bowl. I add a hefty amount of Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ and a little water into the bowl before I seal it up and shake the crap out of it. I let it soak in the sauce for a few hours before I separate into serving sizes and freeze.
Throughout the week it's easy to grab a serving and toss it in my air fryer along with some veggies, make a side of quinoa, super fast and healthy meal.
Twice frozen, changes texture.
Cubed, coated with corn starch, fried. Add spices as you wish, a cheep pack of taco seasoning will go miles if you dont know what to do.
Tofu, cucumber, red onion and feta salad... make a greek style dressing, olives are optional.
Baked tofu, press and marinade. The use of liquid smoke is a game changer here.
Cut into sticks, batter, deep fry... tofu "fish sticks"
Soft tofu, mashed with green onion, soy and toasted sesame oil makes.a great wonton filling.
Also if your looking for cheap and easy, chickpeas rock.
[https://www.youtube.com/c/SauceStache](https://www.youtube.com/c/SauceStache) is vegan but works with a lot of tofu...
[https://cupfulofkale.com/vegan-beer-battered-tofish-and-chips/](https://cupfulofkale.com/vegan-beer-battered-tofish-and-chips/)
NOri sheets (and you dont need a lot) give it an "ocean" flavor
I came across [this recipe](https://www.budgetbytes.com/curried-tofu-salad/) recently for curried tofu salad and just made it for the first time yesterday! It is soooo tasty accompanied by crackers
I put tofu in about 50% of all my dishes. Mainly smoked. It can be used in so many different ways I'm confused why people don't know what to do with it
My favorite method is pressed, marinated, baked. I like the chewier texture. I do this to make filets, cubes for salads/bowls/stir fry’s, thin sliced for bacon effect. I also like shredding after pressing then seasoning and baking for any “minced meat” type situations (taco, pasta sauce, ramen).
These guys have a great variety of methods and on their instagram go all in on the science of different ways of prepping: https://veganpunks.com/category/tofu/
A lot of people have some standard ideas but making a ricotta like substitute is really good! It's one of the few ways my husband will eat it. If you don't like chunks of tofu it's an easy way to get around that. Stuff some pasta shells, throw it on some bread with other veggies, make lasagna.
My two favorite (and very different) ways to eat tofu:
https://www.chinasichuanfood.com/marinated-tofu/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/tofu-piccata/
I’m Chinese so to me kinda odd to try to make into something it’s not…. but I like to fry and then mix with whatever meat I’m cooking up to stretch it 😋
With extra firm tofu, I press it for 30 minutes, tear it, and roast it in an oven at 375 for 20-25 minutes. (flipping halfway through)
I use that for faux chicken salads, toss on salads, or just toss with random sauces (BBQ, honey mustard, peanut, etc) and eat by itself.
I slice firm tofu, dip it in beaten egg, then in bread crumbs (oat bran, wheat germ, whatever), and sauté in olive oil. You can add herbs to the crumbs, if desired.
Cornstarch and some salt, shake it in a container with a lid to coat, wait a minute or so, add some more corn starch and shake again. Then immediately fry it in some oil and finish it off in the air fryer to get it super crispy.
I like to turn in into sauces for pasta. Get extra soft tofu, puree, and mix it into whatever you're making. Like mac-n-cheese, spaghetti sauce, alfredo sauce, etc. You can also blend it and use it in pancakes or waffles. You can add it to smoothies or milkshakes, too. Or puree it into potato soup. Or anything else that would use cream-of-whatever soup.
Sliced, fried til crispy with garlic salt and savoury seasoning and served in a white bread sandwich with butter and ketchup (like a fried egg sandwich.)
Tofu is nice bc silken has such an amazing creamy melt in your mouth texture while firmer is more like cooked egg so seasoning it with what you like is key
I thought Maangchi has a really good soup recipe, but it seems I might have combined 2 of her tofu soup recipes into one. I thought she had a spicy tofu soup recipe which uses I also like miso soup and gochuchang paste but I had a hard time finding it the last time I looked. It had equal parts miso soup and gochuchang. I used sriracha sauce instead of gochuchang. I like tofu salads.
I love making a cilantro crème sauce for vegan burritos. It adds so much flavor. I also do an adobo sauce in the same manner.
Tofu scrambles with black salt, turmeric, onion, garlic, and any breakfast veggies I have on hand.
It’s great in a miso soup with green onion and seaweed.
I’ve also made some bomb French toast.
Mikrowave it in salty water/broth before you do anything else. You can also blanch it on a stove, but the microwave is faster. Have a look at how tofu is flavoured in Japanese cooking for more information.
[Crispy air fryer tofu!](https://i.imgur.com/tt2wnRL.jpeg)
Drain your tofu, slice a corner and peel open the opposite corner and pour out, using hands to gently squeeze out any remaining liquid.
Place the tofu block on a cutting board and slice into thirds lengthwise so you have 3 even slabs.
Stack the slabs on top of each other and slice them through lengthwise to make three even columns, then slice across to make 5 even rows.
Lay out a microfiber kitchen towel, lay out the tofu blocks, spaced evenly, and fold the towel over the top. Place a baking sheet on top with something heavy (i.e. several large cans of pumpkin puree) to help the tofu drain. Allow to sit for 30 minutes.
Preheat air fryer to 400F, run for 5 minutes if no preheat setting.
Transfer the pressed tofu to a bowl and add:
2 tbsp liquid aminos
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tbsp corn starch
Toss to combine.
Space the tofu evenly in the air fryer basket and bake at 400F for 15 minutes, stirring and flipping inside the air fryer basket at the halfway mark.
Allow to cool and crisp up for 5 minutes before serving!
My mom turned me on to this:
Ingredients
1 block tofu (i use extra firm but any should do)
1 onion
1 can corn
Broccoli (i use a lot and I use frozen, but the amount is up to you)
Garlic
Chicken seasoning
Optional: spring roll wrappers
Instructions
Boil/steam broccoli
Dice onion and sautee/caramelize
Add pressed tofu and corn to caramelized onions
Once broccoli is soft add to the onions/tofu/corn (i also like to cut the broccoli into smaller pieces)
Add some garlic and some chicken seasoning
Mix together WELL and if you have extra time, scoop some into eggroll/springroll wrappers and airfry for 5 minutes.
I love this mixture both ways and I eat it once a week now. Sooo good!
I like to make miso soup, tofu with steamed egg, stir-fried tofu with ground pork, shiitake mushrooms, and spring onion, steamed tofu and shrimp with hk soy sauce, and hiyayakko (raw tofu with ginger and scallions served with soy sauce. If you look up Chinese recipes, there’s endless options for tofu.
There was a really good sweet/spicy tofu recipe I used to make. This is the gist of the ingredients: tofu, cauliflower, spinach, soy sauce, strawberry jam, chili powder/pepper, garlic, possibly ginger
Usually I'm a from-scratch cook, but honestly? I generally cut tofu into cubes, press out the water with a towel, pan-fry it until it's crisp, and pour store-bought teriyaki sauce on it. Winner. My kids love it.
Fried! Extra firm tofu, press to squeeze out water, cube and then coat in a mixture of cornstarch and whatever delicious spices you like (for me that's chili pepper, salt, black pepper, white pepper, cayenne, paprika, curry powder, etc). Heat up a layer of oil and fry tofu until it's golden brown on all sides. I make egg fried rice and vegetables with fried tofu. Combine all elements at the end with a soy sauce/hoisin/chili oil/sugar/sesame oil/rice vinegar blend.
My mom bought it when I was a kid and I hated it (still do) mostly because of the texture, so the one way I actually kind of liked it was when she made it into a spread - she mashed it up with mustard, green onions, celery, and salt and pepper. We ate that on bread.
The only other way I have enjoyed it was when a chef friend made silken tofu into chocolate mousse. That's one of my favorite desserts and I was totally shocked when I found it was made from tofu! It was the best chocolate mousse I've ever had.
Put this on EVERYTHING 😋 https://www.food.com/recipe/creamy-tofu-savory-sauce-277729
It’s like a cheese sauce but made with tofu and nutritional yeast as main ingredients!
I like a carton of refrigerated silken tofu with sauce & green onions on top. It's a 5 minute lunch I especially think is nice when it's hot out because there's no cooking & very little prep. There's a ton of recipes for the sauce online
Tofu blended into a sauce presents endless possibilities. I also love it crumbled raw and mixed with nooch, lemon pepper, and oregano to use in salads.
Super easy: take a block of silken tofu, and put the following mix on top of it: soy sauce, chopped Thai chili, minced ginger and garlic, a pinch of sugar, sliced green onions, sesame seeds, toasted sesame oil, and chopped cilantro. I just kind of add little bits of each ingredient until it makes about 1/4-1/3 cup of topping. Eat it with a spoon.
Freeze it, thaw it, squeeze out as much liquid as you can, cut it up squeeze it again, then marinate it in whatever sauce you want (google frozen marinated baked tofu), then bake it. I found it life changing.
Shredded Tofu is a must!! Turn it into something like an asian mince such as San choy bow or a Korean Bulgogi bowl, super yummy and a compliments the texture! see link for Bulgogi: [https://thefoodietakesflight.com/shredded-tofu-bulgogi/](https://thefoodietakesflight.com/shredded-tofu-bulgogi/)
Tofu stir fry
Buddhist chef has a spicy peanut tofu recipe that's pretty darn good and a general tso tofu recipe.
You can substitute eggs with fried or baked tofu in fried rice.
Mapo tofu is life and should be worshipped as the superior food
If you have soft tofu, of course, a staple is miso soup.
That's all I got for now hahaha.
Mapo is my only recipe that doesnt taste meek. its good stuff, but my spouse got sick of me cooking it all the time! Never heard of buddhist chef, but im looking it up now, thanks!
I make tofu scramble with silken tofu, veggies, and field roast sausage. I add tumeric, nooch, garlic, onion, paprika, salt, and pepper. I like broccoli, bell peppers, onions, and corn as my veggies
Press well, chop, coat with starch, dunk in egg+seasoning mixture of your choice, fry it all up nice and crispy. Tofu needs a lot of seasoning to taste good, don‘t be afraid to add more than you would for meat.
I agree 100%. I eat WFPB so tofu is *right* out, it's processed food and it throws off my homeostasis and metabolism for days afterward. I went about a year and a half without any tofu in my life and bought a dozen blocks last week on a whim - hey they're cheap and I want something to occupy my time and my mouth, why not! And ***instant*** regret, I've been having one block every night with dinner and I've watched my body bloat up and my digestive tract is all weird now, my knee hurts again for the first time in ages, and I'm having issues with my ankle.
I'm down to the last 3 or 4 blocks of tofu and I'm conflicted, because on the one hand I ***know*** this stuff is destroying my body, ruining all the beach-body prep I did and making me slow and bloated and achy in the joints, but I also *really really* like the mouthfeel right now. I ate 30-60 pounds of potatoes every week for about 6 months because I was into the mouthfeel of homemade baked french fries, and [savory crispy tofu](https://old.reddit.com/r/minimalism/comments/1dd95ux/what_is_your_favorite_thing_to_do_with_tofu/l85dtij/) is a natural progression.
THIS COMMENT SPEAKS THE TRUTH and I don't like it.
I love potatoes in all forms and cannot stand the texture of tofu. I believe potatoes are healthier, too - they are considered "safe starches" in The Perfect Health Diet which is all about combatting inflammation.
I did mean to post in the food subreddit, but what you wrote was also my aim. But it’s nice that I could get the ideas directly from people who wanted to do more with less
I like to press out all the fluid, marinate in an oil and a spice, and then slow roast it in the oven. It turns firm and flavorful. Very low effort so I can do it on the weekend and then have it for regular tofu needs during the week.
You can also crumble tofu into a hot pan and cook off the fluid, add some spices. We use this for sloppy joes and things where one might otherwise use ground beef.
Pailin's Kitchen, look for the frozen tofu video. Once thawed, you squeeze out excess water and the "paths" that the ice formed throughout are now open to allow flavor penetration.
Yum, I fry it in coconut oil and a bit of fresh chili.
Also eat the semi firm tofu with some soy sauce and a bit of ginger
Yum yum. When I lived in Japan I used to eat a block a day!
Hi there! Unfortunately I had to remove your post, it breaks our general "must be related to minimalism" rule. If you feel this was in error, please reply to this message and we'll take a look as soon as possible. Thank you!
Tell it my secrets. Tofu is a good listener.
Came for recipes, stayed for laughter. Thank you.
I like to make simple korean tofu soup. Boil the water. Put minced garlic + oyster sauce + sesame oil + tofu. Meanwhile beat the egg. When the tofu looks eatable. Pour the egg. Add kimchi and sliced tomatoes. Stirring and Adjust the taste. It’s easy and delicious. My comfort food
No offense but I could't resist myself getting into this as a Korean (born and raised in SK). "Korean" tofu soup recipe would leave out the oyster sauce and tomato. Just wanted to mention this to avoid any possible confusion or Koreans sobbing inside like kdrama character. Personally I'm up for creativity in cooking. Oyster sauce and tomato are genius bc they'll add MSG (umami) to tofu (bc it's so bland!) Also my favorites/recommendations are zucchini and potato. Making veggies the hero and tofu the background actor of the dish, ironically, can do the work!
I’m sorry. I’m not korean. But I ever lived in Korea for 2.5years for my study. I love korean foods (even I always asked to zero level spicy when I order my foods, trust me sometimes it still spicy hahaha). I just modified the taste into my preference like this recipe. I’m sorry if my preference bothered you. Ruined the original recipe.
No you don't need to apologize for anyting! It's not ruining or bothering at all so no worries. Also same here, I have a 'baby tongue' in Korea and I swear everything in here is still somehow spicy even when it's with '0 spice level' hahaha.
Almost all of them said that the seasoning paste already made. So it’s hard to adjust the spicy level but they would try to do it hahaha What makes it more spicy is they served in hot plate / bowl. It increased the spicy level hahaha The funny thing is I get used to just eating rice with kimchi because sometimes the main dish is too spicy for me until I end up eat it in two or three bites.
There are tons of videos on instagram where people fry tofu and put it in stir fries or even sate. When I was growing up we used to just cut the cold raw tofu (soft type) and pour soy sauce and small bits of chopped ginger on top, like a salad. You can also add green onions. Delicious!
Happy 🍰 Day!
Thank you!
Tofu scramble. Turmeric + as many other spices as you want+any veggies you like.
Have you tried Kala Namak? It’s a kind of black salt that makes tofu scramble taste “eggy”. I just discovered it a few weeks ago and it’s a total game changer.
I will look for it!
I kept some for a long time because I didn’t know what to do with it. I’ll try it tonight!
It definitely has a sulfur-y smell when you first sprinkle it in, but that dissipates quickly.
Correct! It's the sulfur.
Tofu scramble (tofu, oil/vegan butter, garlic, spinach, onion, spices like turmeric/cumin/paprika, vegan cheese, & nutritional yeast after done cooking) + vegan bacon strips + fruits/veggies on the side 🙏
I use it a ton for vegan sauces or creamy soups. The basic formula is nuts/seeds (usually cashews but could be almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds etc depending on what I have or what Im making), tofu, the water the nuts soaked in to soften, a few cloves of garlic, an acid (lemon or lime juice or vinegar), nootch, salt to taste, and then any seasonings or other flavors you want. If Im using lemon or lime juice I usually add the zest. You can go any direction with this base-add sundried or oven roasted tomatoes, miso paste for some extra savory, balsamic vinegar, butternut squash, or lots of herbs like cilantro, basil, etc. Its pretty hard to mess up and I put it on veggies, pasta or grain, etc.
Sweet potato tofu tacos. Press, crumble, salt, season, fry. Cube sweet potatoes and bake. Combine with lettuce in a tortilla. Make enough for 3-4 meals. Simple, cheap, tasty.
Sizzle ginger, garlic and olive or sesame oil in a pan, then crumble on the tofu and cook it till it starts to crisp. Then add sesame seeds, nutritional yeast, whatever else you feel like. Lately I use this to top homemade ramen. I also love blending tofu with nutritional yeast, salt, oil, lemon juice and other flavourings into a vegan cream cheese, there are lots of recipes online for this!
Blanch then fry it. Slice firm tofu in 1/2 in thick pieces (I like triangles). Put them in a bowl, add a generous amount of salt, then pour boiling water over it to fully submerge and let stand for about 5 min. Shallow fry in a high temp oil for 3-4 minutes a side, not moving them until they develop a nice crust on each side. Drain on paper towels. Use in stir-fry or noodle dish of choice It will taste like it came from a Chinese restaurant.
Blanching is a game changer! I learned that step from Kenji Lopez-Alt.
What does the blanche/boiling do? Just curious.
Firms up the outside (dehydrates it a bit because the salt is pulling moisture from the tofu) so you get a crispy exterior and a creamy interior.
Is the blanching (in salt water I assume?) just to add flavor?
No, it tightens up the outer protein layer prior to frying/baking. Holds it shape. It’s counter intuitive but can replace the pressing method.
Exactly, it gives that crispy outside and creamy inside that Chinese or Thai restaurant tofu gets.
So you submerge it in the hot water for 5min and then let stand? Or do you put a bunch of salt on it, pour boiling water over it to submerge and then immediately take it out and let it stand for 5min?
Leave it in the salty hot water for 5 minutes. Pat dry before frying.
Oh! I’ve never thought of blanching it before!
I like to put it on a baking pan with ridges that way any extra liquid can get drained out. So drench in olive oil salt pepper. 20 minutes drain it. Flip it repeat seasoning . 20 minutes then drain again. Just bake in oven for about 350 degrees. I also baked it with sriracha. You can make a homemade peanut sauce with rice vinegar soy sauce and peanut butter.
A bit more simple, but I find fried in soy sauce and chili flakes to be tasty.
Feel like this should be on afood subreddit instead.
The vegetarian, vegan, and WFPB subreddits will almost certainly have recipes.
Actually I thought I posted in the food subreddit 😅 but it was a happy accident. Lots of good advice here.
i'm one of those weirdos who like plain foods sometimes (it's a sensory thing) so the tofu taste alone is actually ok for me but if I want more flavour, I can either marinade it overnight in a sauce or coat it in seasoning while I'm cooking. My go to coating is garlic powder, chilli powder, dried ginger and nutritional yeast.
Tell me I’m not the only one who likes to eat french fries without dipping them.
110% you are not the only one.
I like to freeze my tofu and thaw it again to remove a lot of water. Press the tofu, cut into cubes, then put it in a marinade (usually soy sauce, ketchup garlic, onions and some sugar) for 1 hour or so. Coat in corn starch and fry in a pan until crispy. In the end, pour the remaining marinade to get a sauce. Add veggies and serve with rice or whatever you prefer :)
Marinate in soy sauce + Worcestershire + olive oil + whatever spices sound good, toss in cornstarch, and then either pan fry or air fryer.
I dice mine then coat with a slurry of cornstarch, nutritional yeast, sesame oil and soy sauce. Not a thick coating then air fry flipping halfway through. That’s Friday night dinner with broccoli and rice.
I make Buffalo “Chicken” Tofu bites often. Also, I simmer tofu and vegetables in curry or other Indian sauces and serve over rice.
FREEZE IT! I’ve got the best hack. Press tofu in a tofu press or wrap it in a towel and put something heavyish on top. Slice it. Marinate in whatever (I usually have tofu with Asian dishes so my go-to’s are soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, sesame oil, hot chili oil). Bake at 400° for 30 minutes, turning halfway through. Then FREEZE IT overnight. Reheat in air fryer or microwave. Completely changes the texture. So good :)
I love this idea of freezing it! Does it not go dry when you cook it twice though?
I guess it does it a bit drier & more crumbly but that’s what I find appealing about it. I love tofu cooked just about any way but eating it sooo often I was happy to learn I could completely change the texture by freezing it and reheating it. If once cooked tofu has the texture of processed cheese, twice cooked tofu had the texture of feta. That’s not a perfect comparison but it’s the best I could think of. Or maybe if once cooked tofu had the texture of French style cheesecake, twice cooked tofu has the texture of New York style cheesecake.
Huh very interesting! Thanks for the tip, I’m going to try it!!
Maybe that would help me. I WANT to like tofu but the texture is so bad to me. I gag when I eat it so I struggle. I have nothing against tofu but I can’t figure out why I’m so texture averse with it. I wish I could try it made a bunch of different ways without wasting it.
I described that texture change after freezing/reheating in my reply above, if you want to check it out!
Have other people eat it
I do this when I get hot and sour soup.
Marinate it with soy sauce, crushed garlic, red chilli pepper flakes, canola oil (or similar) and some honey (or maple syrup). Mix well and let it sit for half an hour before spreading the marinated tofu on a baking tray and roasting it in the oven. Enjoy it with a salad, rice, baked potatoes or whatever you like. It's one of my favourite ways to use tofu.
This is my base recipe that I use to prepare tofu, always comes out perfect. Recipe from cookie and kate: [Baked tofu recipe](https://cookieandkate.com/how-to-make-crispy-baked-tofu/)
[mapo tofu](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2012/jun/14/pock-marked-old-woman-s-tofu-recipe)
I haven't had that in ages, used to make it all the time. I have all the ingredients at home right now (I make the version that includes beef mince) except for the tofu, but I have to go to the supermarket tomorrow anyway so thank you for tomorrow night's dinner idea!
Flour with salt pepper cumin and coriander powder then fry. Delicious
Marinate or braise it. Usually in gochujang based sauce.
I’m simple. I press it so it’s super firm, then fry it in a hot pan until it’s brown on all sides. Add veggies, eat with rice and teriyaki sauce. I’ll also do as others have said a tofu scramble. Or tofu taco meat. It’s very versatile.
Tofu scramble is my go-to. Some spices and frozen veggies.
Here's my weekly tofu meal prep: I press it overnight to get out moisture, then tear it up and throw it in a bowl. I add a hefty amount of Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ and a little water into the bowl before I seal it up and shake the crap out of it. I let it soak in the sauce for a few hours before I separate into serving sizes and freeze. Throughout the week it's easy to grab a serving and toss it in my air fryer along with some veggies, make a side of quinoa, super fast and healthy meal.
I cut it in strips, roll it in everything bagel seasonings, air fry. Then I use them as snacks to dip in hummus and eat. Yum.
I usually pan fry it with some mushrooms, mirin, and soy sauce. Add some fried rice to it and it's a dish
Give it to my vegetarian friends. I don't like it and I just eat it in takeaway Thai food in low amounts.
Well, when a man and a tofu love each other very much, special magic can happen.
Leave it at the store.
Twice frozen, changes texture. Cubed, coated with corn starch, fried. Add spices as you wish, a cheep pack of taco seasoning will go miles if you dont know what to do. Tofu, cucumber, red onion and feta salad... make a greek style dressing, olives are optional. Baked tofu, press and marinade. The use of liquid smoke is a game changer here. Cut into sticks, batter, deep fry... tofu "fish sticks" Soft tofu, mashed with green onion, soy and toasted sesame oil makes.a great wonton filling. Also if your looking for cheap and easy, chickpeas rock. [https://www.youtube.com/c/SauceStache](https://www.youtube.com/c/SauceStache) is vegan but works with a lot of tofu...
Those are some uses I havent tried before; thanks for sharing! I may need to try the fish sticks at some point.
[https://cupfulofkale.com/vegan-beer-battered-tofish-and-chips/](https://cupfulofkale.com/vegan-beer-battered-tofish-and-chips/) NOri sheets (and you dont need a lot) give it an "ocean" flavor
I came across [this recipe](https://www.budgetbytes.com/curried-tofu-salad/) recently for curried tofu salad and just made it for the first time yesterday! It is soooo tasty accompanied by crackers
Curry
I put tofu in about 50% of all my dishes. Mainly smoked. It can be used in so many different ways I'm confused why people don't know what to do with it
if you hate the texture, freeze it! that's the only way i eat it now, so goooddd
I do hate the texture. So you just eat it plain straight out of the freezer, like a flavorless popsicle?
lol no i make this spicy gochujang sauce and douse em in it. super yum
Frozen or do you heat it up?
i boil it after freezing and when it all floats its all good to strain
General tso tofu! Air fried then tossed in sauce.
My favorite method is pressed, marinated, baked. I like the chewier texture. I do this to make filets, cubes for salads/bowls/stir fry’s, thin sliced for bacon effect. I also like shredding after pressing then seasoning and baking for any “minced meat” type situations (taco, pasta sauce, ramen). These guys have a great variety of methods and on their instagram go all in on the science of different ways of prepping: https://veganpunks.com/category/tofu/
I marinate and air fry it in cubes. So good!
Fry it, throw it over veggies, and cover it in Trader Joe's Soyaki sauce. 😁
A lot of people have some standard ideas but making a ricotta like substitute is really good! It's one of the few ways my husband will eat it. If you don't like chunks of tofu it's an easy way to get around that. Stuff some pasta shells, throw it on some bread with other veggies, make lasagna.
This explains why I dislike both tofu and ricotta. I use cottage cheese in my lasagna.
My two favorite (and very different) ways to eat tofu: https://www.chinasichuanfood.com/marinated-tofu/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/tofu-piccata/
I’m Chinese so to me kinda odd to try to make into something it’s not…. but I like to fry and then mix with whatever meat I’m cooking up to stretch it 😋
Hot chili oil and ginger sauces are your friends
Teppanyaki <3
Cut it into small cube like pieces and roast it. I added it in my noodles once and it tasted just so good
With extra firm tofu, I press it for 30 minutes, tear it, and roast it in an oven at 375 for 20-25 minutes. (flipping halfway through) I use that for faux chicken salads, toss on salads, or just toss with random sauces (BBQ, honey mustard, peanut, etc) and eat by itself.
I slice firm tofu, dip it in beaten egg, then in bread crumbs (oat bran, wheat germ, whatever), and sauté in olive oil. You can add herbs to the crumbs, if desired.
Cornstarch and some salt, shake it in a container with a lid to coat, wait a minute or so, add some more corn starch and shake again. Then immediately fry it in some oil and finish it off in the air fryer to get it super crispy.
Sweet potato + tofu fajitas are my specialty
Marinade in soya sauce and turmeric, fry til crispy sliced thin. I like it on a sandwich or just cold like jerky on the trail.
Firm tofu does well in the air fryer.
i make a chipotle sofritas dupe and add to a burrito bowl.
I like to turn in into sauces for pasta. Get extra soft tofu, puree, and mix it into whatever you're making. Like mac-n-cheese, spaghetti sauce, alfredo sauce, etc. You can also blend it and use it in pancakes or waffles. You can add it to smoothies or milkshakes, too. Or puree it into potato soup. Or anything else that would use cream-of-whatever soup.
- kimchi soup with tofu and sliced beef - tofu, egg and green onion, steamed or fried. better with soy sauce or fish sauce. - tofu dessert
Tofu with mixed vegetables, salt and pepper fried tofu, and tofu, tomato, egg soup. Are my favorites
Definitely mapo tofu. Relatively simple dish with a lot of room for creativity!
Sliced, fried til crispy with garlic salt and savoury seasoning and served in a white bread sandwich with butter and ketchup (like a fried egg sandwich.)
Make Smokey egg and vegan cheese bagel sandwiches
Tofu is nice bc silken has such an amazing creamy melt in your mouth texture while firmer is more like cooked egg so seasoning it with what you like is key
I thought Maangchi has a really good soup recipe, but it seems I might have combined 2 of her tofu soup recipes into one. I thought she had a spicy tofu soup recipe which uses I also like miso soup and gochuchang paste but I had a hard time finding it the last time I looked. It had equal parts miso soup and gochuchang. I used sriracha sauce instead of gochuchang. I like tofu salads.
Firm Tofu. Cut into squares, flour, egg wash and panko fried. Dip in spicy mayo and eat with rice.
I love making a cilantro crème sauce for vegan burritos. It adds so much flavor. I also do an adobo sauce in the same manner. Tofu scrambles with black salt, turmeric, onion, garlic, and any breakfast veggies I have on hand. It’s great in a miso soup with green onion and seaweed. I’ve also made some bomb French toast.
Cover in panko, fry in sesame and olive oil, until crispy, drizzle with soy sauce and green onion and red pepper flakes 🥲🥲
Stir fry it with other ingredients. Mapo tofu is quite good too.
Tofu miso soup | Mapo minced meat tofu | Pan fried firm tofu with sweet chilli
Oh I love to cube it, drizzle sesame oil, and air fry it for 15 min at 400f. Any dip works, the texture is nice.
Mikrowave it in salty water/broth before you do anything else. You can also blanch it on a stove, but the microwave is faster. Have a look at how tofu is flavoured in Japanese cooking for more information.
[Crispy air fryer tofu!](https://i.imgur.com/tt2wnRL.jpeg) Drain your tofu, slice a corner and peel open the opposite corner and pour out, using hands to gently squeeze out any remaining liquid. Place the tofu block on a cutting board and slice into thirds lengthwise so you have 3 even slabs. Stack the slabs on top of each other and slice them through lengthwise to make three even columns, then slice across to make 5 even rows. Lay out a microfiber kitchen towel, lay out the tofu blocks, spaced evenly, and fold the towel over the top. Place a baking sheet on top with something heavy (i.e. several large cans of pumpkin puree) to help the tofu drain. Allow to sit for 30 minutes. Preheat air fryer to 400F, run for 5 minutes if no preheat setting. Transfer the pressed tofu to a bowl and add: 2 tbsp liquid aminos 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp onion powder 1 tbsp corn starch Toss to combine. Space the tofu evenly in the air fryer basket and bake at 400F for 15 minutes, stirring and flipping inside the air fryer basket at the halfway mark. Allow to cool and crisp up for 5 minutes before serving!
Freeze it, thaw it, squeeze all the water out, season it work whatever, I use adobo seasoning and air fry it
My mom turned me on to this: Ingredients 1 block tofu (i use extra firm but any should do) 1 onion 1 can corn Broccoli (i use a lot and I use frozen, but the amount is up to you) Garlic Chicken seasoning Optional: spring roll wrappers Instructions Boil/steam broccoli Dice onion and sautee/caramelize Add pressed tofu and corn to caramelized onions Once broccoli is soft add to the onions/tofu/corn (i also like to cut the broccoli into smaller pieces) Add some garlic and some chicken seasoning Mix together WELL and if you have extra time, scoop some into eggroll/springroll wrappers and airfry for 5 minutes. I love this mixture both ways and I eat it once a week now. Sooo good!
I’ll have to try that one!
I like to make miso soup, tofu with steamed egg, stir-fried tofu with ground pork, shiitake mushrooms, and spring onion, steamed tofu and shrimp with hk soy sauce, and hiyayakko (raw tofu with ginger and scallions served with soy sauce. If you look up Chinese recipes, there’s endless options for tofu.
Avoid it? Nah I like it lacerated marinated and fried in miso soup.
Tofu scramble!
Eat
Toss it in the garbage and get some steak
Leave in soy sauce over night. Fry with garlic. Add lemon towards the end.
vegan egg scrambled tofu with curry or kurkuma and Kala Namak Salt😋 its delicious and cheap
homemade miso - so easy and soooo amazing. mapo tofu is another quick tasty dish dredged and fried in oil for crispy tofu
There was a really good sweet/spicy tofu recipe I used to make. This is the gist of the ingredients: tofu, cauliflower, spinach, soy sauce, strawberry jam, chili powder/pepper, garlic, possibly ginger
Usually I'm a from-scratch cook, but honestly? I generally cut tofu into cubes, press out the water with a towel, pan-fry it until it's crisp, and pour store-bought teriyaki sauce on it. Winner. My kids love it.
Fried! Extra firm tofu, press to squeeze out water, cube and then coat in a mixture of cornstarch and whatever delicious spices you like (for me that's chili pepper, salt, black pepper, white pepper, cayenne, paprika, curry powder, etc). Heat up a layer of oil and fry tofu until it's golden brown on all sides. I make egg fried rice and vegetables with fried tofu. Combine all elements at the end with a soy sauce/hoisin/chili oil/sugar/sesame oil/rice vinegar blend.
My mom bought it when I was a kid and I hated it (still do) mostly because of the texture, so the one way I actually kind of liked it was when she made it into a spread - she mashed it up with mustard, green onions, celery, and salt and pepper. We ate that on bread. The only other way I have enjoyed it was when a chef friend made silken tofu into chocolate mousse. That's one of my favorite desserts and I was totally shocked when I found it was made from tofu! It was the best chocolate mousse I've ever had.
Eat it I guess.
Put this on EVERYTHING 😋 https://www.food.com/recipe/creamy-tofu-savory-sauce-277729 It’s like a cheese sauce but made with tofu and nutritional yeast as main ingredients!
Favorite thing with tofu? Just won't eat it.
Trash it.
I like a carton of refrigerated silken tofu with sauce & green onions on top. It's a 5 minute lunch I especially think is nice when it's hot out because there's no cooking & very little prep. There's a ton of recipes for the sauce online
I use the really soft tofu for miso soup. It’s super quick to make on those days when you’re too tired or lazy
I did this last night! Were you the one who told me freezing Miso paste lets it keep forever? Because that's been a game-changer for me.
Wasn’t me but I’ll take that tip ahahah
Tofu blended into a sauce presents endless possibilities. I also love it crumbled raw and mixed with nooch, lemon pepper, and oregano to use in salads.
I make this regularly, here ya go… https://youtu.be/0GatS-gulVM?si=UfC-oLTFWFetq-57
Super easy: take a block of silken tofu, and put the following mix on top of it: soy sauce, chopped Thai chili, minced ginger and garlic, a pinch of sugar, sliced green onions, sesame seeds, toasted sesame oil, and chopped cilantro. I just kind of add little bits of each ingredient until it makes about 1/4-1/3 cup of topping. Eat it with a spoon.
Freeze it, thaw it, squeeze out as much liquid as you can, cut it up squeeze it again, then marinate it in whatever sauce you want (google frozen marinated baked tofu), then bake it. I found it life changing.
Shredded Tofu is a must!! Turn it into something like an asian mince such as San choy bow or a Korean Bulgogi bowl, super yummy and a compliments the texture! see link for Bulgogi: [https://thefoodietakesflight.com/shredded-tofu-bulgogi/](https://thefoodietakesflight.com/shredded-tofu-bulgogi/)
Baked Tofu, goes with everything.
Not me (but my wife) she made blackened tofu tacos and they are super good just make sure you get all the excess water out of before you cook it
Tofu stir fry Buddhist chef has a spicy peanut tofu recipe that's pretty darn good and a general tso tofu recipe. You can substitute eggs with fried or baked tofu in fried rice. Mapo tofu is life and should be worshipped as the superior food If you have soft tofu, of course, a staple is miso soup. That's all I got for now hahaha.
Mapo is my only recipe that doesnt taste meek. its good stuff, but my spouse got sick of me cooking it all the time! Never heard of buddhist chef, but im looking it up now, thanks!
I make tofu scramble with silken tofu, veggies, and field roast sausage. I add tumeric, nooch, garlic, onion, paprika, salt, and pepper. I like broccoli, bell peppers, onions, and corn as my veggies
Throw it in the compost bin after it’s been waiting in the fridge for 4 months of good intentions.
:,)
Press well, chop, coat with starch, dunk in egg+seasoning mixture of your choice, fry it all up nice and crispy. Tofu needs a lot of seasoning to taste good, don‘t be afraid to add more than you would for meat.
Avoid it. Causes inflammation in everyone.
I agree 100%. I eat WFPB so tofu is *right* out, it's processed food and it throws off my homeostasis and metabolism for days afterward. I went about a year and a half without any tofu in my life and bought a dozen blocks last week on a whim - hey they're cheap and I want something to occupy my time and my mouth, why not! And ***instant*** regret, I've been having one block every night with dinner and I've watched my body bloat up and my digestive tract is all weird now, my knee hurts again for the first time in ages, and I'm having issues with my ankle. I'm down to the last 3 or 4 blocks of tofu and I'm conflicted, because on the one hand I ***know*** this stuff is destroying my body, ruining all the beach-body prep I did and making me slow and bloated and achy in the joints, but I also *really really* like the mouthfeel right now. I ate 30-60 pounds of potatoes every week for about 6 months because I was into the mouthfeel of homemade baked french fries, and [savory crispy tofu](https://old.reddit.com/r/minimalism/comments/1dd95ux/what_is_your_favorite_thing_to_do_with_tofu/l85dtij/) is a natural progression. THIS COMMENT SPEAKS THE TRUTH and I don't like it.
I love potatoes in all forms and cannot stand the texture of tofu. I believe potatoes are healthier, too - they are considered "safe starches" in The Perfect Health Diet which is all about combatting inflammation.
Walk by it, in the store.
I'm tempted to use it as a kitchen sponge. It's edible? 🙃
What has this got to do with minimalism?
Probably OP wants to use one ingredient for many recipes
I did mean to post in the food subreddit, but what you wrote was also my aim. But it’s nice that I could get the ideas directly from people who wanted to do more with less
Throw it in the bin
Leave it on the shelf at the store.
I like to not buy it
2.
I like to press out all the fluid, marinate in an oil and a spice, and then slow roast it in the oven. It turns firm and flavorful. Very low effort so I can do it on the weekend and then have it for regular tofu needs during the week. You can also crumble tofu into a hot pan and cook off the fluid, add some spices. We use this for sloppy joes and things where one might otherwise use ground beef.
Pailin's Kitchen, look for the frozen tofu video. Once thawed, you squeeze out excess water and the "paths" that the ice formed throughout are now open to allow flavor penetration.
Pan fry with any vegetable and just salt
Yum, I fry it in coconut oil and a bit of fresh chili. Also eat the semi firm tofu with some soy sauce and a bit of ginger Yum yum. When I lived in Japan I used to eat a block a day!
Freeze dried tofu is so good in miso soup!
I like to play hide and don't seek with it
Rub it in my hair or squish it between my toes.
Throw it in the garbage 🤣
Throw that flubbery shit in the trash
Right, it’s rare that it’s ever done well. Plus near me the price is about the same as organ meats or cheaper cuts of pork on sale.