Tofu - Better than I thought

The paleo crowd claims that eating soy-based products (including tofu) decreases testosterone levels in men. I have no way of verifying this claim, and a Google search brings many contradictory opinions...

I cook tofu regularly and have made it from scratch too. You can get starter kits to make it that come with instructions. I got mine from this place - www.mrtempeh.com.au/store/p4/tofu-making-kits.html so I could try a variety of coagulants. Mad Millie also has a kit which a bought on special just to have the extra basket etc, but I haven’t used yet. It’s very easy to make but not something I do often, as tofu is a “fast food” for us. You can freeze tofu though, which is useful if you make a larger batch - changes the texture but people often freeze tofu on purpose for that texture change - it’s good. Soy beans and coagulant are part of my preps.

One of our super quick meals (often for lunch or with a few things like corn on the cob added for dinner) that everyone loves is to cut a block of tofu into sticks - like about 3/4 cm x 3/4 cm x 5 cm (exact isn’t important) and fry it until most of the sides are golden. Splash in a heap of tamari (more than you expect) and toss the tofu through that until it all disappears. Serve with lettuce leaves - nice crunchy cos ones, aioli and sweet chilli (or whatever takes your fancy). Take a lettuce leaf, spread on a little of the sauces, load in some tofu, wrap the lettuce leaf around it and just eat it like that.

Another very quick and easy thing is tofu bolognese sauce. Crumble a large block of firm tofu into a fry pan with a tiny bit of oil and move it around until you can see that lots of it is going light golden. Pour in a jar of pasta sauce and add a couple of spoonfuls of tomato paste, and you’re done. Depending on your jar of pasta sauce you may need to cook it down a little. I use the organic macro (Woolworths) brand one - good price, good flavour. Of course, you could add a splash of wine, sautéed mushrooms, olives, etc if your audience will cope with that. If you start boiling the water for the pasta at the same time as you start the sauce then the sauce should easily be done when the pasta is cooked.

If you don’t like tofu, I would suggest you (1) try another brand, (2) cook it alone until it starts to brown, then add a decent amount of something - eg tamari if it’s being added to fried rice or a stir fry.

For some interesting summaries of research related to health benefits/concerns - go to nutritionfacts.org , search for tofu and find videos that cover what concerns you.

Its better than Spam!  

Next summer I reckon I'll use Tofu in some nice crab soup.

Well ... I think we can all agree that nothing beats a tin of anchovies on wholemeal saladas. Might have some of those instead. (I pulled up behind a semi load of fresh sardines at the silos today ... been hungry for tasty little fish ever since!)

If they be fresh caught within 24 hours ... yes please! They are the best fish in the sea. Can't believe we just feed them to tuna.

Silken tofu is often blended. I rarely buy it, although you can get it in tetra packs for shelf storage, so that’s useful. You could blend it with sweet things (eg banana, maple syrup, etc) to make a pudding. Long ago I use to make a cheesecake type thing that way - a nut based crust and a tofu/banana/maple syrup based filling (I’d have to look up the exact recipe). Useful if you can’t have dairy or just want a healthier alternative. The main time I use it now is for an egg-free French toast - blended with some sort of plant milk (soy, almond or coconut), a little maple syrup and vanilla, it substitutes well for the egg/milk mix. I know that if you aren’t use to it, it may not sound nice, but it actually makes really good French toast. And all the ingredients are shelf stable if you have a few tetra packs of the silken tofu.