Tofu doesn’t always get a good press. Its unusual texture and taste that is considered too bland has repulsed more than one. However, cooked properly, this soy-based food can make an excellent gastronomic ally. Discover our tips and recipes around tofu for a healthy and tasty diet, guaranteed without animal proteins!
What is tofu?
In Asia, tofu has been an integral part of gastronomy for centuries. In the rest of the world, this soy-based ingredient is gaining an increasingly important place in the hearts of consumers who want to replace meat in their diet.
He’s also great for health, because it contains no cholesterol, low sodium and calories. However, it is an excellent source of iron, protein and calcium. The ideal ingredient for vegan and vegetarian diets.
To make tofu, dry soybeans are hydrated and then ground. The paste thus formed is then heated, filtered and coagulated by adding magnesium chloride, calcium sulfate, calcium chloride or lemon juice. Finally, the tofu is pressed to obtain a compact paste.
Finally, according to the production process, we get a firm, smoked tofu or silky. Preparations with varied flavors and textures that allow you to cook tofu in many ways.
Cook the firm tofu
Firm tofu is obtained by draining the preparation as much as possible, giving it a compact texture, ideal for preparing it in a marinade. To cook this type of tofu that is easy to find on the market and give it maximum flavor, discover our vegan recipe with Asian accents.
Sautéed Marinated Tofu Recipe:
- Cut the tofu into cubes or strips. Marinate it for about ten minutes in a preparation of soy and grated ginger.
- Meanwhile, peel two carrots, cut them into thin sticks and prepare the broccoli.
- Blanch the vegetables in boiling salted water for 5 minutes.
- In a very hot frying pan, heat a tablespoon of sesame oil and brown all the ingredients.
- Serve it all with a bowl of rice and a few coriander leaves for the aficionados.
Cook the smoked tofu
Smoked tofu has the advantage that it already has a fairly pronounced taste. There are simple versions, with sesame seeds or grilled almonds to alternate the delights. For example, its smoky flavor and texture means it can be used as a substitute for bacon strips. Ideal for preparing a tasty vegetarian quiche. Find out how to cook smoked tofu thanks to this recipe on the PtitChef website.
Quiche Lorraine with smoked tofu
- Preheat your oven to 180°C.
- Roll out your store-bought or homemade dough into your pie pan. Prick the bottom with a fork (you can brush with mustard for even more flavour).
- Beat the 3 eggs in a salad bowl, add 20 cl of cream, the herbs de Provence, 100 g of cheese and 125 g of smoked tofu cut into small cubes. Add salt and pepper.
- Pour everything over the dough. Bake for about 45 minutes.
- Your vegetarian Lorraine quiche is ready to eat with a few lettuce leaves on the side.
Cooking the silken tofu
Silken tofu stands out for its soft consistency and crisp white color. It is especially useful in vegan cooking to replace cream or eggs. Thus, it can be found in both savory and sweet recipes. To get the most out of it, here are two recipes to learn how to cook silken tofu.
Fried tofu, glazed sauce
ingredients
- 400 g silken tofu (either a container, from organic or Asian stores)
- cooking oil
- flour (wheat or chickpeas for a gluten-free version)
- 5 tablespoons tamari
- 3 tbsp agave syrup
The recipe proposed by the Practical Vegan site:
- Carefully drain the juice from the packet of silken tofu into the sink. Be careful, the delicate texture makes it very fragile to handle. Let the tofu block drain between two sheets of kitchen paper for 1 hour at room temperature.
- Cut the tofu into large squares.
- Place the flour of your choice in a container and coat each piece of tofu with flour.
- Heat a large skillet over medium/high heat with the oil.
- Brown them for ten minutes, turn them over and grill on each side.
- Meanwhile, mix the tamari and agave syrup in a saucepan. Heat the sauce over very low heat until the tofu pieces are brown, stirring with a wooden spoon.
- When the tofu is well grilled on both sides, transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to absorb excess fat and top with glazed sauce.
- Serve it all with a wok of vegetables, rice, or both!
Silken tofu chocolate cream
Ingredients:
- 400 g silken tofu
- 200g chocolate
- 1 tbsp vanilla sugar
- 1 tbsp hazelnut powder
Spotted the recipe step by step on the Marmiton website:
- Pour the tofu into a bowl and mash it.
- Then add the hazelnut powder.
- Put the chocolate in a pan. Add 2 tablespoons of water and the vanilla sugar. Melt the chocolate over medium heat.
- When the chocolate has melted, pour it into the bowl with the tofu. Use an immersion blender or mixer to mix the mixture and make it fluffy.
- Once the mixture is homogeneous, pour it into molds and let it cool.
And you, what’s your favorite tofu recipe?