Guest guest Posted July 16, 2003 Report Share Posted July 16, 2003 I have been vegan for about two years now, but I have yet to master the art of cooking tofu. I like extra firm tofu in stir-fried, but every time I have made it, it has come out all mushy (resembling scrambled eggs). Any ideas what I am doing wrong? I think one problem is not getting enough moisture out of it, but maybe I need to make sure my oil is hotter? Any tips would be greatly appreciated. --st@cy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 16, 2003 Report Share Posted July 16, 2003 > Message: 16 > Wed, 16 Jul 2003 10:21:41 EDT > theimaginetree > question about frying tofu > > I have been vegan for about two years now, but I have yet to master the art > of cooking tofu. I like extra firm tofu in stir-fried, but every time I have > made it, it has come out all mushy (resembling scrambled eggs). Any ideas what I > am doing wrong? I think one problem is not getting enough moisture out of it, > but maybe I need to make sure my oil is hotter? Any tips would be greatly > appreciated. > > --st@cy I should say before I start, I've only fried tofu (Nayasoya extra firm) once, and it turned out ok (but I couldn't get the inside completely cooked, I think I cut the strips too wide. I marinated it in a orange juice/soysauce/sugar base and then coated it with onion, garlic, white pepper, cayenne, etc powders. Tasted like chicken according to my mom). Do you freeze it for at least a day? This makes it much more firm and chewy, and less soft-egg consistancy. Open the container (I should point out the first time I froze my tofu I left it unopened, and it was ok, but I think it's just easier to get the water out beforehand, instead of ice crystals later, yes?). Cycle the water out and new water in a few times, then press all the water you can out. I don't suggest cutting it into strips until after you freeze then thaw it (and then you can just take what you need out of the freezer bag and thaw it, instead of the whole thing). Put the tofu block in a freezer bag, freeze for 24 or more hours, then defrost it in the fridge (it might turn yellowish, this is fine). Once it's defrosted, cut into however big you want the tofu to be for stir frying (you might need to press some excess moisture out first). Keep out what you need, throw the rest back into the freezer so that it lasts longer. Enjoy (I should also say I've made dumpling dough with frozen tofu, and it turned out ok... just had to add a little more water to have everything stick together after blending) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 16, 2003 Report Share Posted July 16, 2003 In a message dated 7/16/03 7:22:23 AM Pacific Daylight Time, theimaginetree writes: Any ideas what I am doing wrong? I think one problem is not getting enough moisture out of it, That was my first thought. I usually set my tofu in a colander which I place over a bowl. I put a piece of wax paper over the tofu and then set a brick (or something really heavy) on top of it and let it drain for about 1/2 hr. I then cut it in slices or chunks. Sometimes I coat the tofu with a little flour before frying it and that works really well. Sometimes I even chill it first to give it a little more consistency. Tofu is fragile and too much moisture will definitely make it fall apart. Don't use the silken soft tofu, even if it says "firm". That type of tofu is more for sauces and creams and isn't nearly as sturdy as the regular firm tofu you get in the refrigerated section. Gloria Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 16, 2003 Report Share Posted July 16, 2003 stacy - it sounds like it must be the type of tofu you are using ... are you using silken tofu? or chinese-style tofu? (bean curd, slippery like silken not the pre-deepfried kind) -- or the kind that comes in vac-wrapped blocks? i'm in canada so i don't know what brands are available to you vs what i use but that is the only thing i can think of ... i always marinate tofu cubes before stir-frying (i say this to illustrate that that would 'add' liquid to them) and they never fall apart like that -- even when i crumble extra-firm tofu it doesn't get mushy like wet scrambled eggs tara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 16, 2003 Report Share Posted July 16, 2003 I grill my tofu and it holds together. The key here is to dessicate the tofu to some extent. You do this with salt or an equivalent. I use tamari or shoyu. It is salty, but more over, it does something to firm up the tofu. As for frying, you need extra firm chinese style (fresh not silken) tofu. You need to marinate this in some sort of a tamari mixture to dessicate it. This is best achieved by drying slices on a clean towel for about an hour, then marinating it, letting is dry on paper towels and then frying. If it is falling apart too easily when you are using extra firm, you are not following the cook's golden fried rule...hot pan, cold oil, no stick. Don't use a Teflon pan either, it won't develop enough of a crust to flip it. If you having tofu "issues" to start with, may I recommend any book by Louise Hagler. There is the New Farm Cookbook of hers which is so hippy and vegan and creative, I love it. She has a "Tofu Cookbook" which is wonderful. I splurged on a large size copy of it. There is a fast and easy one, and a soyfoods one. She has recipes for everything from soy ice cream and yogurt, to okara soysages and baked goods where you use silken instead of eggs. There is an almond tofu that is my special favorite and it dries out the tofu enough that it stays in fried chunks. I am not posting my BBQ recipe because it is the hallmark of my cookbook which is being copyrighted at the moment and I should behave myself! Dragonfly __ IncrediMail - Email has finally evolved - Click Here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 16, 2003 Report Share Posted July 16, 2003 we cook very good tofu here just get the firm stuff and cut to even size pieces ( i like squares) and fry for a while with gernouse portions of oil and you will achive a full cooked hardened outside tofu personaly i jsut like to eat it raw from the package dipped on some kind of sauce that i like at the current time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 17, 2003 Report Share Posted July 17, 2003 --- theimaginetree wrote: > I have been vegan for about two years now, but I > have yet to master the art > of cooking tofu. I like extra firm tofu in > stir-fried, but every time I have > made it, it has come out all mushy (resembling > scrambled eggs). Any ideas what I > am doing wrong? I think one problem is not getting > enough moisture out of it, > but maybe I need to make sure my oil is hotter? Any > tips would be greatly > appreciated. > > --st@cy > One trick is to but the tofu block in your freezer for a day or two and then to thaw it out. Once thawed, squeeze the extra moisture out using the colander method described previously. Freezing changes the texture considerably (ie firms it up). It's also important to buy the correct tofu. Fresh firm tofu, usually packaged in water and sold in the refrigerated section of your store, is the best for stir frys. The other tofu sold in a box on a shelf isn't as good for stir frys but can be 'firmed up' by freezing. Another trick is to bake the tofu. Cut into cubes, marinate it something and then place on a cookie sheet in your oven at a medium heat for about 20 - 30 minutes, turning once during cooking. You can then toss the cubes into your stir fry towards the end of your cooking. Plus For a better Internet experience http://www..co.uk/btoffer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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