Vegan Jambalaya

[Guest guest]

Has anyone tried Vegan Jambalaya? Jerrold

 

 

 

fraggle <EBbrewpunx Sent: Monday, January 26, 2009 8:16:02 PMRe: Re: Basic Broiled Tofu w/Braising Sauce

 

 

from the soy deli website

Freezing & Thawing: Freezing and thawing makes the tofu more porous so that it soaks marinades and other liquids very quickly. For additional information on freezing and thawing tofu, see "Storage" in this article.

Boiling: When boiling tofu, the outside is cooked more than the inside, causing the outside edges to be a little tougher. This may be exactly what you want when using tofu as a meat alternative. A typical boiling time is 20 minutes; however, boiling it for longer or shorter periods of time certainly will not hurt it.

Pressing: Pressing tofu makes the entire block uniformly firmer. This is the technique to use if a recipe calls for firm tofu and you happen to have soft tofu in the refrigerator. To press a block of tofu, place it between towels and put a heavy weight (such as a cast iron frying pan, concrete paving blocks, or bricks) on top and let it sit for an hour or so. Storing or cooking pressed tofu in a liquid will undo the effects of the pressing.

You are not limited to just one of these techniques to change the hardness of your tofu. You can use any combination of them or all three. You can even repeat any of the techniques or combinations to really toughen up your tofu. When you go to your local health food store, you may notice a wide variety of tofus flavored with herbs. These are not what the authors of your recipe books are referring to unless, of course, they've specified a particular flavor of tofu. Feel free to try these flavored tofu treats in your own creative recipes.

Nigari/Calcium Rich/GDL (Glucono Delta Lactone)

Nigari is a natural component of sea water, primarily magnesium chloride. It is used to make Japanese style tofu. Nigari tofu are generally firmer and more tender.

Calcium Rich tofu is make with food grade gypsum, a natural earth mineral, calcium sulfate. It is traditional Chinese tofu ingredient. The Calcium Rich tofu is softer and smoother.

GDL Tofu is silken tofu. GDL is mixed with the soymilk in the tofu container. The coagulation takes place inside the tofu container. The tofu is never pressed. Therefore, silken tofu has the highest water content. This make silken tofu soft.

(for the record, GDL is generally made from fermented rice)

 

 

 

Freshness/QualityFresh tofu should have a mild smell when you open the package. A package of tofu should show an expiration date. Tofu that has spoiled turns moldy, is filmy to the touch, and has a sour, sharp, or biting taste and smell. Some suggest that if it only smells sour, it can still be used in many recipes other than those with very delicate flavors such as mousses and puddings. However, if it smells sour, we suggest that you just throw it away -- it's not that expensive.

StorageTofu can be purchased refrigerated and packed in water or packaged in vacuum packed plastic containers. After opening a water pack refrigerated package, drain the fluid, cut off the portion you want, and decide how you are going to store the remainder of the tofu. To maintain its store-bought texture, put it in the refrigerator. To change the tofu's texture and make it tougher (more meat-like), put it in the freezer. If you want to store it in the refrigerator (which you can do for up to 7 days), cover with fresh cool water. Replace the water daily to prevent it from getting cloudy and making a good home for bacteria. Also be sure that the tofu is completely submerged.

If you want to store it in the freezer, place the drained tofu in an airtight bag or container. The white tofu, once frozen, will turn yellow; but don't worry, when you thaw it, it will become white again. Freezing tofu drastically changes its properties. When you freeze it, thaw it, and squeeze out the water, it will have a more meaty, chewy consistency and will soak up marinades and sauces more readily than non-frozen tofu. (Other ways of changing the hardness of tofu are described in the "Varieties" section of this article.) To squeeze out the water, simply place sliced tofu between paper towels and press with the palm of your hand to remove as much water as possible, or perform the "pressing" technique described earlier. To thaw tofu quickly, microwave it on a paper towel or in a bowl. You can also boil it for 5 to 25 minutes, depending on the size of the tofu chunk. It is usually easier, however, to leave it on a plate on the kitchen counter for

a few hours.

Preparing Instructions

Marinating

Marinating tofu is one of the many ways of flavoring it. When a recipe instructs you to marinate tofu and it does not tell you the tofu texture or hardness to use, we recommend using a regular firm or extra-firm tofu. If you are marinating for less than one hour, it can be done at room temperature covered with wax paper, paper towels, or a towel. However, for longer periods of time, marinating should be done in a tightly-covered container in the refrigerator to prevent bacterial growth and spoilage.

Frozen and thawed tofu absorbs marinades faster than unfrozen tofu. In fact, if the marinade is thin, you may only need to quickly dip the tofu in the sauce on each side for it to be fully absorbed into the tofu. However, if the marinade is thick, the tofu may still require several hours or even overnight to absorb the marinade fully.

Cooking

Tofu can be mashed, blended, whipped, ground, crumbled, marinated, simmered, steamed, baked, broiled, sautéed, barbecued, fried, or deep-fried. Basically, you can do anything to it. Use your imagination and creativity. Remember, tofu has very little flavor of its own, and it will pick up the flavors of the ingredients it is cooked with. Also remember that tofu can be so soft and creamy that it melts away in the dish, or so firm and leathery that it takes a bit of chewing. Choose your flavors and textures.

Tofu may not only look like a sponge, but in some cases it actually acts like a sponge. If you have gone through some time and effort to remove the water from your tofu (i.e., to make it firmer or to maximize the flavor of a marinade), don't put it back in water or other liquids such as soup stocks. The tofu "sponge" will absorb liquid and drastically dilute the marinade and return the tofu's firmness to its original state.

In a soup or stew, you can "lock-in" the flavor of a marinated tofu by first cooking it with a little oil. Deep frying, pan frying, or covering with a non-stick cooking spray and broiling are all methods that may be used. If this locking-in process is skipped, the tofu's flavors will have a tendency to be leached out by the soup or stew broth.

"Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we."

--George W. Bush