Tofu

Tofu: the vegan cliché! This stalwart of the vegan cookbook has come in for some heavy criticism from those on the ‘outside’ over the years. However, for those ‘in the know’, tofu is a delicious and versatile delight.

I want to address a couple of popular tofu myths:

• Tofu is slimy and gooey
• Tofu is bland and tasteless

Of course tofu can be both of these things; if done badly. If you believe in these myths, then you’ve either never had tofu, or been unfortunate enough to have been given badly prepared tofu.

I talk a lot about versatility in this blog, and it’s true that many of the ingredients that I talk about are in fact very versatile – it’s what makes being vegan a lot easier than people think. However, in the versatility stakes, tofu takes it to the next level.

So what is tofu?
Tofu (or bean curd) is typically coagulated soya milk. The resulting curds are compressed into a block and tofu is born. It’s an ancient food. Originating in China over 2,000 years ago, it’s said to have travelled to other parts of Asia with the spread of Buddhism. I used the previous word ‘typically’ intentionally, as tofu is more of a term to describe the coagulation process. Interestingly, tofu can be made out of other starter legumes such as almonds, peanuts or sesame.

What about that texture?
To define the exact texture of tofu would be a little disingenuous, as tofu comes in many guises:

Plain tofu
Your regular block of tofu that comes submerged in water. The brand with the biggest penetration in the UK is Cauldron.
But tofu is a sophisticated character, even its plain variety comes in several guises: silken, firm, extra firm, super firm. These terms relate to how compressed the curds are during production. A firmer texture will give you a stiffer and chewier end product. Plain, firm tofu is the starting point for any tofu-based creation.

Silken tofu
This is the least firm variety. Typically sold in the sundries aisle of the supermarket and will come in a carton. Here, the texture is soft, almost like a crème caramel. Perfect for making desserts, deep frying into melt in the mouth bites or adding a creamy consistency to fillings and sauces.

Smoked tofu
Pre-smoked tofu is a weakness of mine. Different brands have different treatments but all deliver a subtle hit of smoky goodness- adding pep to any dish

Deep fried tofu
Buy it pre-fried and easily add to any dish as a meat substitute. Cauldron do a deep fried, marinated tofu which is rather good- particularly in Asian dishes

Flavoured tofu
You can also get tofu already infused with different flavours. The Taifun brand has a good pesto and tomato variety which has the texture of feta – great as a topping to salads

A few of the most popular types of tofu you can buy in the UK

So, you can buy tofu in many varieties, but you can also transform a block of plain tofu into something special at home, simply by altering its texture.

Let me introduce you to the tofu press…
This is an ultimate piece of vegan kit. For years, tofu lovers have carefully balanced books, cans or paperweights atop a plate atop a block of tofu; carefully gauging the balance of pressure and stability in a Jenga-esque game of tofu preparation. But there is a solution. You can press tofu without risking a kitchen calamity. You can do this with a tofu press; a handy, easy to use and achingly simple gadget.

I have a press made by TofuXpress which is effective and durable

A Tofu Press is a simple piece of kit

…told you it was simple

A block of Cauldron tofu fits perfectly in my TofuXpress

Why do you need to press tofu? Ultimately you don’t need to press it- but pressing tofu changes the texture dramatically, allowing even more recipe combinations. Most tofu comes submerged in water to prevent it from drying out. This can give it a sodden feeling when straight out of the packet. Pressing the water out of tofu is great for firming it up so you can make a lovely chewy satay skewer or add cubed into a curry. Impressed? (excuse the pun!) Well, there’s more: you can also then press tofu for different lengths of time to get varying levels of firmness. Tofu texture needn’t be a gooey problem anymore. You want your tofu firm? You’d be better asking how firm would you like that tofu!

So what if don’t have a tofu press? My first piece of advice would be to invest in one. Failing that, you still have a couple of options. Of course, you can Jenga-up some cans on top of plate and hope for stability, or just simply pop your block of tofu in the freezer for a couple days. Once frozen, let thaw slowly in the fridge. You’ll find the thawed tofu is much less sodden and the texture much more dense.

I came across a website called Tofuture.com which I’m excited about. It looks like it’s still early days, but they’re soon going to be selling a great-looking tofu press. Even more excitingly, they’re British based. Watch this space.

Nutrition
Nutritionally, tofu is great. Being made from soya beans it’s naturally high in protein. It’s also incredibly low in saturated fat and calories. It’s a good source of calcium and iron (something that vegans need to be mindful of). There are meat substitutes out there which are higher in protein and fortified with more minerals, but for me tofu is a very balanced option.

Flavour
Now, let’s address that thorny issue of flavour. Tofu should be seen as a base. It’s the foundation and the structure of a dish- the flavour needs to be added. I suspect in a similar way that plain chicken can be lacking in flavour, tofu needs flavours adding in order to bring out its qualities.

So to label tofu as tasteless or bland is far too harsh; that would suggest that it should have had a powerful flavour to start with. Don’t expect it pack a flavour punch in its virgin form, just as you wouldn’t expect a chicken to either.

The easiest way to pep up some tofu is by marinating it. Remember the tofu press? When you squeeze all the water out, the first thing that’s going to happen is that block of tofu is going to want to suck liquid back inside, a bit like a sponge. Pressed tofu will slowly soak up a marinade, taking the flavour deep inside.

As well as marinating, basting and coating tofu works very well. Batter it or cover it with your favourite flavourings and tofu will never be a lonesome lacker-in-flavour ever again.

Of course, you could simply just add your tofu to a dish already bursting with flavour: curries, chili, pasta sauces – you get the picture.

In summary

My advice with tofu is to go out and try as many different types until you find the one you like. Don’t rely on that one experience that put you off – tofu is much more than that!

Press it
Squash it
Blend it
Fry it
Bake it
Coat it
Breadcrumb it
Marinade it
EAT IT!