Tofu
My return to vegetarianism is going along well! I still include a little bit of fish in my diet, and I never cut out dairy and eggs, but overall I have eaten barely any poultry, and even less red meat.
In the past when I’ve mentioned vegetarian cooking, my meat-eating friends have scrunched up their noses, thinking of standard hippy recipes of tofu and brown rice, flavored with a little soy sauce, and a pile of sand on top. Those recipes disgust me too, and are an unfortunate holdover from the 1970s. My girlfriend has copies of Laurel’s Kitchen and The Moosewood Kitchen, both of which to my mind are remarkable for the sheer inedibility of their meals (Moosewood, to give credit is a bit better than the gravel-and-beans style offered in Laurel).
Vegetarianism has come a long way in the United States, thanks especially to migrations from the Indian subcontinent. Honestly, is there a national cuisine that has done so much for vegetarianism as gourmet cooking? I think Indian cuisine is even more interesting and vegetarian friendly than Mexican!
One of the saddest misconceptions people have about vegetarian cooking is the tofu. Prepared carelessly or incorrectly, tofu is just plain naaaasty. The texture and flavor can only be compared to flavorless pudding, and it seems that no matter how you bake or marinate the stuff, it’s still flabby and soft, like Dennis Hastert’s bloated underbelly. For years I couldn’t understand why people would eat it other than because it’s a great source of protein.
Then, I learned the secret of awesome tofu from Unmi Abkin, a chef I worked for in Northampton Massachusetts.
This technique works with soft, firm, and extra-firm tofu, but I do not recommend it for silken tofu, which is so soft it barely holds together.
Whether you buy your tofu in bulk or in the plastic box filled with water, drain the tofu in a colander. Wrap the naked block of soy in plastic wrap and put it in the freezer for 24-48 hours, until it freezes solid.
Once the tofu is frozen solid, remove it from the freezer and let it thaw, either in the fridge or in a microwave, and you will notice a remarkable change. The residual water in the tofu expands when frozen, leaving the thawed tofu filled with millions of tiny air bubbles. Instead of being mushy and gross, the tofu is now chewy, almost meaty in texture. When fried it doesn’t stick to the pan and crumble like ricotta gone bad. Instead the outside gets crispy and yummy.
Once you try frozen tofu, you’ll never ever useit right out of the package again. It’s so good that for a midnight snack, I fry a little up in some garlic. Damn tasty.
One Response to “Tofu”
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October 10th, 2006 at 4:25 pm
you forgot to mention that you need to squeeze the water out after it thaws.
also, what works really well with tofu is to use one of those flat griddles. slice about 1/2 inch thick, spray the tofu, not the pan, with pan spray, sprinkle with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, and sear on both sides till nicely brown and crispy. it is sooo yummy that way, and you don’t even have to freeze it.