The Wonderful World of Tofu

A Simple Stir-Fry of Seasoned Firm Pressed Tofu with Ground Chicken and Chopped Vegetables.

When one thinks of Vegetarian and Vegan cuisine, most carnivores immediately snicker and think of Tofu — those big tasteless blocks of soy protein. And knowing that I probably would now be eating a lot more of this stuff than I used to, I started researching what I could do to make this highly malleable and versatile ingredient into something tasty.

Tofu comes in a number of different forms — in its most unprocessed state, they are simply blocks of bean curd, which come in different firmness levels. Personally, I prefer to buy firm or extra firm tofu, because it can handle much more man-handling when cooking so it doesn’t completely fall apart. I also like to buy firm-pressed tofu that has been seasoned (usually with a Chinese five spice blend or smoked, giving it a flavor similar to ham) which I typically buy from Asian groceries. This is particularly useful in stir-fries where you want sort of a meaty texture to complement vegetables or small amounts of meat to be used as flavoring. A third form, and less known to Westerners, is dried bean curd skin. In Japanese cuisine this is known as Yuba. In its most unprocessed form, it comes as dried “sheets” which in turn can then be reconstituted to use as wrappers or even cut up as “noodles”.

Want to enter the wonderful world of Tofu? Click on the “Read the rest of this entry” link below for more.

Tofu Skin Noodles with Spicy Peanut-Sesame Sauce

Ever since I started on my voyage of healthier eating I have had cravings for that cold peanut/sesame noodle dish you get at American Chinese restaurants. The problem is, I’m really trying to limit my carb intake and pure pasta and fat dishes are pretty much off-limits.

However, you can sort-of simulate this dish by using bean curd skin. Granted, cooked bean curd skin does not anywhere resemble pasta — it has a more rubbery, firmer texture. Typically the Chinese use it as a meat analogue for such Buddhist dishes as “Mock Duck”, for hearty earthen pot casseroles (aka “Meat wrapped in Bean Curd Skin”) or as a dim sum wrapper. It can also be deep fried in addition to braised.

Tofu Skin, as packaged in sheet and shredded form.

This tofu skin “noodle” recipe is really more of a salad, but it has the flavor and spicy punch of the original dish.

Tofu Skin Noodles with Spicy Peanut-Sesame Sauce

1 Package of Tofu Sheets, Tofu Skin Noodles or Tofu Shreds

1 Small or Medium Cucumber, De-Seeded and Chopped

1 Red Bell Pepper, Chopped

2 Green Onions, Chopped

2T Natural Peanut Butter

1/2T Sesame Oil

2T Soy Sauce

Chili Sauce / Sriracha Sauce to taste

If using tofu sheets, roll up entire stack and cut into thin strips. Boil tofu skin in a pot of water for 20 minutes, drain and put in mixing bowl. Mix peanut butter with 4oz of hot water, 2T of Soy Sauce and desired amount of Chili Sauce / Sriracha, until thoroughly integrated into peanut sauce consistency. Toss with cooked bean curd skin and vegetables. Refrigerate until cool.

Ma Po Tofu

Even before I became a “Born-again-low-carber” I loved the classic Sichuan dish Ma Po Tofu. The spicy and hearty combination is great for the winter, when you really want that comforting warmth in your food.

The following recipe is an adaptation of the one from Fuchsia Dunlop’s Land Of Plenty, which in my opinion is the definitive Sichuan cookbook. The Garlic and Ginger in my version is not traditional Sichuan, but I like the flavor that it adds to it.

Ma Po Tofu

1 block of firm or extra firm tofu, cut into 1-inch cubes and drained.

1 Leek, chopped

1 large onion, chopped, or 1 bunch of scallions, chopped, whites and green parts separated.

1T Peanut Oil

1/2lb ground chicken or turkey (Optional, can be left out if you want to prepare this completely vegetarian)

2 1/2 Tbsp of Sichuan-Style Chinese Chili Bean Paste (I use Korean SSamjang fermented bean paste with chili, which is slightly different but easier to obtain where I live)

1Tbsp of Fermented Black Beans or prepared Chinese Black Bean Paste condiment

2tsp of ground Sichuan Chiles or 1T of prepared Chinese-Style Chili Sauce

4 Garlic Cloves, finely Chopped

1 “Thumb” of ginger, finely Minced

1C Poultry or Vegetable Stock

Soy Sauce to taste

4T Cornstarch mixed with 6T cold water

1 tsp ground Sichuan peppercorns

Ma Po Tofu Mise en Place.

Prepared Black Bean Sauce and Chili Sauce. Don’t get too hung up on the brands, they come in a lot of different styles. I’m using Malaysian/Indonesian Chili sauce here, but you could use any kind of Chili sauce. A popular brand distributed all over the US is made by Huy Fong in Los Angeles.

Sichuan Peppercorn is an essential flavor to this dish. You want to buy the peppercorns whole and grind them yourself with a mortar and pestle.

Add peanut oil to hot wok on high heat. Add ground chicken/turkey. Stir fry with onions/scallion whites and leeks with chopped garlic and ginger for about 1 minute until translucent. Turn heat down to medium, add chili bean paste and chili paste, stir fry for about 30 seconds. Add black bean paste, stir for another 30 seconds. Pour in the stock, add tofu. Add 2tsp of Soy Sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Add green parts of the scallion and gently stir in. When they are barely cooked, add cornstarch mixture in two or three stages, stirring well, until the sauce has thickened. Mix with freshly ground Sichuan peppercorn. Serve over brown rice with simple vegetable stir-fry.