About TOFU !

[chamy]

Hi everybody !
i want to use tofu in my cooking.so iam collecting information and recipes of Tofu.i have seen the earlier two threads in forum hub.Can anyone give me detailed explanation abt how to use it ?can we use it instead of chicken pieces in non veg curries?will it be tasteful?i have seen many people using it instead of coconut.In that case either we have to add it in raw form or use deep fried ones?Kindly clear my doubts.Thanks in advance.
Regards foodlover.

[kritica]

Hi Chamy,
I have used tofu instead of paneer.. so i guess u could use it instead of chicken.. well there aer different variety of tofu.... if uwant to use it in the form of panner u have to get extra firm tofu.. which would be good... this is all i know about tofu... nothing much
kritica

[Mini]

tofu is the best substitute for paneer. i'm strictly a vegetarian so cannot answer ur query on chicken.
tofu is just full of protein and not too much fat.

[chamy]

Dear kritica and mini !
Thanks for the information.I made tofu peanut thovayal yesterday and it was good.I got the recipe from forum hub .regards foodlover

[Sowmya]

I made tofu peanut thovayal yesterday and it was good.I got the recipe from forum hub .

Hi foodlover
Can u please post the recipe here?

Regards
Sowmya

[chamy]

Dear sowmya !
Here is the recipe.
Tofu peanut thuvaiyal:
1/3 cup of unsalted dry roasted peanuts
1/3 cup extra firm tOfu
6 to 8 green chillies
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp tamarind paste
salt to taste.
Blend peanuts, chillies, cumin, tamarind paste and salt in a blender with a very little water. Add tofu in the end and blend a little more.

Note: i used less amount of green chillies.
Regards foodlover

[Sowmya]

Hi foodlover
Thanks lot for your immediate response.
I have substituted coconut with tofu(raw) soft/firm in Aviyal,morkuzhambu and did not feel any taste difference.You can even substitute paneer with tofu in paneer based recipes.

Hope this helps.

Regards
Sowmya :D

[chamy]

Dear sowmya !
Thank u for the suggestion.
Regards Foodlover.

[tomato]

I find tofu a good sustitute for paneer. Use the firm variety. It will not crumble while cooking.But before using it u need to get rid of its excess water. For this place a block of tofu between several layers (3-4) of paper kitchen towel or a clean cotton towel. Put something heavy on it . Leave it aside for half an hour atleast. Then cut it into cubes and roast on a tava with a tsp of ghee or butter. Use it in place of fried paneer. Paneer lovers will be a bit dissapointed with the taste but the texture and look will be good. And once u get used to the taste u will even like it. I use these fried tofu cubes in palak paneer, chili paner in place of paneer.

I have also used 'silken tofu'/soft tofu in strawberry milk shakes. There will be no need to add any milk. Just add abt 1/2 cup silken tofu per glass of milk shake. Add chilled water or ice cubes as reqd.

[Badri]

Yes, but please note that tofu also has some drawbacks. Visit this site for more info

http://www.mercola.com/2000/sep/17/soy_brain.htm

[Sowmya]

Hi badri
Thanks a lot for the useful link..Will limit he use of tofu in future :)

Regards
Sowmya

[rain]

yes, sowmya,same here.we like stuff like soymilk, TVP,tofu but lately have been hearing concerns about too much of their use not being good as they might be highly processed.

thank u badri for pointing out and for the link. btw,does anyone know how tempeh looks like or used it maybe. never remember seeing them on store shelf tho they keep tofu.

regards
rain

[Sowmya]

Hi rain
Have started feeling that our indian diet is a very well balanced one if coconut and oil consumption can be kept under check.Atleast we can be sure that there are no long term ill effects.
Regards
Sowmya :D

[R]

Sowmya,

Off late, have been using our regular milk instead of coconut and add thoor or any dal to get thicker consistency for kootu. And, it is really tasty as I cook the veggies with minimum amt of milk.

Adding coconut is nowadays in my cooking rarely. Try this and you will know..

Rgds

[Sowmya]

Hi R
Thanks for the tip.I bought a pack of pumpkin seeds and these days I have started adding that(about 1 tbsp) to the kootu/gravies for thickening the same.

Regards
Sowmya

[Badri]

More news on Tofu and Soy side-effects!

Please do go through this link below for some information on soy and tofu ill effects.

http://goldroof14.blogspot.com/2005/08/whole-soy-story-part-ii-re-evils-of.html