RAW SMELL OF TOFU

[baskaran.ramamurthy]

How do we get rid of the raw smell of TOFU after cooking. We have tried washing several times .Will marination help

[pr]

I used to cut tofu into cubes , take 1 or 2 tsp of oil in a kadai and fry them in slow fire till the sides r lightly browned .Pls c if it works .
Thanks
pr

[baskaran.ramamurthy]

Thanks for the prompt response .will try and revert back

[pr]

Forgot to mention .. U will get best results when u use a non stick pan .. Dont disturb the tofu cubes until its slightly brown and then turn them so that the other side will get cooked .

[baskaran.ramamurthy]

Thanks for your responses. Will revert back after trying

[baskaran.ramamurthy]

We have tried making vegetable curries using Tofu as you advised by you but with some minor improvisation.We washed Tofu with three four changes of water and marinated with spices and in the usual way and then sauted to golden brown on all sides while frying onions. The results were good
Thanks for your suggestions
Baskaran

[RedPepper]

I have finally decided to add tofu to our diet (it is too late I know). I bought a pack of organic 'firm' tofu yesterday.

Questions:

1) They had soft, firm, extra firm packs. Which is good for Indian cooking? I would imagine it is 'extra firm' since it would be easy to cut into cubes?

2) Once I open the pack, how do I store the leftovers? The pack says to keep in water. Should I use the same box with a plastic wrapping, or should I transfer to another container and add water? How long can I keep it in the refrigerator?

3) I would appreciate if you share your favorite tofu recipes, and the ideas for using tofu in everyday cooking.

4) Can I give tofu to a 8 months old baby? If yes, how? should I cook and mash it with other vegetables?

5) Can we eat it raw, or add the cubed tofu to salads without cooking?

I think thats it for now. Thanks in advance.

baskaran.ramamurthy, sorry for hijacking your thread. I hope you won't mind... :)

[a_gopinathan]

RP,

i buy extra firm tofu. firm should also be fine. when i eat in thai restaurants, i aways ask for tofu based dishes. those tofu are not very hard, so i am assuming that they are using firm tofu.
i store it in another container with water after i take it from the original packaging. i havent tried keeping it for long time, try to use it in one or two days. i guess u can substitute tofu in any paneer dishes. i have made mutter tofu and also made with mushrooms.

once i tried giving tofu to my son when he was one year, he didnt like the taste , so after that i have never tried. not sure whether u can give for a 8 month old baby. also not sure abt eating raw.

Anju

[baskaran.ramamurthy]

Red Pepper,
Visited your blog. It would be a good idea to include the recipes also with the pictures
Baskaran

[baskaran.ramamurthy]

Red Pepper
Please find below our recipe using tofu. Will post one more later
TOFU KOFTA
Ingredients
For Koftas
250 gms tofu(Medium hard)
2 tsp wheat flour
2 tsp maida flour
2 tsp Chilli powder
2 nos Green chillies
Salt to taste
coriander leaves(finely chopped)
pinch of asafoetida
2 tbl spoon oil
For Gravy:
2 nos onion medium size chopped
5 to 6 pods Garlic(finely chopped)
2 inches fresh ginger(finely chopped)
1 cup tomato paste
2 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp jeera powder
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp mustard seeds
Handful coriander, finely chopped
3 tbl spn oil (from frying)

Method

For Koftas:
Wash the tofu in two or three changes water and grate .
cook the grated tofu in water with salt and pinch of asafoetida for ten minutes
Cool the cooked tofu and squeeze out water from it completely.
Store the cooked and squeezed water in a bowl separately.
To the cooked tofu add chopped green chillies, chopped coriander leaves,
red chilli powder ,and mix well.
Heat two table spoons of oil on a nonstick pan and lightly fry the tofu mix
Now add besan to bind and make round or oval balls.
Make a semi-liquid paste out of maida flour and dip the koftas.
Then deep fry these koftas to golden brown under medium heat .

For Gravy:
Heat 3-4 tablespoons of ghee in a heavy bottom vessel.
Add the mustard seed let it splutter then add onions green
chillies garlic and ginger and fry until lightly crisped.
Now add tomatoes, salt and turmeric powder, red chilli, jeera, coriander powders
and mix well. Cover the vessel.
Keep stirring at intervals and check if the gravy is even and well blended.
You can add the extracted water from grated tofu now andlet the gravy boil.
Sprinkle garam masala. Add the koftas.
Garnish with coriander leaves .

[RedPepper]

Red Pepper,
Visited your blog. It would be a good idea to include the recipes also with the pictures
Baskaran

I know. Just publishing the pictures with no recipes is NOT a good idea. A detailed step by step pictorial representation of recipes is in my dreams, but just cannot find time to do that.

I have posted some of the recipes in another thread. If you want any particular recipe, please let me know.

[RedPepper]

Red Pepper
Please find below our recipe using tofu. Will post one more later


Thank you so much for the recipe baskaran.ramamurthy .

Another question about tofu:

Most recipes require that the tofu should be fried before adding to whatever we are cooking. I was wondering if we can bake the tofu cubes instead of frying? By spreading the tofu cubes in a tray, and bake it at medium/high heat? Have anyone experimented that? Please share your thoughts.

[baskaran.ramamurthy]

Please find below a recipe based on tofu downloaded by me

Refer URL : http://verdantsf.blogspot.com/2006/01/tofu-bulgogi.html

I love tofu. Even before I became a vegetarian, tofu was a regular part of my diet thanks to my Korean mother. I enjoy it in all of its incarnations, but I do realize that the soft texture and mild flavor of common preparations isn't for everyone. With that in mind, the following recipe is great those who haven't had tofu before, as well as avowed tofu-haters. It's based on Korean marinated beef, bulgogi. The combination of thorough marination and prolonged dry heat create a tofu dish with a taste and texture unlike any other.

Ingredients

2 pounds of firm tofu
2 cups of soy sauce (this is a lot of soy sauce, but you can freeze leftover marinade. It will keep indefinitely. If you're certain that you'll be able to marinate overnight, you can do 1 cup soy sauce and 1 cup water, as the marinade will completely infuse the tofu and make the dish too salty for some people's tastes)
2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
2 Tbsp sugar
4 cloves of garlic, minced (more if you like)
1 inch x 1inch piece of ginger, minced
1 tsp black pepper

Preparation

Set the blocks of tofu under a plate and a weight for an hour. If your tofu is exceedingly firm, you can skip this step.

Cut each block of tofu into 8 slabs. Place the 16 cutlets in a large oiled baking dish. Mix the remaining ingredients well, then pour over the tofu.

Let it marinate for at least an hour, but it's even better to let it marinate overnight. Turn the cutlets over once during their marination. Pre-heat oven to 350 Fahrenheit and cook for 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and turn over, then return to the oven for another 20 min. Serve with lots of rice and kimchi if you have it.

Tofu Bulgogi served with brown rice.

[riceandbeans]

The firmness of the tofu depends on the recipe you are making. If you want to fry or give the dish more texture use the firm or extra firm, if using to thicken sauces use the silky kind and so on...



Tofu should be usually kept inmersed in water and it should be changed every day. I never use the same box it comes in and usually transfer to another container and add fresh water. I try to plan my meals around it to use it fast.The maximum I've kept it in the fridge was 3 days.

In some cultures, people feed babies with tofu but I assume a good reason why you are wondering if you can introduce tofu to an 8 mos old baby is that you must be concerned about its nutritional intake, which can be completely different from the reasons adults use tofu in their diets so I wouldn't give you any advice on that and should say ask your pediatrician which is the best person to trust the wellbeing of your child's. I think.

I find it better to season and stri-fry or cook, bake or grill or even fry the tofu before eating.

[RedPepper]

Riceandbeans, thanks a lot for sharing the tips.
There is no cultural reason behind my query about feeding tofu to the baby. I have a chart that I roughly use as a guideline to introduce new foods to my baby. According to it, we can introduce tofu at 8 months. So I just wanted to know what others are thinking.