I received a mail recently from an Indian reader asking whether 'sofit tofu' can replace 'mori-nu'. I replied saying it wouldn't as 'mori-nu' manufactures the kind which can be ground into a smooth paste or used as a marinade, but the Indian tofu is more hard and chewy textured and has a very raw nutty flavor which makes it a little difficult to even develop a taste! However when I saw some of the marinated tofu recipes in my 'Tofu Cookbook' I knew I had found the right recipes for sofit's tofu. After all one cannot purchase an expensive imported commodity for daily use, right? This is the first recipe I tried. The marinade is a simple one used in many Chinese dishes. I have used it very often before with mushrooms and paneer, and the 'sofit' tofu actually drives this dish a few notches up as compared to firm tofu - surprised? try it!
Sofit tofu has a more porous texture which helps the juices to really seep through and you will feel it as you bite into the pieces rather than the slippery feeling soft or firm tofu gives. If you are not a regular tofu eater, you may not like it as tofu is a borrowed concept in India. My children liked this (not the same as loved!!). My husband said the marinade was good but I could have added a bit more tang to it and made it with paneer! Did I not say you need to develop a taste!
I am really sorry - but I could not replace the hoisin sauce with an Indian ingredient!
I am really sorry - but I could not replace the hoisin sauce with an Indian ingredient!
Ingredients:
SERVES 3 MAX!
Sofit chilly tofu/extra firm tofu - 1 block
(Open the pack, press gently but firmly to let the extra water drain without breaking the block in case you are using sofit's tofu. If any other extra firm variety then place some weight on the block to press out the extra liquid before chopping into rectangular pieces about 1cm thick)
Marinade
Cashew milk (I used from the leftover cashew paste from the pudding) or any other vegan milk- 1/2 cup
Cornflour - 2 tsps.
Hoisin sauce - 2 tsps.
Soy sauce - 1 tsp.
Salt - a pinch
A few drops of tabbasco sauce or red chilly powder to taste
A pinch of sugar, if you would like a little sweetness
Method:
Mix the items for the marinade in a broad vessel and sit the rectangular chopped tofu rest in this overnight or at least three or four hours. See that all the pieces are well coated in the marinade.
Heat a non stick skillet and wipe with very little oil just to give a thin layer, or alternatively spray. It will roast well even without the oil but I found that it is easy to flip if there is a thin layer. Roast the tofu on both sides till brown and serve immediately as a starter. If you keep aside the tofu starts sweating. (I do not know the reason for this!)
Makes a great vegan appetizer. The bonus is that it is healthy, full of proteins and extremely low fat.
You may squeeze lime before serving if needed.
You can see the sweat in the snap below. It must have been about 15minutes after I roasted and it started behaving like this, so I had to stop any more clicking and stay satisfied. Certainly not what I would call 'model behaviour'!
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A few more tofu delicacies:
Chocolate Pudding - Vegan
Mushroom and Tofu Curry
Tandoori Pesto Potatoes
Tofu croquettes and vegan hummus
Other recipes in this space
Tofu is definitely an acquired taste, my daughter loves to eat and I can't swallow it even if if I try! Looks great though, marinated Tofu is great for grilling I guess! :)
ReplyDeleteI still am trying to get myself to like tofu...just got a pack of tofu slabs and now know how to put it to use :)
ReplyDeletei will never acquire the taste it seems..although I do manage to gulp them sometime :)
ReplyDeleteThe marinated tofu looks delicious, Harini.
ReplyDeleteI guess we're lucky out here because there are many varieties of tofu to choose from, but in the end everything boils down to the brand, and it is not necessarily the most expensive one. The same goes for soymilk. I hate some brands of soymilk because they have a bitter aftertaste, but there's a generic one I buy that's just yummy and perfect.
I do love MoriNu tofu: it is such a great substitute for cream and eggs.
The only way I love is scrambled even my picky husb loves it! The tofu is very crisp and beautiful!
ReplyDeleteThat looks delicious...unfortunately I have to substitute tofu with paneer as Hubby wouldn't touch it...I could have it any time:)...
ReplyDeleteLOL..my hubby always said I was feeding him fake paneer when I made it initially. Now he ask for it 'cause of the protein content. But ya..it really needs to be flavored well. Once you figure out the best flavors to incorporate, it becomes easier to acquire a taste for it. Your version turned out great!
ReplyDeleteWow marinated tofu looks superb..surely gonna try this soon..
ReplyDeleteTofu is something I like..marinated ones looks so delish..will hav to try it sometime soon..:)
ReplyDeleteA lot of people don't like tofu. I used to be one of them. Now, I'm just indifferent.:D
ReplyDeleteThat's a good snack.
Not a big fan of toffu but I do eat very rarely..This marinade tofu looks so inviting..Lovely pics..
ReplyDeleteTofu is a one among the items I have not used much. Very rarely I have used it. But yours is as usual looking awesome. Will surely try it sometimes.
ReplyDeleteAgree with you regarding the acquired taste. I can't go beyond using a tblspn of soy flour in my roti dough.
ReplyDeleteAS i have said before,I really appreciate ur determination to stay vegan.
Wow Harini,looks like its a tofu season.I jes made some tofu croquettes today,read Varsha's blog on Tofu dish n now urs...wonderful.Marinated Tofu is a good idea,it surely needs an acquired taste,not all appreciate.this one is a great appetizer.Good one Harini.
ReplyDeleteLooks really tempting,I am not a tofu eater,still thats a great vegan recipe!!
ReplyDeleteI need to develope that taste for tofu still. The snaps do look good Harini ... the prob with food photography is you have to abide by your model's temperament ... and not vice versa. :-)
ReplyDeletegreat and beautiful pic harini are you sending this to click event humm mouthwatering recipe too
ReplyDeleteI think myself & my family will started likiing Tofu after eating this. Thank u.
ReplyDeleteTofu is something which is still waiting to pave its way in my pantry. These recipes push me to buy and try something...
ReplyDeletei tried several times,..but hubby never liked,..so gve up,..:-(
ReplyDeleteThose marinated ones look really good yaar. I LOVE Tofu & I am glad that my kids embraced it quite well. I actually like the chewy feel to it.
ReplyDeleteMy hubby would not eat till I made a tandoori.. just the tandoori paste & pan grill it....i will post that soon.
Thanks everyone.
ReplyDeleteHa ha! I can understand the resistance some of you have to develop the taste! It took me some time too but then I am quite happy to experiment, unlike my husband!!
Awesome click..I love Tofu too.lemme check this one.
ReplyDeleteTofu takes to marinating so well! This is a great looking dish. When Ive run out of hoisin sauce, I use a mixture of soy sauce, honey, vinegar and sesame oil - its a decent substitute :)
ReplyDeleteMy mom and big bro. are fans of tofu.Mom usually uses it in curries just like paneer.And as for my boys,they still are working on liking it.You have a tempting line-up of tofu recipes.Flavorful marinated tofu looks inviting,must try the choco. pudding,that sure sounds like a kiddie delight:)
ReplyDeleteI hated Tofu, but now i love it and I see the story is the same for all your comments :)
ReplyDeleteThis looks wonderful!
ReplyDeleteawesome tofu and nice click harini... never tried this. book marked.
ReplyDeleteHi Harini,
ReplyDeleteCongrats for winning the book.
Going to see more recipes and love the marinated tofu.
I tried tofu pasanda from cookbook. love to try your recipe too.
vineela
Wow you are an authority on tofu and vegan dishes! I do like tofu and your selection looks so tasty!
ReplyDeleteYou said it right SM. One has to develop the liking for tofu. Actually the very first time I bit a piece of pizza in Chennai, maybe 9-10 years back, I literally vomitted. We went to Saravana Bhavan and my cousin from Bombay ordered it and the smell of cheese itself made me nauseus.
ReplyDeleteOfflate I have been trying a lot of tofu dishes! there was a time when everyone were behind panneer n now I guess its TOFU time!
ReplyDeleteUr marinated tofu looks awesome. Gotta try this soon!
wow looks yummy... I guess it tastes yummy tooo....Is tofu a form of paneer?
ReplyDeletethose tofu squares look so crunchy and pretty!
ReplyDeleteI guess putting up limitations is a form of inspiration! I too would not have learned to appreciate tofu had it not been for the limitations I set for myself:). Your comments, opinions and suggestions really are eyeopeners!!
ReplyDeleteVeggiebelly, thanks for that very useful tip!
Yasmeen, Hope you like the pudding - it tastes great. We do not get soy creamers here otherwise I would have like to fold some whipped soy cream too.
A and N, welcome to the other side of tofu:)
Hema, do try it!
Vineela, welcome and thank you:) Your tofu pasanda sounds good! I too made a soya matar pasanda but the recipe was from the back of the pack!
http://tumyumtreats.blogspot.com/2008/08/soya-matar-pasanda.html
Nazarina, that is a 'too high' compliment, but it makes me happy:)
Madhuram, you just hit the nail on the head!! Cheese is definitely and acquired taste - my mother still feels finds the smell pukish!!
Ashwini, tofu is not a form of paneer but a derivative of 'soyabeans'. It is made by coagulating vegan soymilk with a chemical starter, unlike paneer which is a derivative of dairy milk.
I for one am still a chicken to try out Tofu. I still have so much resistance to try it.
ReplyDeleteMarinating it seems like a good idea and worth trying for novices like me.
If I can find some tofu, I shall definitely try this one out.
ReplyDeleteBtw, aren't you painting any posts "Orange" this month? :)
Wow....looks yummy! I am still trying to like tofu :(
ReplyDeleteTofu is something I feel we need t get used to.. I do not like its firmness when I bite into it and prefer paneer over to it. But I can have it in small quantities. Marinate looks yummy got to try it next time :D
ReplyDeleteHealthier or vegan is another story to debate upon ,but i will stand up for the regular paneer any time,all thru my life....he he he.I cannot forgive that salesman from the foodmall who handed me soytofu ,convincing me that it taste better than paneer.....grrrrrrr...it tasted(sorrrrrry) Awfulllll with such a chalky flavor and it ruined my rich and creamy gravy which i generally make for Butter paneer(sob sob)
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with senior P,that it would have tasted gr8 ,had u made it with paneer.But honestly it looks soooooo good and the marinade is so flavorful
Darling what you said is true,Tofu is an acquired taste.But I have one doubt.I got myself an 'R K Tofu' from a supermarket here.It says firm,thgh I am nt sure its same as Mori nu.So Can I use it for baking purposes?Will if affect the texture or something.I actually thght all firm tofus are same.Thanks for the post.i used morinu extra firm there in NJ,but in Blre,I am stumped.HELP its an SOS
ReplyDelete