There are foods that make my mouth water. Tofu is not one of them!
I have never looked at tofu and thought “yummy!” Mostly it is a vaguely gelatinous food with no color and very little taste. Turns out that because of the texture, color and taste, tofu can be easily transformed into a tasty source of protein.
Much of the tofu in the USA is genetically modified so it is important to look for non-gmo organic tofu. I personally like sprouted varieties the best.
The first thing I do when I get tofu home is to throw it into a marinate and let it soak over night. I generally use soy sauce and garlic. I have tried all kinds of fancy marinades but have found that they tend to be a lot of work for a marginal benefit. So I just keep it simple.
I use tofu primarily in stir fry and casseroles so I keep the preparation uncomplicated and quick. Generally I just sauté it in garlic and onions.
Sautéed Tofu (with garlic and onions)
- Prepare the ingredients:
- tofu into bit sized pieces
- 1 onion into very small pieces
- mince garlic to taste
- Heat 1/4 c of oil; preferably peanut or grape seed (if not available coconut oil or olive oil works fine) and heat. You can test heat by adding a drop of water; when it sizzles the oil is hot enough
- Add onions and garlic and sauté until the onions start to clarify – approximately 2 minutes
- Add tofu. Stir frequently as it cooks for 5 minutes. Then turn the heat down continue to cook while stirring frequently until the tofu is browned. You may need to add a little oil
- When tofu is evenly browned take it off the stove to cool. It can then be used immediately or stored in an air tight container and used as needed. Keeps about 1 week in the fridge.
So, before you give up on tofu either because you don’t like the presentation (gelatinous, colorless and tasteless) or because you don’t trust soy products, you might want to give this a try. People who assure me they “hate” tofu eat it with gusto when prepared this way.