we went out for lunch and my son was asking which is better, 1000 year old
tofu or 100 year old tofu

not sure where he got that question

anyhow he ordered tofu, and gobbled the stuff up ... it was fried, garlicky
and with a little heat, and something else going on in there but I'm not sure
what

I neglected to ask the cook what his secret is

anyone have some amazing tofu recipes? I enjoyed it too (had only one
bite and was really hungry)

I'm clueless when buying tofu - what should I be looking for?

thx

tert in seattle wrote:
>
>I'm clueless when buying tofu - what should I be looking for?

A toilet.

On Saturday, November 30, 2013 5:38:45 PM UTC-8, tert in seattle wrote:

>
> I'm clueless when buying tofu - what should I be looking for?
>

Fresh tofu should be really fresh; fried tofu should be fried.

On 11/30/2013 6:38 PM, tert in seattle wrote:
> we went out for lunch and my son was asking which is better, 1000 year old
> tofu or 100 year old tofu
>
> not sure where he got that question
>
> anyhow he ordered tofu, and gobbled the stuff up ... it was fried, garlicky
> and with a little heat, and something else going on in there but I'm not sure
> what
>
> I neglected to ask the cook what his secret is
>
> anyone have some amazing tofu recipes? I enjoyed it too (had only one
> bite and was really hungry)
>
> I'm clueless when buying tofu - what should I be looking for?
>
> thx
>

You could grow old waiting for a serious answer in this bar, so:

http://www.namelymarly.com/2010/05/c...-buying-guide/

On 11/30/2013 3:38 PM, tert in seattle wrote:
> we went out for lunch and my son was asking which is better, 1000 year old
> tofu or 100 year old tofu
>
> not sure where he got that question
>
> anyhow he ordered tofu, and gobbled the stuff up ... it was fried, garlicky
> and with a little heat, and something else going on in there but I'm not sure
> what
>
> I neglected to ask the cook what his secret is
>
> anyone have some amazing tofu recipes? I enjoyed it too (had only one
> bite and was really hungry)
>
> I'm clueless when buying tofu - what should I be looking for?
>
> thx
>

Tofu comes in three main varieties. Soft, medium, and firm. The firm
would be used for stir frying or as a substitute for meat. It has a
porous surface appearance.

I like the soft tofu which has a smooth custard-like appearance and
texture. A dish of soft tofu, cut into cubes with shoyu and shaved
bonito flakes is a truly sublime dish - to me at least.

Medium tofu can also be cubed and eaten with shoyu and bonito too.
Medium is probably the most versatile kind of tofu. You can also stir
fry medium tofu and it's deep fried to make the brown pouches for inari
sushi.

My favorite tofu dish would be mapo tofu. If you ever get a chance to
order it, please try it. You could also make it at home. This recipe is
pretty simple except do not use firm tofu to make it. That part is dead
wrong and indeed, that tofu in the photograph is the soft stuff.

http://www.recipebridge.com/recipe/4...2455/mapo-tofu

On Sun, 1 Dec 2013 01:38:45 +0000 (UTC), tert in seattle
> wrote:

> we went out for lunch and my son was asking which is better, 1000 year old
> tofu or 100 year old tofu
>
> not sure where he got that question

Maybe he got his eggs and tofu mixed up.

--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

dsi1 wrote:
> On 11/30/2013 3:38 PM, tert in seattle wrote:
>> we went out for lunch and my son was asking which is better, 1000 year old
>> tofu or 100 year old tofu
>>
>> not sure where he got that question
>>
>> anyhow he ordered tofu, and gobbled the stuff up ... it was fried, garlicky
>> and with a little heat, and something else going on in there but I'm not sure
>> what
>>
>> I neglected to ask the cook what his secret is
>>
>> anyone have some amazing tofu recipes? I enjoyed it too (had only one
>> bite and was really hungry)
>>
>> I'm clueless when buying tofu - what should I be looking for?
>>
>> thx
>>
>
> Tofu comes in three main varieties. Soft, medium, and firm. The firm
> would be used for stir frying or as a substitute for meat. It has a
> porous surface appearance.
>
> I like the soft tofu which has a smooth custard-like appearance and
> texture. A dish of soft tofu, cut into cubes with shoyu and shaved
> bonito flakes is a truly sublime dish - to me at least.
>
> Medium tofu can also be cubed and eaten with shoyu and bonito too.
> Medium is probably the most versatile kind of tofu. You can also stir
> fry medium tofu and it's deep fried to make the brown pouches for inari
> sushi.
>
> My favorite tofu dish would be mapo tofu. If you ever get a chance to
> order it, please try it. You could also make it at home. This recipe is
> pretty simple except do not use firm tofu to make it. That part is dead
> wrong and indeed, that tofu in the photograph is the soft stuff.
>
> http://www.recipebridge.com/recipe/4...2455/mapo-tofu

thanks!

it seems that one of the secrets is to marinate the stuff

we'll see what happens ..

I buy the firmest I can find. It handles better when slicing and turning in the pan.

As to the 100 vs. 1000 years.........tell him time will tell. Just one of those crazy kid questions to bug adults.

On 12/2/2013 11:32 AM, Kalmia wrote:
> I buy the firmest I can find. It handles better when slicing and turning in the pan.
>
> As to the 100 vs. 1000 years.........tell him time will tell. Just one of those crazy kid questions to bug adults.
>

While you can flavor tofu with things like garlic and soy sauce, to me
it has no taste whatsoever and a rather unpleasant texture be it firm,
medium or soft. Even frying does not help much unless you add flavorings
or put something tasty in the fried pockets. I'll admit that tofu baked
with flavorings may be tolerable but I would not go out of my way to get
it. Things like "Buddhist Chicken" are rather pitiful.

"100" and "1000" year old eggs are embedded in salt for a few weeks but
their ages do not match their exaggerated names and I've only eaten them
about twice in my lifetime.

--
Jim Silverton (Potomac, MD)

Extraneous "not." in Reply To.

On 12/2/2013 2:22 AM, tert in seattle wrote:
>
> thanks!
>
> it seems that one of the secrets is to marinate the stuff
>
> we'll see what happens ..
>
An interesting factoid is that there are components in tofu which mimic
the effects of female hormones. This could cause problems if you're
hooked on the stuff and a male. I like tofu but eat it only once a month
- if that much.

On Saturday, November 30, 2013 6:38:45 PM UTC-7, tert in seattle wrote:
> we went out for lunch and my son was asking which is better, 1000 year old
>
> tofu or 100 year old tofu
>
>
>
> not sure where he got that question
>
>
>
> anyhow he ordered tofu, and gobbled the stuff up ... it was fried, garlicky
>
> and with a little heat, and something else going on in there but I'm not sure
>
> what
>
>
>
> I neglected to ask the cook what his secret is
>
>
>
> anyone have some amazing tofu recipes? I enjoyed it too (had only one
>
> bite and was really hungry)
>
> I'm clueless when buying tofu - what should I be looking for?
>
> thx

Anything but tofu...what a tasteless excuse for food is TOFU.
The only flavor it has is that which you add.
===

In article >,
Roy > wrote:
>
>Anything but tofu...what a tasteless excuse for food is TOFU.
>The only flavor it has is that which you add.

It has a very mild flavor. I can certainly taste it.

Does everything have to have a strong flavor to be good? I also
like plain, unsalted, cooked, long-grain white rice.


Cindy Hamilton
--

On Monday, December 2, 2013 9:39:09 AM UTC-8, Roy wrote:

> Anything but tofu...what a tasteless excuse for food is TOFU.
> The only flavor it has is that which you add.
>
Which is why good cooks like it--they can control what flavors it takes on. And they can be exotic flavors if that's the mood you're in. I posted this a while ago: 1 lb. young spinach, washed and sliced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1.5 teaspoons fu yu (fermented tofu, aka bean curd cheese)

Heat oil, or oil and lard, in wok or heavy pan. When hot, stir in
garlic and tofu until mixed. Add spinach and stirfry over high heat
about 1.5 minutes. Sprinkle with pinches of salt and sugar. Continue
to stirfry until done, another 30 - 60 seconds. (Note: 1 lb. of
fresh spinach looks like a lot but cooks way down. The fu yu is very
strong; most people will find 1.5 teaspoons plenty.) -aem

On Monday, December 2, 2013 11:18:52 AM UTC-8, aem wrote:

The previous post attributed this to Kenneth Lo. --aem

On Monday, December 2, 2013 11:18:52 AM UTC-8, aem wrote:

The original attributed this to Kenneth Lo. -aem

On Monday, December 2, 2013 9:39:09 AM UTC-8, Roy wrote:

>
> Anything but tofu...what a tasteless excuse for food is TOFU.
>
> The only flavor it has is that which you add.
>


OK, get some natto.

On Sunday, December 1, 2013 8:17:52 PM UTC+10, dsi1 wrote:
> On 11/30/2013 3:38 PM, tert in seattle wrote:
>
> > anyone have some amazing tofu recipes? I enjoyed it too (had only one
> > bite and was really hungry)
> >
> > I'm clueless when buying tofu - what should I be looking for?

Fresh. Cheap.

> I like the soft tofu which has a smooth custard-like appearance and
> texture. A dish of soft tofu, cut into cubes with shoyu and shaved
> bonito flakes is a truly sublime dish - to me at least.

Simple and classic, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiyayakko . Is good.

There are simple Chinese and Korean tofu dishes where the soft tofu is cut up, and a hot dressing poured over it.

E.g.,http://www.fifteenspatulas.com/chill...and-soy-sauce/
or one where the tofu is steamed: http://www.abc.net.au/tv/cookandchef/txt/s2613715.htm

> My favorite tofu dish would be mapo tofu. If you ever get a chance to
> order it, please try it. You could also make it at home. This recipe is
> pretty simple except do not use firm tofu to make it. That part is dead
> wrong and indeed, that tofu in the photograph is the soft stuff.
>
> http://www.recipebridge.com/recipe/4...2455/mapo-tofu

A true classic. It's a good dish to judge the quality of Chinese restaurants by. I don't like the linked recipe; mapo tofu without Sichuan pepper and broad bean chilli paste just isn't mapo tofu. No shortage of recipes missing one or both ingredients, and I'm sure those recipes would taste OK. But not as good as The One True Mapo Tofu should taste.

http://www.notquitenigella.com/2011/...hef-mapo-tofu/
http://chinesefood.about.com/od/tof1/r/mapotofu.htm

Here's a simple variant (which I wouldn't call mapo tofu):
http://www.workman.com/ecookbook-clu...u-from-yunnan/

Other fun tofu stuff:

Soft tofu works well in lots of soups.

Hard tofu: slice or dice, and deep-fry until puffy, and then it's a porous sponge for flavour. I mainly do this for stirfries, but sometimes in soup.

Tofu is basically curdled soymilk. Strain and drain, and the hardness depends on how much water is pressed out of it. You can get it undrained, and it can make nice soup like that. Super-soft tofu!

On Monday, December 2, 2013 3:07:30 PM UTC-7, wrote:
> On Monday, December 2, 2013 9:39:09 AM UTC-8, Roy wrote:
>
>
>
> >
>
> > Anything but tofu...what a tasteless excuse for food is TOFU.
>
> >
>
> > The only flavor it has is that which you add.
>
> >
> OK, get some natto.

I looked it up...don't think I am ready for it yet.

===

On 12/2/2013 12:59 PM, Timo wrote:
> On Sunday, December 1, 2013 8:17:52 PM UTC+10, dsi1 wrote:
>> On 11/30/2013 3:38 PM, tert in seattle wrote:
>>
>>> anyone have some amazing tofu recipes? I enjoyed it too (had only one
>>> bite and was really hungry)
>>>
>>> I'm clueless when buying tofu - what should I be looking for?
>
> Fresh. Cheap.
>
>> I like the soft tofu which has a smooth custard-like appearance and
>> texture. A dish of soft tofu, cut into cubes with shoyu and shaved
>> bonito flakes is a truly sublime dish - to me at least.
>
> Simple and classic, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiyayakko . Is good.
>
> There are simple Chinese and Korean tofu dishes where the soft tofu is cut up, and a hot dressing poured over it.
>
> E.g.,http://www.fifteenspatulas.com/chill...and-soy-sauce/
> or one where the tofu is steamed: http://www.abc.net.au/tv/cookandchef/txt/s2613715.htm
>
>> My favorite tofu dish would be mapo tofu. If you ever get a chance to
>> order it, please try it. You could also make it at home. This recipe is
>> pretty simple except do not use firm tofu to make it. That part is dead
>> wrong and indeed, that tofu in the photograph is the soft stuff.
>>
>> http://www.recipebridge.com/recipe/4...2455/mapo-tofu
>
> A true classic. It's a good dish to judge the quality of Chinese restaurants by. I don't like the linked recipe; mapo tofu without Sichuan pepper and broad bean chilli paste just isn't mapo tofu. No shortage of recipes missing one or both ingredients, and I'm sure those recipes would taste OK. But not as good as The One True Mapo Tofu should taste.
>
> http://www.notquitenigella.com/2011/...hef-mapo-tofu/
> http://chinesefood.about.com/od/tof1/r/mapotofu.htm
>
> Here's a simple variant (which I wouldn't call mapo tofu):
> http://www.workman.com/ecookbook-clu...u-from-yunnan/

I agree with what you're saying. I think a Chinese Mapo tofu is tasty
stuff, but I'd rather give recipes that don't have hard to get ingredients.

>
> Other fun tofu stuff:
>
> Soft tofu works well in lots of soups.
>
> Hard tofu: slice or dice, and deep-fry until puffy, and then it's a porous sponge for flavour. I mainly do this for stirfries, but sometimes in soup.
>
> Tofu is basically curdled soymilk. Strain and drain, and the hardness depends on how much water is pressed out of it. You can get it undrained, and it can make nice soup like that. Super-soft tofu!
>

On 12/2/2013 2:31 PM, Roy wrote:
> On Monday, December 2, 2013 3:07:30 PM UTC-7, wrote:
>> On Monday, December 2, 2013 9:39:09 AM UTC-8, Roy wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>>>
>>
>>> Anything but tofu...what a tasteless excuse for food is TOFU.
>>
>>>
>>
>>> The only flavor it has is that which you add.
>>
>>>
>> OK, get some natto.
>
> I looked it up...don't think I am ready for it yet.

No, you're not ready for it and my guess is that you never will. If you
got a sweaty tennis shoe and wrapped it in a damp towel that you used to
wipe up a locker shower room and left it in a dark, dank, corner for a
couple of days, you'd pretty much get an idea of what the stuff smells
like.

>
> ===
>

On 12/2/2013 8:21 PM, dsi1 wrote:
> On 12/2/2013 2:31 PM, Roy wrote:
>> On Monday, December 2, 2013 3:07:30 PM UTC-7, wrote:
>>> On Monday, December 2, 2013 9:39:09 AM UTC-8, Roy wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>> Anything but tofu...what a tasteless excuse for food is TOFU.
>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>> The only flavor it has is that which you add.
>>>
>>>>
>>> OK, get some natto.
>>
>> I looked it up...don't think I am ready for it yet.
>
> No, you're not ready for it and my guess is that you never will. If you
> got a sweaty tennis shoe and wrapped it in a damp towel that you used to
> wipe up a locker shower room and left it in a dark, dank, corner for a
> couple of days, you'd pretty much get an idea of what the stuff smells
> like.
>

I tried natto exactly once and I will not try again.


--
Jim Silverton (Potomac, MD)

Extraneous "not." in Reply To.

On 12/2/2013 12:39 PM, Roy wrote:

>
> Anything but tofu...what a tasteless excuse for food is TOFU.
> The only flavor it has is that which you add.



One of my old co-workers had a good description for it. He said that it
tasted like 2/3 of nothing.
I wouldn't go out of my way to bother with it.

On 2013-12-02 17:21:11 +0000, dsi1 said:

> On 12/2/2013 2:22 AM, tert in seattle wrote:
>>
>> thanks!
>>
>> it seems that one of the secrets is to marinate the stuff
>>
>> we'll see what happens ..
>>
> An interesting factoid is that there are components in tofu which mimic
> the effects of female hormones. This could cause problems if you're
> hooked on the stuff and a male. I like tofu but eat it only once a
> month - if that much.

Although this is asserted to be true by some "scientists" the Asian
nations, heavy consumers of tofu, seem not to have any health issues or
spontaneous gender changes. I'm not sure where these studies
originated, but I would be wary of believing future studies from the
same authors.

As far as tofu goes, there are many different brands and each has its
own peculiar flavor, texture, and the only way to figure out what you
like is by buying and eating it. Here in the People's Republic of
Portland I buy Ota brand tofu, which is locally made by a family that
has been in the tofu business for about a century.

If you don't eat tofu very often, the freeze dried stuff is actually
pretty decent in soups and such. It rehydrates beautifully and can be
stored indefinitely.

Yeah sure, I have mushroom mixed tofu Chinese recipe. Where i read from one article. It is quite healthy too. Here i explain you how to prepare tofu.

1 tablespoon canola oil
4 cloves garlic, & 2 fresh ginger minced
4 mushroom caps, gills removed & chopped
1 tablespoon chilly & garlic sauce
1 1/4 cups mushroom broth(boiled extract water), or vegetable broth
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons brown sugar (Optional)
1 14-ounce package firm tofu, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 8-ounce can water chestnuts, rinsed and coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon water
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

Method: Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add mushrooms and chile-garlic sauce and cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the mushroom liquid has evaporated, 4 to 6 minutes. Add broth, soy sauce, brown sugar, tofu and water chestnuts and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally and adjusting the heat as necessary to maintain a simmer, for 10 minutes to blend flavors. Combine water and cornstarch in a small bowl. Stir the mixture into the saucepan and simmer until the sauce is thickened, about 2 minutes.

Note: This is very much healthy food tofu for everybody. Above ingrediants all are very much rich calorie...Calcium, Pottasium and Iron.

On 12/2/2013 4:32 PM, James Silverton wrote:
>
> I tried natto exactly once and I will not try again.
>
>
Well, you got that over me - I've never tasted the stuff. Some people
have been telling me that it tastes a lot better than it smells.

On 12/2/2013 5:07 PM, Dave Smith wrote:
> On 12/2/2013 12:39 PM, Roy wrote:
>
>>
>> Anything but tofu...what a tasteless excuse for food is TOFU.
>> The only flavor it has is that which you add.
>
>
>
> One of my old co-workers had a good description for it. He said that it
> tasted like 2/3 of nothing.
> I wouldn't go out of my way to bother with it.
>

The restaurant that's down the street makes a fantastic soy milk
custard. It tastes like delicate fresh cream yet there's no dairy. I'm
pretty sure there's no egg, gelatin, or any jelling agent that I'm
familiar with. I suspect that the custard is actually tofu.

On 12/2/2013 5:41 PM, Oregonian Haruspex wrote:
> On 2013-12-02 17:21:11 +0000, dsi1 said:
>
>> On 12/2/2013 2:22 AM, tert in seattle wrote:
>>>
>>> thanks!
>>>
>>> it seems that one of the secrets is to marinate the stuff
>>>
>>> we'll see what happens ..
>>>
>> An interesting factoid is that there are components in tofu which
>> mimic the effects of female hormones. This could cause problems if
>> you're hooked on the stuff and a male. I like tofu but eat it only
>> once a month - if that much.
>
> Although this is asserted to be true by some "scientists" the Asian
> nations, heavy consumers of tofu, seem not to have any health issues or
> spontaneous gender changes. I'm not sure where these studies
> originated, but I would be wary of believing future studies from the
> same authors.

What you say is true - I'm not to worried about this.

>
> As far as tofu goes, there are many different brands and each has its
> own peculiar flavor, texture, and the only way to figure out what you
> like is by buying and eating it. Here in the People's Republic of
> Portland I buy Ota brand tofu, which is locally made by a family that
> has been in the tofu business for about a century.

I bought some tofu today that was just awful. It was supposed to be soft
but it was kind of rubbery and not like custard as was expecting. I
think it was tofu from the mainland. Next time I'm sticking with the
local stuff.

>
> If you don't eat tofu very often, the freeze dried stuff is actually
> pretty decent in soups and such. It rehydrates beautifully and can be
> stored indefinitely.
>
They sell a soft pack tofu that needs no refrigeration and has a long
shelf life although I don't know how long that would be.

On 2013-12-02 10:38 PM, John J wrote:
> On Mon, 02 Dec 2013 22:07:05 -0500, Dave Smith
> > wrote:
>
>> On 12/2/2013 12:39 PM, Roy wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> Anything but tofu...what a tasteless excuse for food is TOFU.
>>> The only flavor it has is that which you add.
>>
>>
>>
>> One of my old co-workers had a good description for it. He said that it
>> tasted like 2/3 of nothing.
>
> That's a refelection on the skills of the cook, not on the tofu.
>

I beg to differ. He was referring to the taste of tofu, which is pretty
bland stuff. It can be cooked in ways that impart some flavour into it,
but I think his description of the taste of tofu was pretty much on the
money.

On Wednesday, December 4, 2013 12:05:55 PM UTC+10, tert in seattle wrote:
> Timo wrote:
>
> > Sticky sauce also works OK for avoiding tofu blandness. Deep frying first is good when you don't have a sticky sauce.
>
> what do you put in a sticky sauce?

To thicken it so that it's sticky, either bean paste (various Chinese types will work, or Korean bean paste or Japanese miso) or cornflour (i.e., cornstarch). Other starches such as potato flour or arrowroot work OK, too. Potato starch is more authentic in a lot of Chinese recipes.

Or you can just start with more sauce, and reduce it until it is thick and sticky. Oyster sauce will also help thicken the sauce.

Stuff in the sauce for flavour will often include chilli or chilli-bean paste, soy sauce, black vinegar, rice wine, ginger, garlic, green coriander. Sometimes I use cumin.

On 12/2/2013 12:59 PM, Timo wrote:
>
> Other fun tofu stuff:
>
> Soft tofu works well in lots of soups.
>
> Hard tofu: slice or dice, and deep-fry until puffy, and then it's a porous sponge for flavour. I mainly do this for stirfries, but sometimes in soup.
>
> Tofu is basically curdled soymilk. Strain and drain, and the hardness depends on how much water is pressed out of it. You can get it undrained, and it can make nice soup like that. Super-soft tofu!
>
I met some guys that used to make tofu in Hawaii years ago. They also
made natto too as well as other soy products. One guy was a haole so it
would blow people's mind to see a white guy make these things using the
old style Japanese method. When he bought the business, he knew nothing
about making tofu but learned on the job. They got the coagulants and
cultures from Japan. He said it was quite expensive. These days they use
gypsum and mineral salts to coagulate tofu.

The other guy started marketing King's Portuguese Sweet Bread over here
and on the mainland. I said they call it King's Hawaiian Bread on the
mainland and he gave me a sly smile. He also started a Hawaii foods
manufactures association. We started talking to them because they were
analyzing my wife's salad. These guys were into food! I suspect that
they might have been giants of the Hawaii food industry.

On 2013-12-03 04:26:20 +0000, John J said:

> On Mon, 2 Dec 2013 19:41:19 -0800, Oregonian Haruspex
> > wrote:
>
>> On 2013-12-02 17:21:11 +0000, dsi1 said:
>>
>>> On 12/2/2013 2:22 AM, tert in seattle wrote:
>>>>
>>>> thanks!
>>>>
>>>> it seems that one of the secrets is to marinate the stuff
>>>>
>>>> we'll see what happens ..
>>>>
>>> An interesting factoid is that there are components in tofu which mimic
>>> the effects of female hormones. This could cause problems if you're
>>> hooked on the stuff and a male. I like tofu but eat it only once a
>>> month - if that much.
>>
>> Although this is asserted to be true by some "scientists" the Asian
>> nations, heavy consumers of tofu, seem not to have any health issues or
>> spontaneous gender changes. I'm not sure where these studies
>> originated, but I would be wary of believing future studies from the
>> same authors.
>>
>> As far as tofu goes, there are many different brands and each has its
>> own peculiar flavor, texture, and the only way to figure out what you
>> like is by buying and eating it. Here in the People's Republic of
>> Portland I buy Ota brand tofu, which is locally made by a family that
>> has been in the tofu business for about a century.
>>
>> If you don't eat tofu very often, the freeze dried stuff is actually
>> pretty decent in soups and such. It rehydrates beautifully and can be
>> stored indefinitely.
>
> Isn't the problem that tofu, genetically modified or not, is used in
> lots of prefab foods? As a result, prefab munchers, who may think they
> never eat tofu, are the most likely to OD on it.

Tofu and soy are different things. While many products contain soy,
not all soy is tofu. Anyway what "prefab munchers" do is their own
business, they will continue to eat whatever's cheapest or easiest.

On 2013-12-03 07:14:07 +0000, dsi1 said:

> They sell a soft pack tofu that needs no refrigeration and has a long
> shelf life although I don't know how long that would be.

That would be an UHT-treated tofu, which might actually be quite good.
I do know that I have had good luck with the freeze-dried stuff. It's
nice to have on hand for soups and such.

Timo wrote:
> On Wednesday, December 4, 2013 12:05:55 PM UTC+10, tert in seattle wrote:
>> Timo wrote:
>>
>> > Sticky sauce also works OK for avoiding tofu blandness. Deep frying first is good when you don't have a sticky sauce.
>>
>> what do you put in a sticky sauce?
>
> To thicken it so that it's sticky, either bean paste (various Chinese types will work, or Korean bean paste or Japanese miso) or cornflour (i.e., cornstarch). Other starches such as potato flour or arrowroot work OK, too. Potato starch is more authentic in a lot of Chinese recipes.
>
> Or you can just start with more sauce, and reduce it until it is thick and sticky. Oyster sauce will also help thicken the sauce.
>
> Stuff in the sauce for flavour will often include chilli or chilli-bean paste, soy sauce, black vinegar, rice wine, ginger, garlic, green coriander. Sometimes I use cumin.


I remembered to buy tofu (two dollars - cheap!) and just fried the stuff
and arbitrarily added some ginger and soy sauce and lemon and lime juice
and garlic, and realized I needed to fry it hotter, and tasted a little,
and it needed help so I added some kung pao sauce (also two dollars) and
voila - tofu that looked and tasted a lot like the stuff at the restaurant:

http://www.ftupet.com/upload/DSC_9468.JPG