Sarah in Veganland

A friend asked me to write this because she is afraid of tofu, and a recent vegetarian.  Now, not all veg*ns eat tofu, but a lof of people who aren’t veg*ns eat tofu.  What’s the deal?  The deal is, tofu is actually really yummy when prepared well.  For me, P.F. Changs got me over my tofu apprehension, and I suggest you go there and try some of theirs if you’re skeptical. 

At home, I make it like this:

• Buy extra firm organic tofu.  Yes, it does have to be organic, it’s one of those things.  Do a search for “Roundup Ready Soybeans” or “Evil Monsanto” and you’ll get why.
• Press the tofu to get rid of excess water.  Do this by wrapping the block of tofu in paper or clean cloth towels, placing it on a plate, then placing your cast iron skillet or something else heavy on top of it.  I like to press it 2o minutes each side, changing out the towel each time.
• Cut the tofu.  This is where you need to let your creativity shine.  Me? I first slice it into 1/2  inch rectangles width-wise, then cut the rectangles in half, then cut the squares into two triangles.  If that seems too hard for you, just be boring and cube it, but be sure that the cubes are only about 1/2 inch thick.
• Remember that cast iron skillet you used to press the tofu? Get that thing hot. Which won’t take long, since it’s cast iron.  Medium-high heat usually does the trick.  Oil the pan, I like coconut oil but sesame oil adds delicious flavor, and vegetable oil will do just fine.
• Now, add the tofu to the hot skillet. And then don’t touch it.  Let it pop and fry and get crispy. It will need a few minutes, depends on your skillet and how hot it is.  When it is brown on one side flip it, and cook the other side.
• Let’s talk seasoning…Seriously, tofu by itself has no flavor, so you have to season it.  After pressing it you could marinade it, anything you would marinade dead animals in is fine.  I personally like to add a splash of tamari and a spoonful of chili garlic sauce when the stuff is almost done and toss it around in it. 

Ok, now that it’s cooked, what the heck do you eat it in? I eat it in stirfry.  Over rice, of course. Enjoy!