Quick tofu/veg lasagne question.

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longers

Legendary Member
Only quick as in I'm cooking it over the next couple of hours.

I've got some left over tofu that was going cheap, should I stick it in the veg lasagne I'm making? Should I fry it a bit first?

Not cooked with tofu before and have the first bit of it cubed and marinating and will fry that for tea with miso soup tonight so have no experience of how best to use it.

Sorry for turning this place into Cooking Chat.
 
We have a couple of excellent tofu recipes. Here is the first (will have to ask Mrs P where the other one is):

SWEET AND SOUR TOFU

1 packet plain or smoked tofu (285g), drained and cut into strips 1x1x5cm
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
4 spring onions, cut into strips
1 carrot, cut into matchsticks
6oz/150g mange tout or thin green beans
1 small tin water chestnuts or bamboo shoots, drained and sliced
10 oz/ 285g beansprouts

Sauce
¼pint/ 150ml vegetable stock
2 tbsp. dry sherry
2 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tbsp. tomato puree
2 tbsp. cider vinegar
2 tbsp. sugar
salt and pepper
3½ tsp. cornflour
4 tsp. water


Method
1. Mix all sauce ingredients (except cornflour and water) together in a bowl.
2. Heat oil in a wok. Add half the tofu and cook until golden brown. Remove tofu from pan and drain on absorbent paper. Repeat with remaining tofu and put to one side.
3. Add spring onions and carrots to wok, stir fry for 2 minutes.
4. Add the mange tout and water chestnuts, stir fry for 2 minutes.
5. Add the tofu and beansprouts, stir fry for 2 minutes.
6. Add the water to the cornflour and mix well. Pour the sauce into the wok, along with the water and cornflour mix, bring to a simmer and cook for 30 seconds.
7. Serve with rice or egg noodles.

Serves 2 - 4
 

BrumJim

Forum Stalwart (won't take the hint and leave...)
Tofu in lasagne doesn't really go - much better ways to use it - the miso soup sounds like a good idea.

Only way to use the Tofu would be to break it up into mince-sized pieces, but it doesn't have the texture of something like Quorn that would do a better job.

Tofu will freeze quite happily, and can behave better (not break up so much when frying) following de-frosting.
 
And the other one: Marinaded Sweet & Hot Tofu:

225g tofu
45ml (3 tbsp) dark soy sauce
30ml (2 tbsp) Sherry
3 leeks, thinly sliced
2.5 cm piece root ginger, peeled and grated
1-2 fresh red or green chillis, seeded and sliced (amount optional).
1 small red pepper, sliced.
handful cashew nuts (optional)
button mushrooms (optional)
few baby sweetcorn (optional)
150 ml vegetable stock
10ml (2 tsp) honey
2 tsp cornflour
salt and pepper.

Cut tofu into cubes, marinade in the sherry and soy sauce for about 1/2 hour.
Put leeks, pepper, ginger, chilli into a pan with the stock and bring to the boil, cook for 2-3 minutes.
Drain tofu from marinade reserving liquid, and stir honey and cornflour into the marinade liquid.
Lightly fry the tofu pieces together with the mushrooms in oil, in a wok or frying pan, until tofu is golden brown.
Mix the vegetables, cashew nuts, stock, tofu, and marinade liquid, in a large saucepan and stir under medium heat until the liquid is thick and glossy.
Serve with egg noodles. Serves 2.

Personally I prefer the second recipe.
 
OP
OP
longers

longers

Legendary Member
Thanks you two, I've stuck the remainder in the freezer and will have to get some sherry in to try one of Pete's recipes.
 

Telemark

Cycling is fun ...
Location
Edinburgh
glad you decided against tofu in lasagne - the Italian cooking police were on their way to Longers Mansion :headshake: , but have been called back ...
There are limits to good taste ;) (is there a "shudder" smilie?)

You could just call it something else, I am sure there are wonton or springroll type recipes using Tofu and the Chinese equivalent of pasta sheets ;) ... chilli, ginger, garlic, onions, + vegetables spring to mind

T
 
Thanks you two, I've stuck the remainder in the freezer and will have to get some sherry in to try one of Pete's recipes.
Hope whichever one you choose works out. I'm just about to edit the one with leeks, it turns out (after checking with Mrs P :wacko: ) that I got something wrong. So if you printed it, check again.

Tofu is in fact quite easy to cook with, if you follow an accepted recipe, but it's difficult to arrive at anything at all palatable if you try and invent a recipe of your own (as I've discovered). It has (as I'm sure you've discovered) very little flavour of its own, so the flavour of dishes containing it has to be carefully managed. And you need ingredients to properly set off against its (let's face it!) unusual texture....
 
OP
OP
longers

longers

Legendary Member
Thanks Pete, I only bought it because it had a yellow sticker on it. I wouldn't rush out to pay over two quid for the same pack but fifty p was fine by me.
I gave it a good soak in some flavours for a couple of days and then fried it and it was ok. I think I'll go for the recipe of yours you said you preferred, the sweet and hot one, with the leftovers.

The lasagnes smelled incredible while cooking and I've got to wait till the w/e to try one. *sad faced smiley*

4kxtmp.jpg


I think the food police will be visiting anyway as I used some Rose in with the veg while cooking.
 
I really don't like Tofu, or Quorn either. That's a shame as I'm a veggie! I do like Stella McCarthy's sausage and Soya Mince. Is there anything else I can eat? I tend to stick with chick peas, cheese (or as I've recently found Sheese), eggs or nut loaf. I am getting a little bored.

I'm afraid I would just go for the veggie lasagne, and put lots of mushrooms in it.
 
I really don't like Tofu, or Quorn either. That's a shame as I'm a veggie! I do like Stella McCarthy's sausage and Soya Mince. Is there anything else I can eat? I tend to stick with chick peas, cheese (or as I've recently found Sheese), eggs or nut loaf. I am getting a little bored.

I'm afraid I would just go for the veggie lasagne, and put lots of mushrooms in it.
There's lots of things I'm sure we could dig up for you! We're not full veggies (fish and seafood on our menu) but we intersperse a lot of pure veggie recipes which I'm sure we can spread around. Including at least two nut loaves. Watch this space.


Maybe we need a 'food and drink' forum after all (like another place has)?
 

buddha

Veteran
Probably the only way I can manage tofu is deep fried in batter, with a dipping sauce (like the chicken/pork balls you get from a takeaway):
1-make/buy sweet and sour sauce
2-cut into cubes
3-marinade with garlic, ginger, light soy, sesame oil (garlic+ginger crushed into a paste)
4-make batter from flour, salt, cold water
5-dip and fry
icon_smile_approve.gif
 

Keith Oates

Janner
Location
Penarth, Wales
I don't know how to prepare or cook the dish but Tofu with minced beef and a good protion of chillies is one of my favorite meals when served with steamed rice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 

BrumJim

Forum Stalwart (won't take the hint and leave...)
Seeds provide a good substitute for tofu/quorn, and have a very different texture. Pumpkin seeds are the best, although don't ignore sunflower seeds, linseeds, and others.

I'm vegetarian by proxy, and the vegetarian cooking we do is not using tofu or Quorn as a substitute for meat, (or adding fruit - what is that all about?), but just choosing a good selection of vegetables (plenty of colours), substituted with eggs and cheese as required. Nuts and seeds can be added to dishes as well.
 
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