Tofu like Mom used to make.
In the early eighties, a Sam’s Club opened up near us, and Mom came back having sampled some tofu textured to resemble stew meat.
One of Mom’s capers was on.
Of course she followed all the directions (which seemed to be freeze, thaw, rehydrate, and squeeze the tofu) behind our backs, and then she added a heavier version of our beef stew base.
At the end of the meal, she casually mentioned, “Oh, by the way, that was tofu stew,” and after the initial gagging we admitted she tricked us.
We never had tofu again, because at that time stew meat was cheaper. It was a different world.
Tofu on T.V.
We’ve been watching Culinary Class Wars, another competitive cooking show. Like the Great British Baking Show if there were 2,000 competitors not 12, and if Prue and Paul ate noodles like this:
At any rate, one competition had them inventing dozens of dishes with the same ingredient: a king-sized matress-sized slab of pallid tofu that descended from the rafters.
Tofu not eaten.
It inspired me to buy (but not eat) a frozen tofu breakfast scramble, and to taste one cube of deep-fried tofu at work, which was awful. I KNOW. I would think you could deep-fry a cotton ball and I would like it but evidently not.
4 responses to “Tofu”
Gotta marinate tofu before deep-frying it… I once had a deep-fried oreo and it was AWFUL because they forgot the salt in the funnel-cake batter, so I’m betting that salt/etc. was what was missing, since yes, I also am accustomed to liking anything that is deep-fried.
KC – I did not like the deep-fried Oreo I had either. Damp Oreos. And without salt sounds nauseating. And the deep fried tofu tasted like they deep-fried the inside of a Navy bean.
I also was not impressed by the damp oreo, but it was the flavor – or lack thereof – that was the real “no, this is *awful*” kicker.
Tofu truly is much better if you marinate it before frying (or baking after tossing it in sesame oil, which is not *as* good texture-wise but takes so, so much less hands-on time). The inside of a navy bean: yeah, not for me either.
(I do remain impressed at your mother’s sneaky feat! I did not know the “freeze then thaw and press” technique for making tofu texture more “meaty” was that old!)(and also yes, beef being cheaper than tofu, times have chaaaanged…)
KC – Salt is amazing, isn’t it? No wonder people were paid in salt.