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Terrific
Tofu
Tofu is basically
a soft, cheese-like food made by curdling fresh hot soymilk with a coagulant.
These curds then are generally pressed into a solid block. As cheese is
to milk, tofu is to soymilk. The resulting curds are drained and pressed
in a fashion similar to cheese making. The firmness of the resulting tofu
depends on how much whey has been extracted. Tofu has a bland, slightly
nutty flavor that gives it a chameleonlike capability to take on the flavor
of the food with which it's cooked. It's texture is smooth and creamy
yet it's firm enough to slice.
There are two
types of tofu - Regular and Silken.
Regular
Tofu
The regular
tofu is firm and is usually used for sautéing. This firm tofu is
dense and solid and holds up well in stir fry dishes, soups, or on the
grill -- anywhere that you want the tofu to maintain its shape.
Freezing tofu
alters the texture of tofu. It becomes dense and absorbs more flavor.
Freezing removes some of the liquid content from tofu to give firmer meaty
consistency. Thus tofu develops the miraculous ability to soak up any
flavor that is added to it. Freezing is a wonderful technique that can
be applied only for regular tofu.
Silken
Tofu
Silken tofu
is made by a slightly different process that results in a creamy, custard-like
product. Silken tofu works well in pureed or blended dishes. Silken tofu
should not be frozen, as you could do with Regular tofu..
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Minty
tofu kabob
½ cup
mint leaves
3-4 green chilies
¼ cup sesame seeds
¼ cup peanuts
¼ cup plain yogurt
1 teaspoon salt (or as per taste)
½ teaspoon sugar
1 red bell pepper (chopped in one inch pieces)
10-12 white pearl onion
10-12 cherry tomatoes
1 packet frozen tofu (thawed)
1 tablespoon oil
In a blender,
add mint, chilies, sesame seeds, peanuts, yogurt, salt and sugar. Make
a puree. Keep aside.
Thaw the
frozen tofu and squeeze out as much water as possible. Chop into one
inch cubes. Place the cubes in a big bowl and add the mint puree. Marinate
for at least couple of hours. (For more intense flavor, marinate overnight.)
Heat a fry
pan and add the marinated tofu cubes in a single layer. Add a few drops
of oil around each cube, but do not disturb them. With a spatula, apply
pressure on each cube and squeeze out the moisture. Let it cook on each
side till golden brown and flip the cubes. Remove from heat and place
these tofu cubes on a skewer with tomatoes, onions, and bell pepper.
Serve on
a bed of white rice
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Veggie-tofu
cutlets
This is a
great sandwhich filler or can be served with soup for a light supper
1 large potato
(peeled and chopped)
1 cup cauliflower florets
1 small beet ( peeled and chopped)
½ cup peas ( frozen)
½ packet tofu
1 inch of ginger
3-4 green chilies
1 tablespoon vinegar
2 slices of bread
1 cup bread crumbs or as needed
In a boiling
pot of water add potatoes, and beets. Cook till tender. Add cauliflower
and peas and cook for 5 minutes. Make a paste of ginger, chilies and
vinegar in a small blender.
Drain away
all the water and place the cooked veggies in a bowl. With a potato
masher, make a coarse puree. Crumble the tofu, ginger chili mix with
the vegetable puree. Soak bread in water and squeeze out the water.
Add breadcrumbs to make a semi-stiff dough.
Take lemon
sizeball of dough and flatten it to one inch thickness. Roll it in bread
crumbs and place in a heated pan. Add ¼ teaspoon oil per cutlet
and brown on both sides.
Serve hot
with ketchup or green cilantro chutney.
Tofu
Carrot Halwah
5 cups carrots
(grated)
¼ cup cashew
1 silken tofu
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon orange essence
In thick
bottom pan place grated carrots and cook it on low heat for 5 minutes.
Make a fine
powder of cashew in a blender. Add silken tofu and make a smooth puree.
Add this puree and sugar to the carrot mix. Bring to a boil on high
heat. Lower heat and cook for 25 minutes. Stir every 3-4 minutes.
Finally add orange essence and mix well. Serve piping hot or chilled.
Hema's
Hints:
For an interesting
presentation, serve in orange cups. Cut orange into half and scoop out
the pulp. Stuff the carrot halwah with a garnish of cranberries
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