Remember when I wrote about how I am really bad at cooking tofu? (Sorry there are no pictures in that post; when I had my photo issues, all of my uploaded ones – which means only, you know, like 4,000 or something – got deleted.) Well, this week I am on a mission.
I was inspired by a reader named Emily, who clearly felt bad for me and was nice enough to email some instructions. Sorry, Emily, I haven’t used them yet, but they are on the agenda for tomorrow.
For my first attempt, I decided to bake it a la Betsy. Except I didn’t have two hours, I only had twenty minutes. But that’s okay because – are you ready? – I still made the best tofu of my life. Which, okay, is not really saying all that much, but I have made a lot of tofu. Bad tofu, but tofu nonetheless.
Check me out:
Looks crispy, right? I know!
So here’s what I did. It’s definitely not revolutionary, but no method has ever worked this well for me.
- Drain, press for thirty minutes, slice into about eight rectangles
- Freeze
- Defrost, then press slices again
- Marinate
- Bake at 400º for 20 – 25 minutes, flipping once
I marinated mine in Trader Joe’s Goddess dressing. I haven’t had the Annie’s version in awhile, but I’d venture to say that it tastes very similar, if not exactly the same.
With the tofu, I made this little chickpea and couscous salad:
The recipe (I just found the bullet feature on this blog, in case you didn’t notice):
- 2 T tahini
- 1 lemon with zest
- 1 small clove garlic, chopped
- 2 T vegetable stock
- 1/2 cup dry couscous
- 1/2 cucumber
- 1 tomato
- 3 – 4 sun-dried tomatoes
- 1 can chick peas
- 1 scallion
- 2 T red onion
- 1 ounce goat cheese
- parsley
- Salt and pepper
Whisk the tahini, lemon juice, zest, garlic and vegetable stock until smooth and set aside. Cook couscous according to package directions with sun-dried tomatoes to soften them. Let cool. Add chick peas, cucumber, tomato, scallion, red onion, parsley and goat cheese, then add dressing and salt and pepper to taste. Serves 2 – 3.
Stay tuned for tomorrow, when I will attempt Emily’s method, which involves corn starch. I’m a little nervous.
Good luck with tomorrow’s method!! You should also try Em’s (from “Gliding Calm”) method.
um, not sure why that wink face is in my comment….
It look super yummy!! I’m going to have to try it…
uh ohhh.. i just bought those skinny cow cones, and ate two. i haven’t done something like that in a loooonggggg time, but luckily that was still only 300 calories. omg they are so so good! have u ever had pirouline wafers? the cone tastes JUST like one! thanks for introducing me to these!!!!
Congrats on your tofu success! I love when I get it juuuuust right!
dayum! that does look mighty good.
oh wow thanks VeggieGirl! haha didn’t even notice the shout out. Special me.
what can i say-i’m a genius.
That tofu looks amazing! I’m going to have to try that method soon! and when did you marinate the tofu, after both the pressings?
I’m so impressed! I am a complete (and self-admitted) failure when it comes to preparing tofu, so I’m all ears for your experiments. It looks delicious! How long did you freeze it?
the cornstarch method works really well! it’s so delicious!
your freezing technique was interesting, i need to try that
Wow.
That looks really yummy but I think it’s like too much work for me.
So what I’m going to do is come over and you can make it for me.
It was REALLY GOOD.
You’re the best.
Yippee for tofu success. I still have yet to fry the frezze method, next on the list for my tofu adventuress. And, I second Veggie Girls’ comment to try Em’s. I am advocate for her method.
Looks fancy and professional. I’m definitely going to try that marinating in Goddess dressing thing. That’s brilliant.
I’m gonna have to give the freezing tofu a try. Sounds like a winner, especially with your tofu troubled past. And since I have absolutely no experience in tofu baking, I’m always up for winning methods.
OK, you inspired me to try tofu again. I’ve generally been a huge failure. Thanks!
VG –
I just saw her’s, I’ll definitely try it!
Chandra –
You should! It really worked, I was amazed.
RhodeyGirl –
Hahaha…I always want to do that too.
OP -
Yeah, it’s awesome.
GC –
I’m stealing your technique next.
Betsy –
You are. I knew it the moment I met you.
Melissa -
Yep.
Mango –
Maybe a couple days? It doesn’t matter, just make sure you cut it first. I think that’s the problem I had in the past, not cutting it before I froze it. It always fell apart.
Caitlinbo –
The cornstarch was good!!
Kristen –
If you come, I will cook.
Chris -
Why are you trying to butter me up?
EBF -
I’m going for Em’s next. I’m a little tofu-ed out at the moment.
Jenny –
I thought so too. Thank you.
Kristie –
Go for it, it’s easy.
Mary -
I would like a picture of your son eating tofu please.
THANK YOU for this post! I can never get tofu right! I’m going to have to give it another try soon!