Bake-Fu

Updating you on my tofu adventures:

I was in a rush to get some fast dinner and thought I'd revisit the Kung Pao Tofu from the Whole Foods prepared foods counter. I have to say, it made me sad eating out so much ( I think my body is used to a certain amount of home cooking and it hates getting off schedule- both digestively and mentally). ANYWAYS, back to the tofu, I asked the clueless clerk how they prepared it to get that meaty texture. The clerk wanted to help and called to another guy to ask. The chef wasn't in ( no doubt I was getting home at 8pm) but they said they thought it was grilled.

My thought process ( i was on the right track!!) do I use : the Griddler (awesome Cusinart purchase from ruelala)? or the Oven?

With this in mind while I was at work I needed to take a small mental break from the project I was trying to clean up, I searched for baked tofu recipes online. The authors told tales of making the best tofu they'd ever had and they even ate it plain (without the accompaniment of a meal) because it was so delicious.

First attempt at baking tofu:

1. Removed one block of tofu from its package and pressed between paper towels weighted by an empty growler for 30 minutes.
2. Diced into 1" to 1.5" cubes
3. Mixed: 1/4 cup of rice wine vinegar, 2 tblspns of red curry paste, 1/4 tsp (or more) of red pepper flakes. Marinated tofu in marinade and put in the fridge from 15-hours.. it can be as long as you want.
4. Pre-heat the oven until 350, meanwhile place tofu on a baking dish in one layer
5. Bake the tofu for 30-45 minutes (depending on size) and turn over every 7 minutes or so.

The Meal:

1. Heat 1 tblspn of oil in a wok

2. Once heated add onion and carrot for 7 minutes on medium heat, and garlic powder, 1.5 teaspoons of crushed red pepper and salt to taste
3. Add mushrooms and baby corn for 4 minutes or until tender
4. Add tofu and stir in, wait 1 to 2 minutes
5. Add a big 1/2 cup of lite coconut milk and any remaining tofu marinade to the stir fry.
6. (Add more coconut milk as you go depending on how much is getting absorbed, you want a nice amount on the bottom so you have sauce for the gravy)
7. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes
8. During the 5 minutes cook the rice noodles.
9. Serve and devour!

The Verdict:


Six thumbs up ( me, Dave, and Scott) "It is substantive, chewy, meaty, and maintains a silky texture too", "just the right amount of tang and spiciness and refreshing", "yum in the tum!!"

Notes:

- I used a weird rice wine vinegar Dave's sister bought 4 years ago- contains high fructose corn syrup that I wasn't aware of and as Dave and Scott said, that part was weird otherwise it would have been amazing. Don't use a vinegar with HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP.

- It didn't have enough sauce for the noodles. Because I marinated the tofu for hours I think it soaked up a lot of my marinade, while the extended marinating time resulted in a great flavor in the tofu, next time I would mix up a little extra marinade if planning on it being for as long.

- I ran off another Cooking Light recipe but modified it a lot- this includes adding baby corn. I used it as a substitute for bean sprouts, but I am dreaming of adding peppers, broccoli, and water chestnuts in the future. Let me know if you think other combinations would add better flavor and texture.

Baked Tofu for the Future:

I am going to pre cook tofu for the week and try a variety of marinades. I will highlight some of my favorites as I find them!