Vietnamese Tofu in tomato sauce-an easy under 30 minutes vegan recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do you Flavour tofu quickly? ›

In a medium-size bowl place the pressed and cubed tofu. Add the soy sauce and toss to coat. Add in all of the other marinade ingredients (rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, agave, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, paprika and water) and toss to thoroughly combine.

Many cooking experts champion a quick soak as a way to give the protein more texture and flavor. “Simmering cubed tofu in salted water for 60 seconds pulls out excess moisture and tightens the proteins on its surface,” Lukas Volger told Bon Appétit in 2021.

Press it. Tofu contains a lot of water, and you'll want to squeeze most of it out, especially if you're baking, grilling, or frying it. I recommend using a tofu press to do this, because it gives the tofu a delicious chewy texture and makes cleanup a breeze. But having one isn't necessary.

If you're boiling the tofu on the hob, 5-10 minutes will suffice. The longer you simmer, the more seasoned your tofu will be. If you're pouring boiling water over tofu, without an additional heat source, leave it for 15-20 minutes.

What to not serve with tofu? According to studies, a high volume consumption of tofu and spinach together can increase your risk of kidney stones. Tofu and spinach contain calcium and oxalic acid respectively and the combined can form kidney stones.

Let the marination magic happen

You should aim to marinate tofu for at least 2 hours in the fridge. To infuse more flavour, you can leave it to marinade for up to 2 days before cooking up.

Here's the thing: even though tofu might be labeled firm or extra-firm, it contains a lot of water. This excess water can cause the tofu to crumble when you cook it, and it will also have a hard time crisping up. But when you press tofu, you remove the excess moisture.

If you're cooking slices or cubes, cut the tofu into slices, layer them between paper towels and weigh down the individual slices. The finished tofu should be spongy yet dry (you'll need to weigh it down for 30 minutes to 2 hours).

How to safely eat raw tofu. While tofu comes in a variety of textures — silken, firm, and extra firm — technically any of them can be eaten raw. Before enjoying raw tofu, drain off any excess liquid from the packaging. It's also important to store tofu properly to prevent germs from growing on any unused portions.

It sticks, and the crispy bits end up sticking to the pan, which is a tofu tragedy. Plus, it requires more oil, and you don't need to use a lot of oil to get crispy tofu. When you bake your tofu, you give it time to develop crispy edges and warm, pillowy insides. It's simply the best.

What is the healthiest way to eat tofu? ›

Healthier - For starters, broiling tofu is a healthier method of cooking than frying, and it requires less oil to create crispier cubes. Easy - It's also really easy to make.

Heat a large oven-safe metal or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the oil and the seasoned tofu. Sauté for 5 minutes, shaking/flipping occasionally to cook on all sides, until tofu has a slight crust on each side and has begun to brown.

This salt water soak may seem counterintuitive but it actually helps draw the moisture out of the tofu.

Wrap the block of tofu in a clean tea towel then put it on a large plate with a lip. Put something heavy such as a frying pan on top, weight it down further with cans and jars, and leave for 30 mins. The tofu will be about two-thirds its original thickness, and up to 100ml water will have been removed.

(Optional) Press the tofu gently using your hands or a few layers of paper towel to get rid of excess water. Use this step if you're short on time and need to use less time to marinate the tofu. You can skip this step if you're going to marinate the tofu overnight.

You can leave the tofu in the bag with the marinade for as little as 30 minutes, or up to 4 hours.

Place the Tofu cubes in a large glass bowl, then drizzle 1 tbsp of Tamari over them. Now that the Tofu has been pressed, it's much more likely to absorb the Tamari flavor (and taste less bland). I like to use a large spatula to gently toss the Tofu, so the cubes don't break.

Cold, raw tofu rejects marinades because of its high water content and low porosity. It will eventually suck up a marinade, but mostly on the surface, and only after a long, long time (think a couple of days). Par-cooking it speeds up the process by driving out some of that water, leaving more room for seasonings.