Tofu Guacamole

from the kitchen of a friend


2 perfectly ripe avocadoes (the flesh just gives when you gently squeeze, too hard and they don't have any flavor, too soft and they are already yucky. If all you can find are hard ones, bring them home and wait a couple of days, check them regularly to see if they are ready yet!)

1 pack of kinu (silken) tofu
1/2 onion, finely minced
2 T fresh lemon juice
1/2 t. cumin seeds
a few dashes of tabasco
1/2 t. salt

Mash avocado and tofu together until fairly smooth, add remaining ingredients. Not only is this excellent with mexican food, it is also good as a sandwich spread (on tofu burgers too!) and as a dip for pita bread and veggie sticks. Should be eaten within a few hours of preparing. If there are leftovers, cover them with plastic wrap pushed down onto the surface of the spread (to prevent it turning brown) and refrigerate. Leftovers can be thinned with mayo or yogurt or a mixture to make a very nice salad dressing.

Tofu Oden

from the kitchen of a friend


1 daikon, peeled, sliced into two-inch rounds, boiled for 10 minutes or so 1 dozen hard boiled eggs
5 or 6 small to medium peeled, boiled potatoes (the waxy kind that don't dissolve into mush!)

Various kinds of Tofu:
atsuage (thick fried tofu cakes - sometimes called nama-age) cut into cubes gammo (fried tofu balls, often with sesame and vegetables, check the label to avoid those with fish and shrimp - try to get a couple of varieties!)
aburage pouches (slice aburage in half to form a pouch, stuff with the following stuffing: one cake of firm tofu, placed in a bowl with a plate on top, weighted with something heavy, like a book or can of tomatoes, for 20-30 minutes. Drain the water, mix tofu with 1/4 cup of toasted, ground sesame seeds and one egg or two egg whites. Sliced, stir-fried shiitake can also be added. After stuffing the aburage, close with a tooth pick).
Regular firm tofu (steak tofu is also good)

Make a big pot of dashi and season with soy sauce and mirin to taste. Place all ingredients in the pot and boil for one or two hours. Turn off the heat and let cool. At this point you can refrigerate it until an hour before dinner or leave it on the counter if your house is cold (that is what I always do and so far I have never had a problem...but my mom thinks this is gross so when she is visiting I stick the pot in the refrigerator). Reheat gently, and serve piping hot with lots of hot mustard. Tastes better the second day (especially the daikon) so I usually make it one day to eat the next two days...easy and very good! People who eat fish can put all sorts of fishpaste creations in as well.

Yudofu (best in winter)

from the kitchen of a friend


1 pack of the freshest, best tofu you can get (look for organic tofu or ones made from only Japanese soy beans, usually written on the label to avoid GM soybeans)
dashi (shiitake and konbu dashi is very good and you can avoid fish)
finely chopped negi (spring onions)
freshly squeezed yuzu juice
toasted, ground sesame seeds
daikon oroshi
grated ginger
Soy sauce

Cook the tofu cubes in dashi for just a few minutes, then serve in small bowls with a little of the sauce. Have the condiments on a small plate or in small bowls so people can add their own. Pour on a splash of shoyu and eat. This is my favorite winter food, along with oden, and so easy! You can also add vegetables like hakusai, shungiku, carrot, shiitake, etc.

Chilled Tofu (best in summer)

from the kitchen of a friend


1 pack of the freshest, best tofu you can get (look for organic tofu or ones made from only Japanese soy beans, usually written on the label to avoid GM soybeans)
grated ginger
finely minced shiso (Japanese basil)
soy sauce.

Just cut the tofu into cubes, garnish with the ginger and shiso, and pour a little shoyu on top! That's it. Very refreshing and easy in summer when you don't want to cook. Fresh tofu is also good with wasabi-joyu (wasabi mixed with shoyu)

Tofu Gyoza

from the kitchen of a friend


1 pack of firm or extra firm tofu
3-5 cloves of crushed garlic (to taste)
1/2 bunch of nila (garlic chives), finely minced (optional) 2 or 3 negi (spring onions), white parts only, sliced 1/4 head of cabbage (or other green like spinach, komatsuna, kale or a mixture) very finely chopped
1 cup of sliced shiitake
1 carrot, grated
1/4 - 1/2 cup of really good Korean kimchee, chopped (optional but this is what makes them really good!)
Gyoza wrappers (probably about 40, depending on size)

Place the tofu in a bowl and place a plate on top, weighted with something heavy, like a book or can of tomatoes. Let sit for 20-30 minutes.

Saute the negi, cabbage, shiitake and carrot in a little oil (sesame) over medium heat until soft.

Drain the water from the tofu. Crumble the tofu and mix with all other ingredients. Moisten the outside edge of the gyoza wrapper. Place about 1 tablespoon full of filling into a wrapper. Fold the wrapper into a half circle (like making turnovers) and pinch the edges together (this is harder to explain than to do...If you don't know how to make gyoza, look at the premade ones in a store and then experiment, or ask someone.) Fry about 12 gyoza at a time on a lightly greased frying pan (medium-high heat) on just one side, then when they are lightly browned, add a half-cup of water to the pan and cover it to steam them the rest of the way, the wrappers should be nearly translucent and shiny when done. Serve with ponzu (soy sauce and rice vinegar with a bit of hot pepper oil).

This filling can also be used to make vegetarian nikuman.

Tofu Burgers

from the kitchen of a friend


1 pack of firm or extra firm tofu
1 cup of cooked brown rice
1 carrot, grated
1 stalk of celery, diced
1 onion, diced
1 cup of sliced shiitake
1 clove of crushed garlic
1/2 cup of chopped, toasted sunflower seeds 1/2 to 1 cup of grated cheese (smoked cheddar is excellent but almost any cheese will do, can be omitted or use lesser amount to reduce fat) 1 egg or 2 egg whites (to reduce fat)

Place the tofu in a bowl and place a plate on top, weighted with something heavy, like a book or can of tomatoes. Let sit for 20-30 minutes.

Saute the onion, shiitake and garlic in a little oil (olive or sesame) over medium heat until onions are translucent and mushrooms are soft. Set aside.

Drain the water from the tofu. Crumble the tofu and mix with all other ingredients. Add salt and pepper to taste. Form into patties and fry over medium heat in a lightly greased frying pan until golden brown on both sides. Can also be baked on a greased cookie sheet for 10-15 minutes on one side and 5-10 on the other at 190 degrees C.

Serve on toasted hamburger buns with lots of fresh toppings (sliced tomatoes, pickles, sliced red onions, alfalfa sprouts, lettuce, avocado slices, honey mustard, ketchup, mayo....). This filling can also be used to make meatballs or to fill cabbage rolls, or in nearly any recipe where you would usually use browned ground beef.

Tofu Sweet Potato Pie

from the kitchen of a friend


1 9inch (23cm) pie shell (ready made or with the recipe below) 2 cups (400g) cooked sweet potatoes, mashed 1 lb (450g) tofu
1 cup (240ml) fresh orange juice
1/2 cup (126g) butter or margarine
3/4 cup (150g) brown sugar
2 eggs
1 strip orange peel
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla

The unusual combination of tofu, sweet potatoes and spices make this a delightfully different dessert.

To prepare: first prebake the pie shell for five minutes at 350 degrees F (180 C) and set aside. Combine the potatoes, tofu, juice, butter, sugar, eggs, orange peel, salt, nutmeg, cornstarch and vanilla in a blender or food processor until smooth. Pour the tofu mixture into the cooked pie shell and bake for about 35 - 40 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center of the pie comes out clean. Chill thoroughly before serving.


For the pastry crust, please use this Short Crust recipe.

tofu cheesecake

from the kitchen of a friend


a block of tofu,
1 tbsp vanilla,
1/2 cup sugar or maple syrup
1/3 cup milk

Blend ingredients and bake for 30 mins at 180C (350F). Serve with fresh fruit topping.

Would`ve been more authentic with a graham cracker crust. Then again, not all cheesecakes need a crust(!) full of the extra calories from butter or margarine.

tofu with ground pork mini-burgers

from the kitchen of a friend



200g pork mince, chicken, prawns, whatever
1/2 pack soft tofu (momen=cotton)

Seasonings for meat/tofu mix:
3 tabs finely chopped naga-negi (leek) or grated tamanegi (round onion)
1 tsp grated or minced garlic
1.5 tsp katakuriko (cornstarch, actually potato starch if you check the
packet)
1 tab shoyu (soy sauce)
"some" sesame seeds
1 tab ground sesame (the paste, but I tend to use powdered sesame and a dash
of sesame oil)

The official way to get water out of the tofu is to wrap it in a cloth or kitchen paper and put weights on it for a while. Another method is to put kitchen paper on it and blast it in the microwave for 1 minute. Some deviants even crumble it, wrap it in a towel and have at it in a salad spinner.

mash up the tofu and mix in the meat and other ingredients, knead a bit (even with pure meat burgers, this helps them stick together instead of crumbling when cooked).

Heat some sesame oil in a frying pan and fry on both sides. Alternatively bake in an oven toaster or oven.

Serve with ponzu OR 2 parts soy to 1 part each of vinegar and lemon juice. A bit of mint goes nicely with them too.


friend's note:
I've mislaid my tofu recipe file, but this is my favorite, which DOES use mince as well as tofu (but you can use thin-sliced scraps of pork if you cut them up even a little bit). Actually it is supposed to be ground beef...you might also like to try it with chicken breast or fillet (sasami). If you get two knives roughly the same weight, one in each hand, and get into a good kind of percussion rhythm with them, you can reduce anything to mincemeat in very short order (and also guarantee that everybody will stay out of your kitchen until you put both knives down...)