Not your average tofu

Hi friends,

Welcome to The Confident Cook!

I'm drawing on my years of experience as a plant-based recipe developer, my London restaurant chef training and my holistic nutrition certification to bring you mini deep dives into subjects to help you find more confidence and joy in your cooking.

Tofu needs more imagination!

When most people think of tofu, they picture it cubed in a stir fry. But that’s only one way to prepare it and is actually my least favourite. Tofu is one of the most adaptable ingredients in a balanced, plant-forward kitchen, serving as a blank canvas for flavours, an endless variety of textures and pure protein (the golden child).

You can get the most out of tofu when you know which type you choose, and how to treat each of them.

There are three main types of tofu:

Silken tofu

What is it:

• The highest water content, with a custard-like texture
• Extremely delicate and breaks apart easily when handled
• Has a long shelf life so it's a handy one to keep in your cupboard
• Has almost no flavour, making it so versatile that it can be used for anything from sauces, drizzles, desserts and soups.
• Most often sold in box cartons in the ambient isles, but can be found fresh in the fridges in Asian grocery stores (it's always worth finding your local one, they are treasure troves)
• UK favourite brands: Clearspring, Yutaka, Satonoyuki, Mori-nu

How to use it:

• Blend into creamy sauces, dips, soups, pasta sauces and salad dressings where you’d normally use cream, coconut milk or even cashews or yogurt as a thickener
• Whip into mousse, cheesecake, or chocolate pudding for a dairy-free dessert base. One of my favourite hacks is to blend silken tofu with melted chocolate and let it set into a mousse.
• Serve cold with toppings or a quick sauce (see my tomato one below) for a light and flavourful packed quick meal.
• Serve warm by pouring over a hot umami sauce (think mushrooms soy sauce, ginger, garlic, spring onions) - great to serve with rice
• Stir big cubes into miso soup or noodle broths
• Blend into a creamy, light sauce or base for topping with or drizzling over veggies (like this one)

Firm tofu (medium firm)

What is it:

• Pressed to remove more water than silken, giving it more bite while still tender
• Can be cut or crumbled without completely falling apart.
• Sold in blocks that are usually stored in water in a plastic container in the fridge section.
• UK favourite brands: Plants, Cauldron, Dragonfly

How to use it:

• This is my favourite for blending into a creamy, versatile base sauce (a hummus consistency) because it has the perfect water content
• Also great for crumbling into a tofu scramble as it absorbs flavour really well and is the perfect texture for this (see the pic below, one of my favourite brunch recipes!)
• Not great for frying or sautéing as it never gets crispy due to the higher water content
• Good for cubes in a flavourful curry or sauce, but thrown in without trying to crisp them up. They soften and absorb flavour (think of something like a panner in a curry)

Extra firm tofu

What is it:

• Pressed to remove even more liquid, leaving a dense, compact block.
• Much less fragile than firm tofu, making it easier to handle and cook without breaking apart
• Now widely available in supermarkets, often labelled 'extra firm' or 'super firm'
• The long time vegans will remember that we used to press our tofu under stacks of books to get a texture like this
• Favourite UK brands: Clearspring, Tofoo

How to use it:

• I prefer to prepare it in small pieces (think crumbled into a mince or thinly sliced), because it's so dense and bigger pieces end up being bland on the inside. More surface area means more flavour gets in.
• If you must cut it into cubes and get it crispy on each side, make sure the oil its super super hot before you put the tofu in, otherwise it will just slowly absorb flavourless oil instead of creating a quick, crispy seal. The reason why I don't like this method is because that seal doesn't allow any flavour into the cube.
• Crumbled into a small pieces, fried on a high heat with just a bit of oil, soy sauce and smoked paprika is a great base for a mince (use this recipe as a base, just swap tempeh for tofu) ​
• One of my favourite ways to prep it is very thinly sliced (on a mandolin if you have one or with a speed peeler) and fried in a little oil until crispy, then doused in seasonings. (Check out the loaded hummus bowl below)
• I also love to slice it really thinly, cover it with lemon juice and eat it with tomato and tahini on toast - raw!

Raw tofu? Yep.

Tofu is already fully cooked during the manufacturing process and can be eaten straight from the packet. One of my favourite ways to eat it is actually raw, either in very thin slices or crumbled into this feta style topping:

Tofu 'feta' recipe:

• 140g extra firm tofu (half a pack of Tofoo)
• 1-2 lemons (I like mine extra lemony)
• 1-2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp Maldon salt
• Black pepper

Break up the block into crumbles. Stir all of the other ingredients through it and store it in the fridge for up to 5 days. Great to add a bit of zing and protein to salads, couscous or pasta dishes or on toast with avocado.

Creamy whipped tofu base recipe

This is one of my favourite recipes from my cookbook, Big Veg Energy and I wanted to share it with you!

It's so versatile, you can top it with any seasonal veggies, blend herbs or any flavours into it and use it as a blueprint to add a rich, creamy, protein packed layer to your meals.

A note on origins​
Tofu has been around for over 2,000 years, first made in China before spreading across East and Southeast Asia. It’s made by curdling soy milk (a bit like making cheese from dairy milk), then pressing the curds into blocks. How much liquid is pressed out is what creates the different textures, from soft silken tofu to dense, extra firm tofu.

Why eat tofu regularly?​
We've talked about versatility in recipes but tofu is also one of the most nutrient-dense, versatile staples in a plant-based kitchen. It’s a complete protein, meaning it contains all nine essential amino acids. It’s also naturally low in saturated fat, free from cholesterol, and provides calcium, iron and other important minerals.

The Plant-Based Blueprint

There is going to be a whole module on tofu and tempeh, as well as another one showing you how to achieve rich creaminess with whole foods (alongside another 10 modules) in my upcoming online cooking course.

I'll be teaching you the real foundations of good cooking in The Plant-Based Blueprint. (Still working on it so watch this space!)

Let me know below if you're interested in helping me shape this course for you as I create it:

Hope that was helpful, feel free to email me back with any feedback, thoughts tofu related Q's.

Lots of love,
Christina xx