Post Punk Kitchen Forum

Hello! So, this is my first recipe post. *forum newbie alert*

I am not a huge fan of tofu, but I received a tofu press for Christmas and I am overjoyed.
It was nice and firm for this recipe.
But it still tastes ... like tofu. and spongy.

Any advice to get the tofu tasting stew-tastic? I loved the gravy and potatoes.

Maybe you should marinate the tofu first in broth and/or soy sauce. I make this all the time as is and I love it... maybe you would like a different kind of protein better in it instead? I imagine it would be great with tempeh.

this is one of my favorite recipes from VWAV! i always like the texture of tofu better when it's fried in a little oil until lightly browned on both sides. it won't necessarily taste more like the stew, but it will have a chewier texture.

otherwise i would just omit or sub in a protein you like the taste/texture of better.

I also suggest trying different brands of Tofu as they can be very different.

This is pretty much my favorite stew ever, but tastes are not all the same. For this recipe, I do like to use herb tofu (like just a herbed brand with things like basil, oregano--that kind of herbing), but I don't prep the tofu ahead or anything at all, other than pressing it as I always do, cutting it into the desired shapes and adding it to the stew as directed in the recipe, but I love tofu.

maybe you would like tempeh or seitan better? or even just a can of beans? i too love this recipe, its total comfort food!

Livi loves this recipe! I do too. We press it in the press, sometimes overnight.

If you're not a fan of tofu yet, you should try frying it first or marinating. The kid and I both LOVE tofu.

I have been eying this recipe since I got a copy of vwav, but have been afraid of the texture of the tofu - marinating it and then maybe baking it before throwing into the stew might help, or as people have mentioned above, tempeh would be delicious in this recipe. Yum!

Marinating definitely makes a world of difference as far as flavor goes. To make it taste stew-tastic, try incorporating some of the herbs and flavors of the stew into the marinade.

Pressing like this and then marinading tofu is the way to go!

I make this recipe with seitan or chickpeas and it's really good. I have texture issues with tofu, I only like it grilled or broiled.

This may have been mentioned already (I just skimmed over the replies) but freezing and then thawing tofu improves the texture and flavour 8000% (in my humble opinion). I may be biased since I love even regular tofu uncooked, but whenever I've made tofu for friends or family they always like the taste of it more when I bother to freeze it first.

When I make this, I press and then bake the tofu first to give it a firm and chewy texture. If you have issues with spongy tofu I would not reccommend freezing it without pressing it really, really well first.

Baking and broiling really change the texture of tofu. If you like TVP or soy curls, I think one of those would be a great sub for the tofu.

Dry-frying will change your tofu life: http://hubpages.com/hub/How_to_Cook_Tofu_Like_the_Pros It makes the texture chewy and awesome. Do it pre-marinade or just pre-adding to the recipe if there is no marinating. So good!

If you don't like spongy tofu I wouldn't recommend freezing it at all. I've tried freezing it in the water, freezing it pressed, it always comes out spongy. Blargh.

I'm also not convinced marinating tofu does that much if you;re just going to add it to something like a soup or stew. I prefer lightly frying to change the texture. Then if I want it seasoned I add sauce/"marinade" and cook it down until most of it is stuck to the tofu.

Yeah, I feel like freezing makes tofu really spongy. Inedibly spongy, to me.

I agree, the only time I have liked tofu after it was frozen was when I baked it first and then froze it because I wasn't going to be able to eat it all right away.

i did not know about this method! I'm so excited to use it! (and so sad I just used the last of my tofu this evening)

Thanks everyone!

I love it, I hope you do too! The texture reminds me of good restaurant tofu- where it's really chewy and you wonder how they did that. Well, I bet this is how.

Yeah and once it's cooked it's texture doesn't seem to change or get spongy. I freeze this stew all the time and it's fine.

This dry fry method sounds awesome! I must try it.