7 Easy Tofu Recipe Ideas, Including Steamed, Fried and Stew

Tofu recipes 2022

 

Tofu or bean curd is an unassuming and underrated ingredient that is often mislooked and misjudged for being bland in terms of taste, texture and appearance. However, being low in calories and high in nutrition, it’s actually an excellent dietary source for the health-conscious, not to mention a great protein supplement if you’re on a vegetarian diet.  

 

Tofu is also naturally gluten free. Made from curdling soy milk, it gets its shape from being pressed into blocks and solidified.  Now, it is one of the most popular ingredients in the world and can be cooked in multiple ways. Do not judge it by its simplicity — here are 7 tofu recipes to turn this seemingly bland ingredient into a delightful dish.

 

— Steaming Method —

1. Steamed Tofu with Salted Century Egg

 

The simplest and most healthy method of cooking Tofu is in a steamer. Steaming Tofu is also necessary to extract moisture as well as making it a smooth, silky and custard-like texture. It also helps to get rid of raw soybean taste from an uncooked Tofu to make it more palatable.

 

If you wonder how a bland steamed Tofu can be delicious, here’s a great recipe that showcases a variety of flavourful ingredients that are delicious when paired with Tofu.

 

Our Steamed Tofu with Salted Century Egg is a mix of flavours and texture that balances savoury from the century egg and minced pork, earthy from the mushrooms, crunchy from the fresh herbs and soft and custardy from the Tofu. When steamed together, it imparts an all round umami flavour! 

 

This easy and healthy dish is fast to cook and can be easily enjoyed as a side dish to any meal.

 

Recipe: http://themeatmen.sg/steamed-tofu-with-salted-and-century-egg/

Preparation Time: 30 mins. Serves 4 

 

2. Steamed Egg Tofu with Shrimp

 

This recipe is a great introduction to Egg Tofu. This Tofu consists of soy beans and eggs are not only low in carbs and reaps nutritional benefits, it is also ultra soft and creamy.

 

Another great recipe of using the steaming method to cook this dish is the Steamed Egg Tofu with Shrimp. It is not only easy to prepare but equally flavourful when drizzled with Asian seasoning like Shaoxing wine, soy sauce and the aromatic garlic oil.  

 

These little morsels of flavourful delicacy are ideal to impress your guests as an appetizer or canapes at a party. 

 

Recipe: http://themeatmen.sg/steamed-egg-tofu-with-shrimp/

Preparation Time: 20 mins. Serves 3 to 4

 

— Frying Method —

1. Chye Poh Tofu

 

As Tofu is generally delicate in texture, deep frying them provides a “protective” and crusty coating and is ideal for stir frying dishes. Firm or semi firm Tofu are best for deep frying to achieve a nice golden brown and crusty exterior yet soft and moist in the middle. 

 

This Chye Poh Tofu recipe is easy and quick to prepare. The savoury and sweet preserved radish or chye poh as commonly known, is an excellent ingredient to a somewhat bland Tofu. When cooked together with flavourful seasonings, this dish is truly tasty and goes down well with steamed white rice.

 

Recipe:http://themeatmen.sg/chye-poh-tofu/

Preparation Time: 15 mins. Serves 4

 

2. Fried Spinach Tofu

 

This recipe calls for making Tofu from scratch, if you fancy a homemade version from the commercialised packets Tofu. It is not difficult to replicate the firmness of the Tofu and this can be easily achievable by just steaming a simple mixture of eggs and soy milk. 

 

Our Fried Spinach Tofu is healthy and flavourful as chopped spinach is added to the Tofu mixture. This gives an edge of flavour and layer of texture to the Tofu. Once steamed, the Tofu are cut into pieces and fried to a golden brown crispness. You may enjoy these fried Tofu on its own with a dipping sauce as snacks or whip out an easy gravy with mushrooms for the earthy and umami flavour to pour over the Fried Spinach Tofu as a side dish to your dinner meal.

 

Recipe: http://themeatmen.sg/fried-spinach-tofu/

 

3. Zi-Char Styled Hot Plate Tofu

Using just a pan or wok, you too can recreate this favourite Zi Char style classic, Hotplate Tofu at home. 

 

Using the silky smooth Egg Tofu for this recipe, the pieces are deep fried to form an outer crust so that it doesn’t easily break down during the cooking process. The sauce which consists of minced meat, prawns, chopped mushrooms and carrots with flavourful Asian seasonings are then added to the fried Egg Tofu. To assemble this dish, fried Egg Tofu is layered with the cooked beaten eggs and the minced meat sauce. 

 

A wholesome dish to impress your guests and a definite favourite weekend dinner with the family.

 

Recipe: https://themeatmen.sg/chinese-home-style-egg-tofu/

Preparation Time: 30 mins.  Serves 3 to 4

 

— Stewing Method —

1. Easy Kimchi Jjigae with Pork Belly and Silken Tofu

Stewing is a healthy and hassle-free way of cooking a dish as it is often cooked in one pot. This method of cooking creates a flavourful broth when it is stewed low and slow and is definitely nutritional as no oil is needed to the cooking process. 

 

If you’re inspired by K-Dramas and fancy a hot and spicy bowl of stew with Silken Tofu, this easy Kimchi Jjigae with Pork Belly is perfect for cooler and rainy weather. 

 

Our recipe is an easy dish to prepare with all the Korean essentials like Kimchi, Gochujang, and pepper flakes for that extra kick of spiciness. Simply add sliced pork belly to the brewing and rich flavourful stew and chunks of Silken Tofu. This one pot wonder comfort food is so satisfying, you’ll be wanting more!

 

Recipe:http://themeatmen.sg/kimchi-tofu-soup/

Preparation Time: 30 mins. Serves 2

 

2. Hot and Sour Tofu Soup

 

This is another Chinese restaurant-style classic that you can recreate at home. This hearty, spicy and sour broth is loaded with mushrooms, bamboo shoots, carrots, peppers, ginger and minced pork to achieve an earthy, savoury, peppery, sweet and sour flavour.

 

This super delicious broth is gently simmered with seasonings like light and dark soy sauce, Shaoxing wine and black vinegar. To obtain a silky and rich texture to the soup, beaten eggs are gently stirred into the broth. To finish this dish, Tofu is carefully cut into thin strips and added to the broth for a perfect end to the dish. 

 

Recipe: https://themeatmen.sg/hot-sour-tofu-soup/

Preparation Time: 30 mins. Serves 6

 

Easy tofu recipes

Without a doubt, Tofu is a good way to add more plant-based proteins to your diet. It is nutritious, versatile and low in cost. Very often, Tofu is a great substitute for meat and even if you’re a meat lover, Tofu is extremely delicious and rather unique in its own right. 

 

The smooth texture of the Tofu, whether steamed, fried or stewed combined with the right blend of sauces, seasonings and accompaniment is truly a great dish to be savoured. If you’ve tried a recipe or have your own special creations, share your creations with us on our Meatmen FB page!

 

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