August 17th, 2007
Tonight I made my first tofu dish.
Let me say here that I don’t really like tofu. It’s sort of weird and rubbery and mushy and the whiteness makes me think of grubs. For this whole first year of vegetarianism I really haven’t eaten much – I usually crumble a block of tofu into a big pot of spag, if I’m making it, and I have used the textured vegetable protein for tacos, but eat a block of the ‘fu? Naked, not just as an ingredient in a much bigger volume of sauce? No way man.
But last night I had a wicked tofu dish at a Malaysian restaurant. So I decided to give it a try myself. I marinated some tofu slices in a sauce I made with soy sauce, hot Thai chili sauce, sugar, lime juice, and some oil. I baked the slices until they firmed up, the topped them with mung bean sprouts and sliced cucumbers and a thickened version of the marinade.
The verdict? Good but needs work. The tofu itself was suprisingly firm and chewy, almost chickeny actually. None of that mushy tofu syndrome. The sauce was delicious but I learned that I need to cut it with water next time, because the salt of the soy, after some evaporation in the oven, nearly killed me. Even Husband, who as a general rule always likes what I cook, had to admit the saltiness was powerful. It was so salty that even as we speak my internal organs are turning into little shriveled husks from the dessicating effects.
I didn’t finish my dinner because of this business with the salt, but I’m pleased to report that my mind is now open to the possibilities of using tofu in more cooking. It’s always good to try new things and broaden your horizon. Just… less salt next time.