Saturday, December 26, 2009

Tofu


For my last entry of the year, I decided to try something new and completely out there. For me, the most obvious ingredient was TOFU.

I tried tofu for the first time about a month ago, while out to lunch with a friend at a Vietnamese restaurant. It was stir-fried with vegetables and served over rice. Contrary to my expectations, it didn't taste half bad. Just like I had heard in the past, tofu does in fact take on the flavor of the seasonings used, but the texture takes a little getting used to.

Anyways... my one time experience (and a conversation with my sis - who sometimes cooks with tofu), had me wanting to experiment.

The next challenge was deciding what type of tofu to use - soft, medium or firm. I decided to go for the medium. I cut it into 1/2 inch pieces and marinated with salt, pepper and soy sauce for a few minutes, than sauteed it for about 30 seconds on each side (until brown) in a pan with cooking spray. I removed it from the pan and placed on a plate, and then stir-fried some mixed vegetables in the heated pan. I added some cooked brown rice and the browned tofu. I mixed everything together, seasoned and served.

Am I now a tofu convert? Not exactly.... however, in the future, while out to dinner with friends, and as usual, I can't figure out what to get, I just might consider the tofu dish.

Happy New Year to all in cyberworld :0)