What to Serve With Tofu: 30+ Recipe Ideas (2024)

FAQs

What pairs well with tofu? ›

Super Easy Side Dishes with Grilled or Baked Tofu

Steamed rice, cauliflower rice, or quinoa. In the steamer basket, add carrot slices, cauliflower, and peppers plus lime juice, agave nectar, and tamari sauce (for a gluten-free meal).

It can be baked, fried, sautéed, marinated, scrambled – in short: it can really do it all. And newsflash: you don't need to be vegetarian to partake! Tofu is high in protein and low in fat, and is a great alternative in many dishes that have meat.

Tofu can be eaten raw, and so cooking it is completely optional and is mostly done for texture or to bind the sauce to the tofu. You can pan-sear the sides and add it to a colorful stir-fry or deep-fry it and coat it in a savory and sweet sauce.

What to not serve with tofu? According to studies, a high volume consumption of tofu and spinach together can increase your risk of kidney stones. Tofu and spinach contain calcium and oxalic acid respectively and the combined can form kidney stones.

In addition to tofu, tempeh, and edamame, vegan complete protein sources include: buckwheat, hemp seeds, chia seeds, Ezekiel bread, quinoa, amaranth, nutritional yeast, and spirulina. There are also many classic food combinations that contain all nine essential amino acids when combined.

Mix the cornflour, garlic, paprika, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Unravel the tofu from the paper, cut in half through the centre, then cut into triangles, cubes or strips. Toss the tofu pieces in the spiced cornflour to coat all over.

Firm tofu: This tofu absorbs flavors well and can be stir-fried and pan-fried, and is also great crumbled and used in tofu scrambles. Extra-firm tofu: Consider extra-firm tofu the all-purpose tofu that holds its shape well and is excellent for slicing and cubing.

Healthier - For starters, broiling tofu is a healthier method of cooking than frying, and it requires less oil to create crispier cubes. Easy - It's also really easy to make.

Tofu is a staple of the Japanese diet. It's a common ingredient in miso soup, where it's found in small cubes, and is consumed almost every day this way. And then there's nabe or "hotpot", a common winter dish in which tofu is either substituted for meat, or eaten in addition to meat and vegetables.

Do you need to rinse tofu? ›

She encourages people to treat tofu in a similar manner to canned beans, which we are taught to drain and rinse before using. She finds that doing so can help eliminate any off-flavors from preservatives in the water for liquid-packed tofu.

If it darkens in color, begins to smell, or feels slimy, it should be thrown away. Bottom line: Open packages of tofu are good in the fridge for up to five days, provided you change the water daily.

Popular tofu dishes

Pour a little bit of soy sauce over the tofu if it did not come already seasoned. Yudofu are tofu pieces boiled in a clear, mild soup and dipped into soy sauce or ponzu (lemon-flavored soy sauce) before being eaten. Yudofu is a Kyoto specialty and commonly served during the colder seasons.

Here's a spicy way to start the day: Cook crumbled tofu until golden brown, and then add olive oil, onion, garlic, and bell pepper to cook for a few minutes. Season with curry powder, cumin, and coriander and stir to combine. Serve on whole grain toast with scallions sprinkled over top.

Try cutting the tofu into thin 2-inch long rectangles (thin strips). It comes out almost like jerky or bacon. It gets super crispy this way and makes a great snack! You can also let it marinate in the soy-garlic-black pepper mixture for 30 minutes for a little extra flavour.

The effect of eating tofu with weight loss has been proven on many studies. Specifically, people who follow the tofu diet from 2 months to 1 year will lose an average of 4.5 kg. Therefore, this food has been and is appearing popular in many people's weight loss, diet, and vegetarian menus.