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Tell me about tempeh and tofu

Tip: fry thin strips of tempeh until golden and serve in split toasted pittas with humus, dressed salad, sliced red onions, and olives. Top with a tasty tahini dressing of tahini, lemon juice, pulped garlic, olive oil, maple syrup and salt! Add chili flakes for extra heat!
 
tommers said:
you know they make tofu presses these days? you don't need to balance some books on top of a towel on top of the tofu any more.

www.tofuture.com

Tofu Press

Tofuture's tofu press is a simple to use kitchen gadget to press the water out of shop bought tofu cleanly and effectively
www.tofuture.com www.tofuture.com
Click to expand...

My vegan boss swears these are the greatest invention ever
 
I love tofu but never figured out how to make tempeh edible.

Definitely press it. I've got a press but find using a weight and a bowl works better.

I actually don't usually eat it crispy - if you don't mind the texture unfried this is lovely: Vegetarian Mapo Tofu (Vegan)

And yes bought already fried from the Chinese supermarket it's delicious and soaks up soup or sauce really nicely.
 
I need to get back into tofu (and potentially tempeh) - have become far too reliant on fake meat stuff for protein. And I genuinely like tofu. It's just the extra faff, I'm always tired and can't be bothered. Really need to do more food prep on a Sunday or something.
 
Overnight marinating for the tempeh. It's almost completely tasteless imo. Also I'm still not quite sure if I like the texture or not. I think marinated and airfried so crispy is what I would do with it.
 
Tofu seems to have improved of late... the last couple boxes i bought were firm enough and didn't crumble during the cooking process. As it was firm, I also didn't need to spend 10 minutes pressing it between plates to get surplus water out.

I just fry it for 10 minutes turning occasionally.

Now tempeh on the other hand I think is nicer - especially smoked tempeh.
 
Has anyone tried making their own tempeh?

I've had a few goes and when it works it's amazing and nicer than the ready made stuff. But it is a faff, and now that I can score tempeh in Lidl now and again I've pretty much stopped making my own
 
I love tofu - cubed and air - or iron pan - fried with a bit of oil, salt and pepper then added to curry/stirfry/stew. There's a nice sweet potato and tofu stew recipe on the Hello Fresh website. Great tofu currys on Holy Cow Vegan recipes page. Have also grated it, fried in iron pan and made into 'sausage' rolls with roasted squash, onion etc etc.
Tempeh I'm not keen on, I feel like it's too 'heavy' and indigestion-y for me. Maybe doing it wrong.
Seitan - my partner makes logs of seitan out of vital wheat gluten and we freeze them then when needed partially defrost, slice or cube and fry. NIce for fajitas, kebabs, sandwiches... ('Beef style seitan recipe - loads of recipes online for different types, his one has jackfruit in). Or makes a 'chicken' style one with tofu in aswell and we use that for cesaer salads, stirfry etc.
 
Tofu: as some have mentioned Tofoo is great for where you want it firm, Cauldron and the kind you get from Asian grocers (Tofu King, etc.) are softer. I don't like pressing it so I just buy the right type for the sort of thing I'm cooking. Softer types are fine cubed and roasted but I find them too messy to fry, even when pressed (maybe the cornflour method helps with this, idk). Cube or cut into slabs, coat in dressing and spices, roast or fry. I've never had much luck with marinating. For scrambled tofu, Tofoo results in a rubbery scramble and Cauldron disintegrates/produces too much liquid. Steaming Cauldron before scrambling works, don't know why. I've heard of someone doing a mix of firm & silken tofu for scramble but I haven't tried it. Silken tofu is best blended into dips/desserts. Softer varieties of tofu are also nice steamed - finely cubed in miso or other soup, or just lightly dressed and served with some side veg.

Tempeh: freezer aisle in Asian supermarkets is the only place where it's priced sensibly. I cut it into slices, dump them into a roasting tin of hot oil, and toss it in a bit of soy sauce/spices. Preheating a tin with some hot oil and roasting in that is my preferred method but probably just because I hate frying. As someone mentioned, it's great in sandwiches, but also as a main.

If cooking in curries/stews/etc. it's best to pre-fry/roast your tofu or tempeh so it has some texture/flavour and holds its own in the dish.
 
smee said:
Seitan - my partner makes logs of seitan out of vital wheat gluten and we freeze them then when needed partially defrost, slice or cube and fry.
Click to expand...

Can you give more info on how they make it? I bought some vwg and tried it, but it produced only a tiny amount of seitan. Turned out to be an expensive experiment!
 
furluxor said:
Tofu: as some have mentioned Tofoo is great for where you want it firm, Cauldron and the kind you get from Asian grocers (Tofu King, etc.) are softer. I don't like pressing it so I just buy the right type for the sort of thing I'm cooking. Softer types are fine cubed and roasted but I find them too messy to fry, even when pressed (maybe the cornflour method helps with this, idk). Cube or cut into slabs, coat in dressing and spices, roast or fry. I've never had much luck with marinating. For scrambled tofu, Tofoo results in a rubbery scramble and Cauldron disintegrates/produces too much liquid. Steaming Cauldron before scrambling works, don't know why. I've heard of someone doing a mix of firm & silken tofu for scramble but I haven't tried it. Silken tofu is best blended into dips/desserts. Softer varieties of tofu are also nice steamed - finely cubed in miso or other soup, or just lightly dressed and served with some side veg.

Tempeh: freezer aisle in Asian supermarkets is the only place where it's priced sensibly. I cut it into slices, dump them into a roasting tin of hot oil, and toss it in a bit of soy sauce/spices. Preheating a tin with some hot oil and roasting in that is my preferred method but probably just because I hate frying. As someone mentioned, it's great in sandwiches, but also as a main.

If cooking in curries/stews/etc. it's best to pre-fry/roast your tofu or tempeh so it has some texture/flavour and holds its own in the dish.
Click to expand...
Can confirm the absolute best way to make a tofu scramble is half normal / firm and half silken. It's a game changer. In the past I used to choose whether I felt like a 'dry' scramble or a wet sloppy one, but combining the two is just perfect.
 
The deep fried tofu we do ourselves if we have a bigger block than we'll eat fresh. Then you can freeze it and it goes great in noodles, or just fry as normal with scallions and celery.
 
I've been getting into tempeh recently. As it's fermented it's healthier than tofu. Tiba Tempeh is great, but it's not the cheapest. They do a standard one which can be fried as usual, but my favourite is the curry flavoured pieces. It's so tasty I have to stop myself from eating it all straight from the pack before putting it in a curry. It's organic and no nasty additives either.

tibatempeh.com

Curry Spiced Tempeh Pieces - Tiba Tempeh Ready To Use Pieces

Curry Spiced Tempeh Pieces: Tiba's answer to a versatile, subtle and satisfying protein addition to any meal. The savoury flavour profile lends itself well as a more naturally plant-powered protein source. Throw in salads, sandwiches or even make 'sausage' rolls with it, the possibilities are...
tibatempeh.com tibatempeh.com
 
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