Vegetarianism/Veganism

[Davkaus]

10 minutes ago, Stevo985 said:

 

Any tofu tips from anyone on here?

I don't stir fry it often, I usually go for baking instead, but did you coat it in something? Not just season, a good proper coating.

After pressing it (press it so long you think it's been pressed for an unreasonably long time, then another 10 minutes), I usually coat it in a mixture of flour, bread crumbs, salt, and some appropriate spices, be that some curry mixture, or just garlic and onion powder Then I bake it/stir fry it, and that coated layer will be how you get the crispy delicious texture that places like chinese restaurants get.

As I said I vastly prefer baking it these days. It has a completely different texture to stir fried tofu which I find absolutely delicious rather than just tolerable which is my usual view on tofu. If you like curries, I'd try this out, it's one of my favourite tofu recipes and a good introduction to baking it instead of frying it. https://www.veganricha.com/2017/05/butter-tofu-paneer-tofu-butter-masala-recipe.html

 

 

[Davkaus]

And if you've still got that silken tofu, I'd make a chocolate mousse with it  

[peterms]

2 minutes ago, Davkaus said:

did you coat it in something? Not just season, a good proper coating.

Agree with that.  Ottolenghi does it in cornflour for this recipe, which I can recommend.

Black pepper tofu.

Quote

800g firm, fresh tofu
Cornflour, to dust the tofu
Vegetable oil, for frying
150g butter
12 small shallots (350g), peeled and thinly sliced
8 red chillies, thinly sliced
12 garlic cloves, crushed
3 tbsp chopped ginger
5 tbsp crushed black peppercorns
3 tbsp sweet soy sauce
3 tbsp light soy sauce
4 tsp dark soy sauce
2 tbsp sugar
16 small, thin spring onions, cut into segments 3cm long

Cut the tofu into 3cm x 2cm blocks and toss them in cornflour, shaking off the excess. Pour in enough oil to come 0.5cm up the sides of a large frying pan, and bring up to frying heat. Fry the tofu in batches in the oil, turning the pieces as you go. Once they are golden all around, and have a thin crust, transfer to a paper towel.

Remove the oil and any sediment from the pan and throw in the butter. Once it has melted, add the shallots, chillies, garlic and ginger, and sauté for about 15 minutes on low-medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the contents of the pan are shiny and totally soft. While you wait, crush the peppercorns, using a pestle and mortar or a spice grinder. They should be quite coarse.

When the shallots and chillies are soft, add the soy sauces and the sugar, stir, then stir in the crushed pepper. Warm the tofu in the sauce for about a minute, then add the spring onion and stir through. Serve hot with steamed rice.

 

[Stevo985]

29 minutes ago, Davkaus said:

I don't stir fry it often, I usually go for baking instead, but did you coat it in something? Not just season, a good proper coating.

After pressing it (press it so long you think it's been pressed for an unreasonably long time, then another 10 minutes), I usually coat it in a mixture of flour, bread crumbs, salt, and some appropriate spices, be that some curry mixture, or just garlic and onion powder Then I bake it/stir fry it, and that coated layer will be how you get the crispy delicious texture that places like chinese restaurants get.

As I said I vastly prefer baking it these days. It has a completely different texture to stir fried tofu which I find absolutely delicious rather than just tolerable which is my usual view on tofu. If you like curries, I'd try this out, it's one of my favourite tofu recipes and a good introduction to baking it instead of frying it. https://www.veganricha.com/2017/05/butter-tofu-paneer-tofu-butter-masala-recipe.html

 

 

I pressed it and drained it but don't think I pressed it long enough.

Yeah I coated it with some mexican spices we had knocking around. Fajita stuff. Just drizzled the tofu in olive oil and covered it in the spices.

To be fair I didn't stir fry it. I pan fried it and then just added it to a stir fry I'd made simultaneously.

 

Will look at baking it

[peterms]

I don't press it.  Just drain it, cube it, pat dry with kitchen paper, coat with cornflour and fry in a wok in batches, using enough oil to half cover the cubes, about 1cm deep.  Works.

I don't bother seasoning the cornflour if I'm doing the Ottolenghi recipe above - there's so much going on in the sauce, you wouldn't be able to tell if the tofu was seasoned.  I add cumin and coriander and Sichuan pepper and chili to the black peppers before adding to the garlic/ginger in making the sauce.  It's not for those who only like subtle flavours.

In a milder dish, maybe season the cornflour, but give it a go without the pressing.  You want the surface of the cubes to be pretty much dry, but still able to let the cornflour adhere, and then to fry it quickly to form a crust.

[choffer]

20 hours ago, Stevo985 said:

Any tofu tips from anyone on here?

I’ve not done much with tofu but the Cauldron marinated tofu is a staple in our house. Mostly for stir fries. 

[choffer]

Having really enjoyed the vivera shawarma, I thought I’d give the steak a go. It looks a bit like a steak but doesn’t really taste like one. Not a bad experience and I’m sure I’ll have them again but my brain spent the whole time telling me it definitely wasn’t steak. 

[bickster]

21 hours ago, Stevo985 said:

Any tofu tips from anyone on here?

Throw it in the bin. I'm being serious, really don't like the stuff, I'd rather eat just vegetables

 

20 hours ago, peterms said:

Remove the oil and any sediment from the pan and throw in the butter.

You were just trying to trick the pesky vegans weren't you

[Stevo985]

7 minutes ago, bickster said:

Throw it in the bin. I'm being serious, really don't like the stuff, I'd rather eat just vegetables

Cheers for this valuable information

[bickster]

1 minute ago, Stevo985 said:

Cheers for this valuable information

it is valuable information. It tastes bland, isn't easy to cook and its texture is a bit weird. I gave up with the stuff a long time ago, when I was a veggie. Tried using it quite a few times, never got a succesful result ever. Throw it in the bin.

[Stevo985]

1 hour ago, bickster said:

it is valuable information. It tastes bland, isn't easy to cook and its texture is a bit weird. I gave up with the stuff a long time ago, when I was a veggie. Tried using it quite a few times, never got a succesful result ever. Throw it in the bin.

Its delicious when cooked right

[peterms]

3 hours ago, bickster said:

You were just trying to trick the pesky vegans weren't you

Ssshhh.  They might not notice if we keep quiet.

[peterms]

On 04/01/2020 at 21:15, Stevo985 said:

Any tofu tips from anyone on here?

It works well as a minor ingredient in a noodle soup.  It gives another texture, and it absorbs flavours from what it is cooked with, and is reputedly nutritious.

I would use chicken or pork, but you can easily do a veggie version.

First make your stock according to your preference.  It's all about the stock.  I tend to make meat stocks from scratch but use stock powder for veggie stock, which I see as a background flavour rather than a main ingredient, but if I were doing this as a veggie dish I might make a veggie stock from scratch.

Cook the noodles according to the packet instructions, drain, and place in a bowl of cold water until needed.

Make the soup base.  Soften chopped onions and garlic in oil, with carrots and celery if you like.  Add some ground spices, maybe star anise, cumin, coriander, chili, black pepper, sichuan pepper.  Add soy sauce, fish sauce, ketchap manis, and the stock.  Taste for salt and adjust accordingly.  Add whatever veg you want, probably including mushrooms, maybe some seaweed, kale, sliced peppers, a few beansprouts if you have them, but not things that are dense and take ages to cook like chunks of carrot.  Add meat before the veg if you are using it, so that it is fully cooked,  add the cubes of tofu.  Some sliced spring onions and chopped coriander, maybe some thinly sliced red chili, to finish.  Don't let the veg cook for so long that they lose their texture - you need some firm textures alongside the soft tofu and noodles.

Chuck the cooked noodles in a bowl of boiling water to reheat for a minute or so, drain and place in preheated bowls, ladle over the soup, and there you go.  Pretty filling stuff.

You could make extra of the soup base, and freeze it in portions, so that you can throw together a soup like this in half the time.

Would also work as something to take to work for lunch,  if you have access to reheating facilities.

[Wainy316]

Had my first beyond burger tonight.  By far the best beef burger imitation I’ve ever had. 

[bickster]

Quote

The Decade Lettuce Tried To Kill Us

Our love affair with salad in the 2010s got a lot of people sick. Maybe it’s time to end our relationship with lettuce as we know it.

 

...

 

2010s total: More than 1,010 people sickened, including 6 deaths.

At the end of the 2010s, we found ourselves in the absurd situation of trying so hard to be healthy that we’re gorging on lettuce and other greens that might have been grown using water contaminated with animal feces from giant livestock feedlots — because we also love to eat unthinkable amounts of meat.

And at least some percentage of this is totally avoidable if you actually just cook the damn veggies, which kills off bacteria and other pathogens. You can grill it, stir-fry it, or put it in soup, for example (I recommend stir-fried — here’s a recipe). But raw food has been all the rage, and salad by nature isn’t cooked, so the only way to avoid getting sick from lettuce may be to break up with salad in the 2020s.

Told you it was evil

[Stevo985]

Predictably a load of outrage over the Golden Globes serving a vegan meal to everyone

[bannedfromHandV]

2 hours ago, Stevo985 said:

Predictably a load of outrage over the Golden Globes serving a vegan meal to everyone

Obviously been done just to make a point though and to join the bandwagon.

As with anything, equality lies in balance, surely it would just make more sense to offer two options, one meat and one veg.

[Stevo985]

16 minutes ago, bannedfromHandV said:

Obviously been done just to make a point though and to join the bandwagon.

Potentially. Not sure that's a bad thing, but I do see the hypocrisy in that kind of clientele preaching climate change when they're jetting off around the world all the time on private jets.

But using such a high profile stage for these things is important.

17 minutes ago, bannedfromHandV said:

As with anything, equality lies in balance, surely it would just make more sense to offer two options, one meat and one veg.

Surely it makes more sense just to eat what you're given. Why must a free, gourmet meal at an awards ceremony contain meat?

[bobzy]

3 hours ago, Stevo985 said:

Predictably a load of outrage over the Golden Globes serving a vegan meal to everyone

Likewise over Burger King having a plant-based burger that isn't actually vegetarian or vegan.  I quite enjoyed that.

[Stevo985]

28 minutes ago, bobzy said:

Likewise over Burger King having a plant-based burger that isn't actually vegetarian or vegan.  I quite enjoyed that.

I'm not sure that's outrage, just bewilderment. 

The points seem to be they're using a plant based burger and then not making the whole thing plant based. is a bit weird when it would be so easy to do.

And then cooking it on the same grill as they cook meat on seems like another own goal. a LOT of veggies/vegans wouldn't accept that.