Review: Extra Firm Tofu

 I took the photos off the camera Nora uses today. There were a number of interesting ones (and one disturbing one in which I look like a real-life giant). I've noticed that Nora has a self-portrait series featuring her feet:

Meanwhile, I decided to try giving cooking with tofu a try. I have never liked tofu and usually when I order a dish at a Thai restaurant (the kind you can get with chicken, pork, shrimp, beef, or tofu), I'll order it with tofu and then ask them to hold the tofu. I've only cooked with tofu once or twice in my life and thought it was gross.

I decided to give it another chance in the form of spicy basil tofu. This looked like a simple dish featuring everything I like (except the actual tofu): basil, bell peppers, red chili peppers, garlic. I chose extra-firm tofu and really squeezed the heck out of it onto the paper towels to get out as much moisture as possible. Then I squeezed it some more, and then some more. I cut it before squeezing it to maximize the moisture removal. 

Then when it was time to stir-fry the tofu I fried it in a tablespoon of peanut oil with the chilis and garlic on very high heat. I let it sear the tofu on both sides and get a little brown, which really firmed it up. Add in some bell peppers and some summer peas (my addition), basil, and a light sauce and it actually turned out to be awesome.

Conclusion: Tofu is good if cooked properly in the right kind of dish. I enjoyed this dish a lot, rather than just tolerating it. The peppers and peas were so fresh and crisp - they only need about 2 minutes to become perfect and bright. We threw the tofu dish together with some rice and that and a fruit salad made for a perfect vegan summer meal. Milo liked the tofu as well, eating several pieces. I'll definitely make this again, with just one modification next time: I'll let it sear just a little bit longer to make it even more brown and firm on all sides.