“Daddy, I want tofu.”
You don’t hear that everyday. At least I don’t.
5 year old Vi had seen the tofu in the fridge. It was morning. They’d eaten cereal, a waffle, a smoothie. Why not tofu. I just had to make it breakast-ish. Here’s what I came up with, and it was crispy, homey, buttery. A bizarrely satisfying twist on the usual.
several slices firm tofu, patted dry with a paper towel
2 tablespoons butter
a bit of flour for dusting
maple syrup
I sliced the tofu, then dredged in flour. I heated the butter in a nonstick skillet. I browned the tofu in the pan until crisp, about 8 minutes a side. I served it with maple syrup.
And that’s that. I honestly didn’t expect it to be good, but the buttery crispy outside, the tender interior, the maple syrup. Good stuff. Does anyone out there have any un-bland, kid-friendly uses of tofu in your household you care to share?
—Hugh
How creative! This is something my kids would probably like, given their love for tofu AND maple syrup.
I do have some tofu recipes here, most of which are kid-friendly (at least in this household) –
http://www.noodlesandrice.com/category/tofu/
My kids’ favorite is “Two Sides Yellow” followed by the Vietnamese one, then the “4-ingredient lunch #2″.
This sounds like it would be great stuffed with berries (like stuffed french toast). It would add an extra kick of healthy flavour.
We may give that a go. My girls love tofu, usually just plain, diced up for lunch. Martha stewart has a recipe for tofu french fries. Here is a link to an adapted recipe.
http://kitchenspace.blogspot.com/2006/07/two-baked-recipes-it-is-summer-here.html
My daughter likes her tofu straight up: cold, cut into shapes, sprinkled with a bit of salt. My son prefers it pretty minimal but warm: dust with Wondra flour, into oil for a bit of crisping up, a quick sprinkle with salt and then (I’m very, very sorry about this) ketchup. My husband and I part company with the little guy prior to the ketchup step. Yuzu juice and soy sauce, sometimes mixed with scallions or a bit of chili oil make the dipping sauce for us.
Tofu is my daughters’ favorite food, but she calls this dish “Fluho.”
Cube firm, fresh tofu and pan fry in sesame oil. Toss with garlic/black bean sauce (purchased in a jar from the regular market), veggies (frozen green beans are a hit) and cooked ramen noodles. The girls love this dish.
I also eat silk light tofu raw with maple syrup. Because of the very light texture of the silk light tofu, it’s like a creme caramel.