Tofu? A word we often hear when talking about vegetarian cuisine, but it's often associated with an elastic, tasteless white paste. But what exactly is tofu? How is it used, and what are its benefits?

Tofu, a soy derivative

Tofu, made from seeds soyis a food that has been used for centuries in Asian cuisine, and for some years now in Europe, mainly as a meat substitute in vegetarian diets.

Its production process is quite similar to that of certain cheeses, such as ricotta. It is made from heated, curdled soymilk, itself extracted from crushed, boiled soybeans. A salty or acidic mineral coagulant is added, and the liquid separates into curds and whey. The curds are then compressed into a block. The longer the compression, the firmer the tofu .

Its basic taste is rather bland, but its porous texture means that it takes on the flavor of the foods that accompany it, which is a great asset in terms of recipe diversity.  

Quels sont ses bienfaits pour notre santé ?

In addition to its high complete protein content, which makes it an ideal ally for vegetarian diets, tofu is easy to digest and very interesting from a nutritional point of view. It is low in fat, mainly unsaturated, low in calories and rich in calcium and iron. It is rich in soy lecithins, which are essential for nerve and brain function, and help reduce bad cholesterol .

Tofu also contains saponins, which help fight cell aging, isoflavones, which have an impact on female hormone balance, and flavonoids, which neutralize the action of free radicals.

How do you choose and use it?

Tofu is fairly easy to find in supermarkets and organic stores.

However, it comes in a variety of forms, with different tastes and uses.

Firm tofu has a solid, firm appearance and can be used diced, crumbled, marinated, grilled, etc. It's important to drain it well and dry it with absorbent paper. You can add it as is to pasta dishes, rice dishes, vegetable woks, or even salads, soups or sandwiches. However, if its rather bland taste doesn't suit you, I recommend marinating it for at least an hour in soy sauce with fresh herbs and spices.

Extra-firm" tofu, on the other hand, is best used to replace ground meat in your recipes.

Silken tofu, with its creamy, softer texture, will be used in dessert recipes, dressings, smoothies, etc. It can replace eggs, butter, crème fraîche or yoghurt in your sweet or savoury recipes. Remember that 100 grams of silken tofu replaces one egg, 100 grams of soft butter, 100 grams of crème fraîche or 100 grams of yoghurt.

Recipes

Vegetable pâté

Ingredients:

• 250 gr de tofu ferme
• 125gr carrots
• 125gr leeks
• 15 g soaked pine nuts or cashew nuts
• 3.5 tablespoons olive oil
• 3.5 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon vegetable bouillon powder (optional)
• 5 tablespoons water

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 180°C.

Steam or cook the chopped vegetables in olive oil until tender (you can add spices such as cumin, mustard seeds or other spices to taste).

Place all ingredients (tofu, oil, soy sauce, pine nuts and water) in a food processor and blend until smooth.

Then add the cooked vegetables, either directly into the food processor for a fine structure, or into a bowl with a fork to obtain a rougher, lumpier structure.

Transfer the mixture to an oiled baking tin and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the surface is golden brown.

Vegetarian steaks

Ingredients for a dozen vegetarian steaks (you can freeze some!):

Olive oil

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (400g)

1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed (400g)

1 sweet or red onion

1 green bell pepper

1 carrot

3 garlic cloves

1 small can corn, drained

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup breadcrumbs

120g silken tofu (or 1 egg)

(à noter : 1 tasse = 240ml)

Herbs and spices

1 teaspoon of persil (or coriander)

1 tsp sage

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp garam massala spices (no chili)

1 càc de paprika

1 tsp sweet pepper powder

Salt and pepper

Preparation:

Blend the chickpeas and beans: be careful not to overblend, or you'll end up with a purée!

Set aside in a large bowl.

Wash, peel and finely chop the onion, bell pepper, carrot and garlic.

In a frying pan, sauté the garlic and onion with a tablespoon of olive oil for 1 or 2 minutes over medium heat, then add the other vegetables.

Leave on the heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are cooked.

Once cooked, let the vegetables cool to room temperature.

To the bowl of mixed beans and chickpeas: add herbs and spices, cooked vegetables, salt and pepper, breadcrumbs, rolled oats and silken tofu.

Mix well with your hands! The mixture must be uniform...

Scoop out balls of dough and shape into patties (approx. 1cm thick) using a small pastry ring (max. 10cm diameter) to size them identically, or directly with your hands.

Steak cooking :

In a hot frying pan, pour olive oil (one tablespoon of oil per steak). When the oil begins to crackle, pour the steaks into the frying pan: leave to cook for several minutes, without touching them (at the risk of breaking the patties), until the side facing the pan becomes crispy and golden-brown.

Gently turn the cake over and cook the other side in the same way.