This Is How to Make Your Tofu Taste Like Minced Meat
Think you don’t like tofu? Great. I’ve got the ultimate way to change that once and for all. With this simple trick, your tofu will taste just like minced meat.
I have to admit that I actually think meat substitutes that try to resemble meat are pretty silly. I eat very little meat myself, but usually just eat vegetables, grains, tempeh or tofu. Delicious, and I’ve never come across a vegetarian steak or burger that I thought came close to the real deal. Until I made this tofu.
Pork tofu
‘How to make your tofu taste like pork’ — I’d had the recipe on my Pinterest for quite a while, but because of my aversion to fake meat, it still took me some time to make it. Until I had some shiitake left over that I needed to use, and it just so happens that this recipe calls for it. I had everything else at home, so the decision was quickly made. That was about a year ago, and I’ve been making the recipe almost every week ever since. Everyone I make it for goes crazy over how delicious it is, and you will too.
Cornstarch
The trick? First, drain firm tofu (just the standard supermarket kind) so as much moisture as possible is removed. Then crumble the tofu with your hands into small pieces, and here comes the key part: coat the crumbled tofu in cornstarch. When you then fry the tofu in sunflower oil, it develops a wonderfully crispy, meaty texture, and the tofu pieces look just like meat. Delicious.
Tacos
The Bon Appetit recipe also includes fried shiitake, which adds a meaty flavor, as well as umami-rich sauces such as soy sauce, fish sauce and sesame oil. Altogether, this makes the tofu taste a little like ground pork. Sounds good, right? In principle, the technique can be used for all kinds of ‘minced meat’. For example, season the tofu with chili, paprika and cumin powder, plus some onion and garlic, for a vegetarian taco filling. Enjoy!
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