My First Tofu

Hey again guys.

Sorry about last week. I failed my project last week pretty bad and just wasn't in the mindset to really talk about it and not get mad at myself all over again, so we'll just forget about that one and start new this week. I think it also makes the blog's missed posts a round month's worth, so I just might start doing two a week, for a few weeks, this week.

Putting all of that aside, there's one protein source I've shied pretty far away from out of sheer intimidation...and that's tofu. I've also only had it a handful of times, so I was very hesitant to take on something I had no real referencial foundation for.

Upon my asking, Japanese friend of mine told me a few times that one of his favorite ways was to just fry it up with a bit of soy sauce in a skillet. I'd always heard stories of how there's more to it than that though, so instead of taking his word for it, I went searching the internet (when do I not?)

I found an article on About.com that told me this long process of draining the tofu, wrapping it in paper towels and a dishcloth and then leaving it under a skillet to flatten it and squish out some more liquid, though I can't for the life of me find it right now.

I then sliced it up and left it to marinate for about 30 minutes in a mixture of soy sauce and ginger dressing.

(I wish some of the next few pictures looked more appetizing than they do)

Finally, I cooked each piece for 5 minutes on each side, as the site said (I don't know what done tofu looks like, so I didn't argue), and then left it to dry on a rack for 5ish minutes. 

Served with broccoli and an assortment of black rice, white rice, and quinoa, it turned out to be a pretty satisfying meal. Even my 12-year-old sister-in-law loved it, so that's definitely a plus. 

When I told my Chinese friend, who's mother is a fantastic chef/owns a restaurant, about all of the drying and what not, she gave me a pretty strange look, so I'm thinking I can do without some of this next time, now that I've done it at least once. So, here's to then! I can't wait.