Like death and taxes, it’s a generally accepted truth that tofu is bland. Tofu is considered a flavorless block of protein, providing texture and nutrition for vegetarians, hippies, and trendy hipsters. Rarely is tofu considered an ingredient on its own. Most often it’s a substitute for the animal-derived foods it replaces, such as chicken, beef, and pork. An unfair analogy, if you think about it. Why do we compare the flavor and texture of a bean-based food to those of an animal food? We don’t equate black-eyed peas with chicken, hummus with steak, Boston baked beans with pork chops. Tofu is a food in its own right, we ought to treat it as such. And–don’t laugh–I’ve always been convinced that tofu has a distinct flavor of its own, if a very subtle one.
Today I tested my hypothesis. Despite my natural proclivity to spend Saturday morning lazing around the house, I finally managed to get to the Berkeley Farmer’s market. (As soon as the sun shows its face, the good citizens of the Bay Area have no choice but to immediately engage in all forms of outdoor activities, before the warm rays disappear behind another unseasonably overcast sky.) I was just in time to buy the last two little blocks of tofu from the Hodo Soy Beanery, a local organic producer of all things soy. Among other things, I also purchased a block of lightly salted Spring Hill Jersey cultured butter (so good, you can pretty much eat it on its own).
Back at home, I decided to prepare the tofu very simply so as to bring out its natural flavor. What could be more honest than sliced tofu cutlets cooked in butter, seasoned with salt and pepper? Almost not a recipe at all, frankly. The result was creamy on the inside with a slightly crisp golden crust, and a pleasant soybean flavor. Quite good. And tasting quite distinctively of tofu.
Not Really a Recipe for Fried Tofu
1 small block of the freshest, yummiest organic tofu you can find, sliced
1-2 TBS butter
salt and pepper to taste
– Fry the tofu in the butter until golden on both sides. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serves 2-3
