For those of you who are not vegetarians or vegans the thought of tofu is probably scary. You hear all the horror stories about it being bland, slimy and gross. And just like you, I was a bit skeptical trying it for the first time. In today’s story time, I want to talk about my first run in with tofu and how my relationship with it has evolved over the years. Hopefully, I can inspire at least one person, who may be afraid of tofu, to try it at least once and who knows, you may even love it.
I waited for a good solid year before I even considered trying tofu. After awhile I felt like I had to try it, I mean, I am a vegetarian and this is something a vegetarian would eat. I thought maybe I was missing out on something but at the same time, much like brussels sprouts, tofu had a bad rep. People would tell me it lacked textured, it taste like nothing or it was the worst thing they ever tried. A lot of my friends would say they can only eat it in miso soup and I should try it that way first. In true Telisha Fashion however, I decided not to go with the norm and try it in miso soup but to order General Tso tofu from a Chinese food restaurant instead.
By this time, I was in college, full of life and way too excited to try this tofu dish. I would like to point out that I was in Michigan and Michigan, in my opinion, does not have the best Chinese food. I walked back to my dorm, food in hand and I was so ready to open up a new chapter in my culinary journal. My first impression was that it didn’t smell too bad. In my meat eating life, I really enjoyed General Tso chicken, so I was familiar with the sauce. Not going to lie though, it didn’t look that great. I picked up a piece with my fork and it slide right off, I swear I even saw it giggle a little bit as it fell back into the tray. At this point, I am not feeling so great about this but my mama didn’t raise no punk, and I was not going to back out now! Let’s fast forward a little bit and by this time I am face down in a toilet, trying desperately to rid my body of that foreign giggly piece of whatever I just ate. You ever eat something and get angry? I was so over it and just ended up throwing the whole meal away.
Going forward about 6 months later, tofu crossed my mind again. I have always been the kind of person to give things more than one try. I decided not to buy it from a restaurant this time but to actually prepare it at home. When I opened up the package I thought it smelled weird, I almost called it quits again but I decided to keep going. I had found a recipe online for Crispy Fried Tofu. I made it….I tried it…I loved it! At the point I realized that it wasn’t that I didn’t like it the first time, it was that, I did not like how it was prepared.
Over the years, I have made so may tofu recipes. From homemade tofu sausage to my own upgrade and so much better, general tso tofu. The thing to know about tofu is that alone, it is bland but that is my favorite part about it. Think of it as a blank canvas and you, as the artist, has the opportunity to add some much life and flavor to it. When I talk to people about tofu now, I always recommend trying it fried first because it was a game changer for me. I also say, ‘If you don’t like it the first time, try it again.’ Trying new things is always a little nerve racking but think about how much you can miss out on, if you never open your mind (and palate) to something new. I love tofu so much now that I can eat it even without adding anything to it. A complete 180 from my first encounter with it. I encourage you to give it a try and hey, if you don’t like it, you just don’t like it and that is okay too.
I have a ton a tofu recipes that I would love to share with you! I can even make a Tofu 101 post if you guys are interested. Just let me know! In all, never let fear get in the way of you trying something new, every journey begins with a clear mind and an open heart.
-T.L Cannon
TlKitchen 