How to Press Tofu Guide & Braised Aubergine (Eggplant) and Tofu with Udon Noodles

I remember my first attempt at cooking tofu back in the early 90s. I was loving the tofu dishes at my local Chinese restaurant and thought I’d have a try at recreating them at home. Sadly, it was a complete and utter fail!

Back then, I couldn’t Google ‘how to cook tofu’ (it hadn’t been invented!) My mum’s kind neighbour came to my rescue though and told me that I’d missed out one crucial step – pressing the water out of the tofu. Since then, we’ve been happily cooking (and devouring!) all manner of tofu dishes at home 🙂

Braised Aubergine (Eggplant) & Pan-Fried Tofu

Over the years, I’ve tried various techniques for pressing tofu. I started out wrapping the tofu in kitchen paper, but wasn’t keen on the waste it generated. I then tried wrapping the tofu in tea towels, but wasn’t happy leaving soggy towels in the laundry. I finally worked out that you don’t need to use paper or towels… you can simply press it between two chopping boards, and catch the water in a tray. It’s so easy, and requires very little effort at all!

Here’s my quick ‘How to Press’ Tofu Guide:

First off, you need to make sure you buy the right kind of tofu. You want the firm or extra firm tofu found in  the chiller cabinets (and not the silken tofu found in tetra paks on the shelves). The most common brand we see in our UK supermarkets is Cauldron Foods.

Cauldrons Tofu

Split the pack open along one edge and drain off the water. Your block of tofu will look something like this:

How to Press Tofu

The block’s quite thick, so I tend to slice it in half.

How to Press Tofu

Arrange the tofu on a chopping board and place it on a tea tray or rimmed baking sheet. Place another chopping board on top of the tofu, followed by a heavy object to weigh it down. (* Update June 2015 – you can place the tofu straight on the tea tray/rimmed baking sheet; no need to place a chopping board underneath!)

How to Press Tofu

The longer you press the tofu for, the firmer it will become. Ten minutes is a minimum; I tend to leave mine for 30 minutes to an hour.

The water will have collected in a pool round the tofu, so drain it off, then you’re good to go!

Sometimes I marinade the tofu in a mix of soy sauce, maple syrup, ginger and garlic then bake it. I find that baked tofu has a firmer, chewier texture to pan-fried tofu.

Baked Tofu

However, for stir-fry dishes that already have a flavourful sauce, I tend to skip the marinading and pan fry the tofu in a little soy sauce and oil. This gives the tofu a lovely, crispy exterior with a softer centre.

In this post, I thought I’d share one of Lil’ L’s favourite stir fries that uses pan-fried tofu. He’s been eating it since he was about five and he still loves it to this day. This dish is rich in calcium thanks to the pak choy and tofu.

(By the way, it you’re struggling to get your kids to eat their greens, I highly recommend pak choy as it all but disappears when cooked 😉 )

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Serves 4
Preparation: 30 minutes pressing time for the tofu
Hands on time: 30 minutes  Cooking time: 20 minutes  Ready in: 1 hour

Ingredients
1 TBSP rapeseed (canola) oil
1 block extra firm tofu (approx. 350g / 9oz), drained, pressed and cubed
1 large aubergine (egg plant), peeled and cut into bite-size slices ½ cm / ¼ inch thick
1 red onion, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, crushed
5cm / 2 inch piece of root ginger, peeled and finely grated (use half the amount for small children)
2 TBSP reduced-salt soy sauce (or tamari sauce for a GF option)
1-2 tsp unrefined sugar
1 TBSP rice vinegar
240 ml / 8 fl oz / 1 cup vegetable stock
1 tsp chilli sauce
125g / 4½ oz / 1½ cups chestnut mushrooms, sliced
170g / 6 oz / 2 packed cups pak choi, shredded
250g / 9 oz brown rice udon noodles (n.b. udon noodles contain wheat, so use brown rice or buckwheat noodles for a GF option)

Method
Get prepared:
Chop all the veggies
Prepare the vegetable stock
Prepare a large pan of boiling water

Ready, set, go!
Heat 1 TBSP oil in a large, deep non-stick frying pan (skillet) on a medium-high heat and fry the tofu for about 7-9 minutes, until it’s golden brown on all sides (I use a slotted turner to flip the cubes over). Remove the tofu from the pan and set to one side.

Add the aubergine to the pan and stir-fry until it releases some of its liquid. Add the onion, garlic, ginger and soy sauce, and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add the sugar, vinegar, vegetable stock, chilli sauce, mushrooms, pak choi, and cooked tofu. Gently simmer for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, add the noodles to a pan of boiling water and cook as per the instructions on the packet. When al denté, drain, rinse in cold water and add to the wok. Stir through so that the noodles are coated in sauce.

Divide the noodles between the bowls and spoon the aubergine and tofu mixture on top. Serve immediately.

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[This recipe has been submitted to Ricki Heller’s Wellness Weekend]

Braised Aubergine (Eggplant) & Pan-Fried Tofu

If you’re rather buy ready-cooked tofu, there are some great options available in the shops. We love the Cauldon Foods Organic Marinated Tofu Pieces and I tend to keep a box or two in the fridge/freezer for quick prep meals and to stuff into pittas & wraps for lunchboxes. Their new Organic Smoked Tofu is really tasty too. It makes a great addition to our Malaysian Coconut Noodle Soup (Laksa). Another recipe I definitely need to share with you!

Just before I go, I know soya has received some bad press lately so, if you’re concerned, or would simply like to find out more about soya and its health properties, I highly recommend Viva! Health‘s ‘The Soya Story’, which can be downloaded for FREE from here. This guide is packed with useful information, as well as some great recipes!

Do you cook tofu at home? If so, what’s your favourite dish? If you’ve got any great recipes, please do link up below xx

 

9 thoughts on “How to Press Tofu Guide & Braised Aubergine (Eggplant) and Tofu with Udon Noodles

    1. When I speak to friends/family about tofu, I often see a look of terror on their faces and they tell me they wouldn’t have a clue what to do with it. I’m hoping this little guide will take the fear out tofu & encourage them to give it a try 😉

    1. It could be that your tofu is firm enough to not need pressing. Most of the plain tofu we get here in the UK is in water and, if you don’t press it, it stays really soft and wobbly.
      In France, the only tofu I could buy in the supermarkets was UHT, vacuum packed and on the dried good shelves. That was totally different to the UK tofu. Super chewy but with no flavour! It’s funny how much tofu differs from one country to another!

      1. Yes that makes sense. We have many different varieties here and I could def see the need to press some varieties and others seem to not need it at all!

  1. This looks like a lovely dish Sharon. I do love those slurpy noodles 🙂
    I’ll have to try your tray technique as I still use tea towels but hate just using them once then having to put them in the wash.

    1. Thanks Emma ♥
      Yes, try the tray technique and let me know whether it works out for you. It feel so much better to do without the paper and tea towels 😉

  2. I love braised tofu and augberine, they both work together! Noodles are my thing, too! I grew up eating several tofu dishes, from stinky tofu to soft tofu pudding. Stinky tofu was my favorite dish back in the days, but they aren’t vegan anymore b/c they are coated in “blah blah” brine. I hope one day, I can veganise stinky tofu, it will be a hard one, I just have to find something pungent to start with, hehe! Have you heard of TofuXpress – I’ve been using it often when I got it and it saves time and of course, cleaner! I always press my tofu for everything else except for silken tofu used in sauces, appetizers or desserts.

  3. I would love a TofuXpress but I just can’t justify spending the $51 it would cost to buy one & get it shipped here :/
    “Stinky tofu”??? I have never heard of such a thing! It’s not a very appetising name is it? I’m totally intrigued though and I’m going to have to check it out on Google. You should definitely try and veganise it. If anyone can do it, it’ll be you! xx

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