How to Flavor Tofu (the EASY WAY) | Mary's Test Kitchen

This sweet and innocent tofu is lying to your eyes. I mean, it looks plain but it's packed with flavor. Best of all, you can make it simple and easy with store-bought tofu. Hello friends and not-yet-friends. Welcome back to Mary's Test Kitchen where you won't be fed lies about how there's only one best way to make tofu taste amazing. There are so many ways depending on your taste mood and this is one of the very easiest and simplest. Start with tofu packed in water. Forget the internet advice telling you to press it into submission. We're not here to punish it. We're here to pamper it. Lovingly cut your block or blocks into the bite-sized pieces you want in your final dish or dishes. It could be cubes, it could be slabs, a combination. Whatever shape your mouth desires. Transfer to a pot and cover it with just enough water to submerge all the pieces fully. If you have some aromatic odds and ends languishing in the fridge, now is their time to shine. Today I have some leftover celery to add. These are the inner parts which are two fibres to enjoy on their own as well as the leafy bits. Now in with onion. Today I have about half a cup. Amounts don't really matter when you're using up kitchen scraps. It's all about doing the flavour math in your head at first and then later tasting and adjusting. Next, the ultimate flavour enhancer, plain salt. The thing is, you have to add enough. How much? We don't know yet. Just go with it. Then a glug of apple cider vinegar. And lastly, mushroom seasoning. If you're new to it, it tastes like the soup packets from a bag of instant noodles but without any particular spices or herbs. And also it's made from mushrooms. But it doesn't really taste mushroomy. Just savoury. Finally, let's get the heat on. If you had carrot ends, tomato, corn or corn cobs, they would also be good things to add. Anything to add a hint of sweetness and layer on the stack of umami, sour and salt happening in this pot. Adjust the heat for a gentle simmer. The heat is what draws the flavours out from the veggies into the broth in a reasonable amount of time. And that broth is seeping into the tofu. I think of the little collection of broth molecules bumping each other in there and then the plain water already in the tofu is getting bumped out, replaced by the broth, so then the tofu becomes flavourful all the way through inside. Now that the salt and mushroom seasoning has had a chance to dissolve, give the broth a taste. If it tastes nice and pleasant enough for a soup, you don't have enough flavour. So taste and adjust until it basically punches you in the taste buds. Then lower the heat to maintain a gentle simmer underneath the cracked open lid. While we wait for the flavoured broth to bump out the plain tofu water out of the tofu, I have time to do a little vegetable prep. About 30 minutes later, give or take, let's check on the goods. You can't tell by looking so you'll have to taste. My friends, our once plain-jane tofu has glowed up into flavour-packed pillows of joy! They are so cute and plump now. But as they sit here, our flavoured tofu will shrink as the steam escapes, further concentrating the flavour and developing a tender but kinda meaty texture. Let me tell you, they're so good. I can eat them plain. But I restrain myself as I divide them up into containers. I don't always meal prep but when I do, it's gotta be flavourful. But also kinda neutral so I can add whatever sauce, fresh herbs or spices I feel like when it's actually time to eat. And this plain and innocent looking tofu is one of my favourite plant-based proteins to prep. They will last in the fridge for 4-5 days so prep as much or as little as you like. I hope you'll give this technique a try if it's new to you. You're gonna be blown away by the flavour. Looks are so deceiving. Thank you so much for watching, my friends. Please give this video a thumbs up if you liked it and subscribe if you haven't already for more plant-based protein adventures, soy and non-soy as well. As for me, I'm working on a peanutty project so I better get back to it. Bye for now!