Super tofu?

Lou

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  1. Vegan
I bought this tofu in the store the other day. Super Firm. High Protein. Sprouted soybeans. 75 grams of protein per pound. More expensive than standard tofu. Also packaged differently. Instead of coming in a tub it was sealed in something like shrink wrap.

I thought, why not. I would give it a try. The first thing I noticed was that when I tried to squeeze the water out of it - not much came out. And it was Super Firm. As opposed to extra firm. Baked it in the oven and it came out great. I think I'm convinced it was worth the extra money. It might even be more economical. You are not paying for water. Has anyone else tried it or know anything about it?

http://www.wildwoodfoods.com/produc...ood-organic-high-protein-tofu-super-firm-16oz
 
I'm skeptical of "super protein" because Americans consume around twice the necessary amount. Westerners are obsessed with protein in an unhelpful way, I weary of arguments about protein and meat.

On the other hand, this could be great for richer dishes. Like making a holiday roast, or when you've been eating a lot of cereal and plain veggies with rice and need to catch up on your calories and protein.

I want to look more into the agricultural aspects of this, how high protein tofu is cultivated and if it's got a component of GMOs, and how sustainable it is.

I know I sound obsessive on this stuff but people are predicting we will lose chocolate, avocado, coffee and quality of tomatoes due to climate change. We as vegans have to set the good example. Even if animal agriculture causes more damage they'll scapegoat us for any vain vegan pursuit.
 
Well, I'm not obsessed with protein. I eat mostly vegetables. and my protein intake is just borderline adequate. Most days I don't go over 50 grams a day.

Anyway, perhaps my title mislead you. the Tofu was Super Firm. I prefer Extra Firm. But I hadn't known there was A super firm. It does have a lot more protein than "normal tofu". But my speculation is that its because you are getting a lot more tofu - this Super Firm tofu had a lot less water.

This particular product was organic and non-GMO. And I don't think the soybeans were any different. I imagine its the same old soybeans this company uses for everything else. They were sprouted so that might make some difference. And it has no additional ingredients.

As I said in my post it was more expensive than extra firm. just now I did some mental math and it's cheaper per gram of protein than extra firm. So it's even a good deal.

I'm still interested to know more about it. So if anyone else has tried it or knows about it, let me know.
 
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I would buy and try this if it was marketed here. For starters, if it's sprouted then they are using the whole soybean in the process and not just a coagulated soy extract, which I have actually seen some tofu as. Sprouting any seed/bean not only increases the protein but the vitamins as well. How much of each depends on the time sprouted. I've found soybeans rather difficult to sprout, I'd be asking their method :p
 
I got the Super Firm Tofu again and had it tonight in a string bean and mushroom stir-fry.

this time I didn't oven bake it first. It went into the wok first with a tbsp of olive oil, a tbsp of soy sauce and 2 tbsp of water. Five minutes later I put in the string beans and then 5 minutes later I put in the mushrooms. So the whole thing took 15 minutes. The tofu came out great. It held its shape the whole time and browned nicely.

I'm going to try marinating it tomorrow. I don't usually marinade my tofu but I think its worth a try with this stuff.

I just googled super firm tofu recipes and got nada.
 
@Lou

I freeze my tofu first. After it thaws, you can press way more water out of it, and it will literally suck up the marinade like a sponge. I love this method, as it really infuses the flavour deep in the tofu.


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I always freeze the tofu I buy too. Tried various methods of squeezing it. never went all the way in and got a tofu press. Nowadays I just use muscle power. I don't think I get all the water out.

I stopped marinating it years ago and go with the oven baked method. But I didn't bother freezing this last package of super tofu. or oven baking it. One of the things I like about this Super Tofu is that there is no water in it. The first package I froze and the defrosted and then squeezed - and almost nothing came out. It's not packed in water. Maybe its "pre-squeezed".

Anyway, I'm hoping/expecting I get good results with the marinade. I'm going to start it this morning. Mushrooms and broccoli tonight.
 
One of the things I like about this Super Tofu is that there is no water in it

I would love to find a product here in Canada like that. The tofu jerky I make takes painstaking efforts to wring out the majority of water. A tofu with very little water to start would be very nice for my needs.

I've been really busy lately, but when I get some time I'm going to look at making my own tofu. I have no idea if it will work for my needs, but it's worth looking into.


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@Veganite

Since my last post, I continued looking for Super Firm Tofu recipes. One thing I'm finding is that there are also some brands that don't pack their extra firm in water. I'm going to keep an eye out for them.