Why should you seek out vegetarian chicken, when regular blocks of tofu are so much easier to find? Su ji has the silky tenderness of soft tofu with the density of firm tofu.Like a sponge, it readily absorbs the flavors of your braise and takes on a creamy, custard-like quality. More

Even the most full-fledged carnivore needs to take a break from meat sometimes. To fill the protein void, we turn to tofu, the coagulated soy milk block that often gets a bad rap. But if tofu could talk it would say, hey, I am tasty too! Try me with tomatoes and cilantro, or in the Sichuan dish mapo tofu. Let's hear it for that pale jiggly block. Take the tofu quiz » More

Gado gado is the classic street food salad of bean sprouts and other vegetables coated in a savory-sweet Javanese peanut sauce. Let me just say that I don't think gado gado is a perfect dish. It never looks appetizing, for starters. Gado gado means potpourri, which certainly describes the muddy color of the peanut sauce doused all over an assortment of seemingly random items. It's usually served with shrimp chips on top, but it's the peanut dressing that keeps me coming back. More

My love of frozen tofu began by accident. Stuck with a glut of half-used packages, I threw the tofu into the freezer and promptly forgot about them for weeks. Then, rifling through the fridge one day, I found the blocks tucked away. After tossing them into boiling water, what emerged was some of the most densely-textured tofu I've ever eaten. More

Not all tofu is created equal. Some tofu has a mild, sweet beany flavor and a smooth consistency, while other brands have flavor defects and strange textures. Our Seriously Meatless columnist Michael Natkin took one for the team and tried six brands of firm or extra firm tofu to help you out on your next grocery trip. More

Sometimes certain cuisines just don't lend themselves to obvious pairing. But Sassy Radish attempts a unique fusion with a Southern twist on stir-fry. That kind cooking innovation can lead to surprising and tasty conclusions. That's why when I stumbled across her post for tofu stir-fry with spinach and okra, my creative side started salivating. Tofu is great when cooked right, and the addition of okra makes this usually Asian-themed dish unique. Also, a fun fact about okra, it's actually a fruit that is eaten like a vegetable.... More

For the times you want quick, easy scrambled eggs, minus the eggs: here's a recipe for tofu "scram." Chris Brunn of Gapers Block combines tahini, sesame seeds, soy sauce, lemon, and ripped-up pieces of tofu. He recommends tofu with a firm, solid texture.... More

Just because J. Kenji Alt is one of our burger correspondents on AHT, doesn't mean he's scared of tofu. Over at Goodeater, he argues that tofu shouldn't be a meat substitute, but a delicious addition to meatopia. In fact, he thinks homemade tofu can rival pork belly. As he notes, "you can't make a great burger with bad meat, and you can't make great tofu with bad soy milk." Start with a quart of the best unflavored soy milk you can find and add a couple drops of nigari. He makes a good case for coagulated soy bean juice, considering he's such an adamant carnivore. Related How to Make Old-School Miso Soup Talk: Tofu Throwdown Bacon vs Tofu: Battle... More

You may remember the infamous bacon bra. Well, now there's a vegetarian version (possibly NSFW), which appeared as a wonderfully sleazy bit of marketing at a tofu festival in Shenkeng, Taiwan. I predict a steep decline in the number of men who complain that tofu is "too bland." After the jump, tofu like you've never seen it before (again, possibly NSFW).... More

Tofu hasn't had the best rap sheet—it is continuously lambasted for tasting too bland and for being used to make unpalatable faux meat products. Additionally, while it is often seen as a health food, it has also been attacked for posing certain health risks. The latest risks come from a new study suggesting that high consumption of certain soy products, including tofu, may increase risk of dementia, particularly for people over 65. Researchers say that phytoestrogens—micronutrients in soy products that mimic the function of the estrogen hormone—could be to blame. While phytoestrogens may help protect the brains of younger and middle-aged people, their tendency to promote cell growth may have a negative effect on aging brains. Increased levels of estrogen... More