Tofu scramble for breakfast

Stealing from a breakfast item at Black Eyed Susan's restaurant in Nantucket....I picked up a package of tofu the other day in Tokyo. This morning after working out at the gym I diced it up, sauteed in a tiny bit of EVOO, a dash of citrus flavored soy sauce, chopped cilantro, shot of chili paste and some ground pepper to finish.

REALLY REALLY GOOD!

Did you use a silken or firm tofu?

I think that there's a real affinity between tofu and egg; I may try something like this but combining both.

I'm not a tofu expert and the label was all kanji - but I would say firm. It held it's shape perfectly while cutting into pieces and also while scrambling...consistency was like a firm custard and you could have had a shot at handling it with a chopstick. Other times i have had it and if you touch it with chopsticks it just falls apart.

My thoughts were it is very much like egg - a blank canvas. You really could have thrown anything at this...chopped peppers, onions etc but I have to say the citrus soy/cilantro/chili paste was nice. I love cilantro but obviously that sentiment is not universal

I'm all for cilantro!

There's something about this which seems to be saying "shiso" to me. Is that what flavoring you had in the soy sauce?

Did you use a silken or firm tofu?

I think that there's a real affinity between tofu and egg; I may try something like this but combining both.

When all is said and done (and, yes, I realize a lot more is said than done) this may be our one point of serious disagreement.

I am pretty sure that tofu has more to do with the serendipitous nature of birth than culinary preference.

I have noticed, with the singular exception of Japanese men (who are stuck,) a decided preference on the part of those who are concave in the nether regions as opposed to those who display convexity, for this processed food substance known to all as tofu.

I find it a pallid substitute for real forms of protein, but probably a necessary adjunct to the diets of vegetarians.

I'm all for cilantro!

There's something about this which seems to be saying "shiso" to me. Is that what flavoring you had in the soy sauce?

The sauce I was using was called ponzu shoyu - or short hand referred to as ponzu. Ponzu technically is thin stock of mirin and seaweed reduction and then the juice of local Japanese citrus fruits (or lemons) are added. This very tart sauce is often added to soy sauce and it gives a very interesting twist on soy - some of the saltiness is muted and the lemon flavor comes out....not sure if you can get it in the US but my guess is yes

Ponzu is what I meant, not shiso. Sorry.

Chef, trust me, concave I ain't.

Here is where my wife and I part company. She can't stand tofu. I enjoy it.

I spent a lot of time in Hawaii when I was young and gained an appreciation for all sort of foods (you get so many influences there) including tofu.

In fact there are forms I'd like to be able to get here, but haven't seen - I used to use aburage pockets like pita bread - they made great covers for fast 'sandwiches' - diced raw tuna with dill pickle etc.. Non traditional, but the flavours worked, at least for a teenager (me).

[Robin Garr]

I have noticed, with the singular exception of Japanese men (who are stuck,) a decided preference on the part of those who are concave in the nether regions as opposed to those who display convexity, for this processed food substance known to all as tofu.

I find it a pallid substitute for real forms of protein, but probably a necessary adjunct to the diets of vegetarians.

I'm neither Japanese nor particularly concave, but I like tofu. Certainly not as a meat substitute but as a compeletly different food. I thought John F expressed it perfectly in his "blank canvas" post. A lot depends on how you showcase the stuff, but it is possible to do really delicious things with it.

That being said, I almost invariably use it in Asian applications. I've never particularly enjoyed the hippie-food variations that use it as a meat substitute in Western dishes.

I have noticed, with the singular exception of Japanese men (who are stuck,) a decided preference on the part of those who are concave in the nether regions as opposed to those who display convexity, for this processed food substance known to all as tofu.

I find it a pallid substitute for real forms of protein, but probably a necessary adjunct to the diets of vegetarians.

I'm neither Japanese nor particularly concave, but I like tofu. Certainly not as a meat substitute but as a compeletly different food. I thought John F expressed it perfectly in his "blank canvas" post. A lot depends on how you showcase the stuff, but it is possible to do really delicious things with it.

That being said, I almost invariably use it in Asian applications. I've never particularly enjoyed the hippie-food variations that use it as a meat substitute in Western dishes.

Took me a while to find this. It's been a few years since I read it.

I am sure there is more modern research available now.

http://www.mercola.com/article/soy/avoid_soy.htm

http://www.mercola.com/article/soy/avoid_soy.htm

I'm not big on tofu because it is amorphously shwobbly and wobbly, but this article at least gives me some reasons for my innate sense of to-re-fu-sal.

Actually, I've seen quite a bit of anti-soy science and it's not all funded by the meat packing industry.

P.S. I am radically convex ... both front and back!