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26 recipes for lovers of tofu

If you're not convinced about tofu, you've been eating it all wrong.
Spicy silken tofu

Tony Tan's spicy silken tofu

Anson Smart

If you’re not convinced about tofu, you’ve been eating it all wrong. There’s much to love about the pressed soybean curd’s smooth texture and subtle nutty flavour. These tofu recipes traverse the Asian continent, plus some – there’s Japan’s hiyayakko, the Sichuanese classic that is ma po tofu (or, for Sunda’s variation, a lamb ma po tofu), and the crowd favourite, salt-and-pepper tofu. The possibilities are endless.

When it comes to choosing your tofu, the delicate texture of the silken variety is best suited for cold dishes, or gently simmered in broths just before serving. If the recipe calls for silken tofu to be deep-fried, treat it gently. Firm tofu, meanwhile, holds its own in braises. Store any unused tofu in an airtight container filled with water, and use within a couple of days.

Ma po tofu in a white bowl with a green napkin and brass cutlery in the background
Photo: Alicia Taylor

Louis Tikaram’s vegan ma po tofu

Photo: Anson Smart

Black pepper tofu

Cloud-ear salad with tofu and soy beans
Photo: Anson Smart

Cloud-ear salad with tofu and soy beans

Pork and tofu soup
Photo: Ben Dearnley

Pork and tofu soup

Photo: Kristoffer Paulsen

Sunda’s lamb mapo tofu with green beans

Photo: Craig Wall

Drunken corn and ginger stir-fry with silken tofu

Cauliflower, silken tofu and walnut rice bowl
Photo: William Meppem

Cauliflower, silken tofu and walnut rice bowl

Cold silken tofu with peanuts, salted daikon, coriander and black vinegar
Photo: Alicia Taylor

Victor Liong’s cold silken tofu with peanuts, salted daikon, coriander and black vinegar

Ma po tofu jaffles
Photo: Ben Dearnley

Ma po tofu jaffles

Tofu with chilli jam and spring onions

Crumbed tofu with kimchi dressing

Silken tofu in a dashi broth with mushrooms and broccolini

Deep-fried tofu with stir-fried lettuce and bacon

Ma po doufu

Tofu poke bowl with pickled carrot

Cold tofu with vinegar, garlic and soy

Tofu, watermelon and radish salad with nahm jim

Pan-fried pei pa tofu with Chinese sausage and prawns

Eggplant, tofu and sugarsnap peas with ginger and soy dressing

Tofu and mushroom pho with lily buds

Pork, prawn and tofu fritters with salted chilli sauce

Miso broth with spring vegetables and tofu

Hiyayakko

Peanut-butter tofu buns with burnt chilli mayo

Salt-and-pepper tofu with braised eggplant

Spicy silken tofu
Photo: Anson Smart

Tony Tan’s spicy silken tofu

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