Tofu, the great mystery, and revelation.
- Karolina Manns
- Mar 24
- 3 min read
Updated: Apr 5
The other day I was asked if tofu is processed and if it counts as a meat alternative. What a great question!
Let’s start with the first part.
Is tofu considered ‘processed’?
To answer that, I’ll counter with another question: have you ever made it from scratch?
I did!
It’s basically boiled soya beans, ground into a pulp which is then removed, and the rest is congealed with gypsum (a naturally occurring calcium salt) or nigari (a seaweed).
I must admit, it took a bit of time to make it therefore I do resort to buying it as opposed to making tofu these days… Conclusion: it’s no more processed than a home-made soup.
If we’re on the topic of “foreign sounding” foods, let’s quickly talk about tempeh. It’s basically fermented soya beans. Yes, it’s fermented food, just like sauerkraut, so it’s even better for you. And you can make it by using any other beans (I made mine with black turtle beans).
Granted, if you buy tempeh or sauerkraut from a commercial supermarket, it will be usually preserved on top (often steamed to prevent the mould from sporing) but you can get fresh tempeh and fresh sauerkraut from specialised health stores. Or you can make it yourself. :)
So, I think it’s very important that we understand how the food is being made before we jump to any conclusion. And yes, ideally, we’d be eating grapes straight from the grapevine, however, even my ancestors didn’t eat like that.
Most of the food, especially during the colder months, was pickled, boiled, or fermented. Therefore, we must allow a certain amount of ‘processing’ otherwise even my beloved green tea is going to be categorised as ‘processed’.
And yes, you could memorise the NOVA system which categorises foods into four groups based on the type and extent of processing that they undergo, but I won’t bore you with this.
I strongly believe that because we’re so detached from the process of cooking, with a few exceptions obviously, we have no idea how our food lands on our plate.
If you know how to cook most of your dishes from scratch, you can therefore make a better judgment in deciding whether you’d classify something processed or not, and how much processing is reasonable.
So, once again, to answer the first part of the question: I wouldn’t call tofu ‘processed’.
Do you consider tofu a meat substitute?
No, because I do not look to substitute anything for meat, period.
I do not plan my dishes in the old-fashioned way of: meat-potato-veg. I usually eat buffet style with loads of little dishes on one plate, think Buddha Bowl.
I don’t eat thinking of having meat substitutes (for protein) but instead of getting enough amino acids from a variety of plants throughout the day: lentils, beans, tempeh, tofu, seitan, buckwheat, quinoa, nuts & seeds, even broccoli has plenty.
Bonus: WHAT TO DO WITH TOFU
Can’t lie but tofu is one of my favourite foods. It’s very versatile and if you have a bit of imagination, you can whizz anything out of it.
It is not as dense in protein as seitan or tempeh so bear in mind that you’ll need to double the quantity compared to tempeh to get the same amount of protein if this is your only source of amino acids on your plate. To put it into context, if you buy ‘Cauldron’ Authentic Tofu, you’ll need to eat ½ of the pack to get 26g of protein. And for this reason, when I choose to eat tofu, I usually pair it with some other high protein ingredients, like tempeh or seitan (I am for 30g of protein per meal).
So, what can you do with tofu?
Marinate and stir fry
Glaze it (bake in a marinate until crispy on top)
Make Tofu Scramble
Add to cakes (silken tofu, not the firm one) like in this Silken Tofu Chocolate Cake
Slice it into a sandwich
Make plant-based feta
Add to sauces (blended) to thicken them, i.e. into pasta carbonara
Cube, stir fry and add to curries instead of beans or lentils, for a change
Make Eggless Tofu Mayo (potentially bake potato topping or a sandwich filling)
Turn it into a cheesy dip.
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