& CURD YOUR ENTHUSIASM

A recipe for those of you still not convinced of tofu’s awesomeness.

Tofu: Let’s start our exploration of this wildly popular and healthful food with a disclosure.

Prior to this assignment, my sole experience with the food was a tofu burger in the 1970s. I hated it — a bland, gummy concoction I’d like to forget but can’t.

I tried the soy-based food again recently by stir-frying firm, marinated tofu with vegetables and topping the dish with cashews. My reaction this time was … well, let’s first talk about tofu itself:

Tofu, an ancient Chinese creation, is soybean curd formed into blocks. High in protein, iron and other nutrients and low in fat, it’s become all the rage among vegans, vegetarians and those looking to reduce meat consumption.

Health Canada says 150 grams of tofu equals one serving of meat, and it’s included in the Canada Food Guide’s recommended meat alternatives.

Tofu is cheap — around $1.50 for 450 grams at the grocery store — and adaptable: it can be grilled, fried, chucked into soups, added to salads, used in desserts, whatever. It also works in both sweet and savoury dishes.

“It’s great because it takes on flavours really well and it can be a ‘hidden’ source of protein,” says Kyle MortimerProulx, executive chef at ZenKitchen, a popular vegan restaurant in Ottawa.

He uses marinades and sauces with tofu. One of his favourites is a cheese-replacement recipe for ricotta-style pasta that uses soft tofu flavoured with salt, olive oil and lemon juice and zest. Others add it to chicken, beef and other non-vegetarian dishes.

Ben Baird, owner of Ottawa’s The Urban Pear in the Glebe and a committed carnivore, isn’t sold. The restaurant has offered a tofu-based dip and a grilled salad topping, but Baird says it’s a lot of work to make tofu tasty. “Why not just start with something that tastes good already?” he asks.

Tofu should be refrigerated; an opened package will keep for three or four days. It can be frozen, although soft varieties contain a lot of moisture and will be mushy when thawed — use it for shakes and slurpees, advises one producer.

Studies reported in Scientific American say that overconsumption of soy could reduce sperm count in men, cause fertility problems in women and negatively affect the reproductive tract of infants. Other studies contradict those findings and some show eating soy may reduce the risk of breast and other cancers.

So back to that stir-fry ... I tried to like it. Really, I did. I even washed it down with a decent Sauvignon Blanc. Alas, eating tofu still feels like chewing on a soggy ping-pong ball.