first off, i hope you're buying good tofu. i'd recommend hinoichi, pulmuone, and anything locally made (these need to be tested individually, but usually have a richer flavor). you can do tons with tofu. like people have already mentioned, fry/steam/raw with soysauce is good. tossing it in soups and stews are great too. also, you can crush it up and add it to salads/toss with veggies and act like it's cottage cheese
. one of my favorite tofu dishes is mapo tofu. traditional recipe calls for some hard to find ingredients, but the faux one tastes great too.
you'll need:
ground pork and cubed (1/2in) tofu in a 1:1 ratio
oyster sauce (ralphs asian food aisle carries this, lee kum kee brand is best)
ketchup (nice tang and sweet
)
soy sauce
ginger 1Tbl., pulverized
garlic (couple cloves) pulverized
red bell pepper itty bitty dice
half an onion diced
water or chicken broth
vege/canola/grapeseed oil (olive oil if light, virgin and extra virgin will ruin the flavor of overall dish if the oil is good)
1. pan over heat and add oil. toss in onions first, then red bell peppers. wait until the onions sweat and toss in garlic and ginger. careful not to burn the garlic and ginger!
2. toss in pork immediately after garlic and ginger, cook over medium heat until pork is cooked halfway through.
3. add in the tofu, oyster sauce, ketchup, soy sauce (sorry, quantities not available as i haven't cooked in a while... living in college dorm sucks, but do it to taste), and about half a cup to a cup of water or chicken broth
4. stir and let simmer until sauce is of nice consistency- not liquid, but not super thick like melted chocolate. you want a middle ground.
notes: control the saltiness of dish with soy sauce and oyster sauce. if the dish is too satly, try adding a little more ketchup or sugar even. corn starch is great for thickening the sauce up. for spiciness, add some pepper flakes and/or sambal. i THINK i covered everything, but it has been a while since i cooked. dish should be a nice blend of meaty, sweet balanced with salty, and some spicy if you want. ENJOY