Conversation

Notices

1. Embed this notice
   Ben :bc: (thebreadmonkey@beige.party)'s status on Friday, 17-Nov-2023 08:27:30 JST Ben :bc:

   Tofu bolognese is a go. I'm sure I've made tofu chilli before (mixed results, but mostly positive with some learning) but not bolognese. I baked the crumbled tofu for quite a bit longer and mixed in a beef-flavour stock cube along with garlic and onion powder, smoked paprika, dark soy and some sugar. I've then proceeded to probably completely undo the drying process by using it just like other meat replacement and deciding to cook it down in the marinara - almost certainly totally rehydrating it and washing the spices off into the sauce. Who knows. We're into undiscovered territory here. I am a bolognese pioneer. A wild prospector with one of them hats and a donkey. Sorry. I've just realised how boring this post is. In many ways it is but a journal of my life. And my life is, unfortunately, boring as shit. X

   • Embed this notice
     Brendan Jones (brendanjones@fosstodon.org)'s status on Friday, 17-Nov-2023 08:27:27 JST Brendan Jones

     in reply to

     • ArtBear

     @TheBreadmonkey @ArtBear If your tofu was granular, I’ve got a tip for you: grate your tofu. It makes a better texture than crumbling the tofu.

   • Embed this notice
     ArtBear (artbear@mastodonapp.uk)'s status on Friday, 17-Nov-2023 08:27:29 JST ArtBear

     in reply to

     @TheBreadmonkey have you tried red lentil Bolognese?
     Like 5 parts red lentil 1 part oats?
     Dry fry onions n spices, add red lentils n oats with stock, soy sauce. Let them soak up all the tasty liquid, then add tinned tomato and let them soak up that too.

   • Embed this notice
     Ben :bc: (thebreadmonkey@beige.party)'s status on Friday, 17-Nov-2023 08:27:29 JST Ben :bc:

     in reply to

     • ArtBear

     @ArtBear

     That sounds like someone who knows what they're doing! Essentially that's sort of what I did. The issue with red lentils is that I find they break down too much (because I'm not diligent enough to stop cooking at the right time, probably) and I'm always looking for that bit of 'chew'. Hadn't thought of oats, though funnily enough I did use an oat milk towards the end as a thickener and to further bring it all together. But although the tofu worked (after quite a lot of baking) I found the end product a little 'granular' so added some tinned green lentils that simultaneously seem to be a bit hardier and bulk it whilst also blurring the lines a bit. It turned out quite well I thought, although the test will be how well it holds until tomorrow. Taste was good. Texture was good. My immediate family liked it. But although I'd probably get away with it in a lasagne, I'm not sure if I served it to meat eaters they'd love it.

   • Embed this notice
     Brendan Jones (brendanjones@fosstodon.org)'s status on Friday, 17-Nov-2023 16:22:04 JST Brendan Jones

     in reply to

     • ArtBear

     @TheBreadmonkey @ArtBear If I’m doing something like a chili then I’d probably grate the tofu and fry it up a little to brown it, then add to the mix maybe 15 min from the end so it has time to soak up some flavour without disintegrating itself.

     Lentils I dunno without seeing the dish in person, really depends what you’re going for. You can always try cooking them longer once and see where that leads you!

   • Embed this notice
     Ben :bc: (thebreadmonkey@beige.party)'s status on Friday, 17-Nov-2023 16:22:05 JST Ben :bc:

     in reply to

     • Brendan Jones
     • ArtBear

     @Brendanjones @ArtBear

     I did that last time (chilli) and I think the same issue would occur - that it wouldn't naturally break down beyond its core consistency (ie like protein strands). Although I can't be sure. Also - the baking gives it a singularity that doesn't allow it to blend into its surrounding sauce. But again - this is only really the first time I tried it. I found the lentils blurred the lines a bit. I'm prepared to experiment though. Do you think a longer cooking time might work? But if I do this, I worry that the initial dehydration (ie. to make it chewy like protein) won't work. What are your thoughts?