Monday, December 1, 2025

Sunday's cooking experiment

Red lentil tofu is the latest experiment. I like crunchy tofu so why not try making it from what I have. 

This version, from Hermann on YouTube, is not exactly like the Chinese tofu, slightly different texture, but I plan to try it in crunchy cubes anyway. 

And here's the red lentils soaking. 


The proportions to cook will be 100gm red lentils, 250ml water. Definitely worth a try.

You blend them, add salt then cook on top of the stove. You need to stir to avoid sticking.


After about ten minutes 


About fifteen minutes total 


It took about fifteen minutes cooking before it was stiff enough, then I transferred it to a glass dish, cooled a bit then fridge. About an hour later: tofu!


This is a lot cheaper than the tofu I've been buying, and I'll see how it works for tofu katsu.

Today's accompaniment to making stuff is another Coles, this one Murder at the Monastery 


In other diy, my patio door lock has been temperamental ever since a large male visitor who didn't know his own strength, went helpfully to lock it. He forced the lever  beyond its tolerance, jamming the mechanism. I had to get a contractor to reopen it.  So, now it locks, and then again, now it doesn't. 

Yesterday it just wouldn't, so I dropped a piece of PVC piping into the channel, enough space to open the door slightly, not enough for anyone to walk in.  Here you see it out of the channel so the door opens.

I used to do this when I had cats, so they could sit at the partly open door and sniff the air while keeping the door secured. 

This worked fine until one day I was outside, and dear little kitty Marigold played and juggled with the pipe till it fell into the channel, locking me out. 

Good thing I'd unlocked the front door so I ran round the block outside and got in that way. Also a good thing it was a ground floor window. If she'd done that at the second floor condo, different story.  Never a dull moment with a Burmese in the house.

Nor with bears, sez 

Ted and Big Ursy 


Happy day everyone, tofu all round! We got this.





36 comments:

  1. But is itt tofu if it's made with lentils? I wait with interest? Have you tried making ersatz bacon with banana skins? Apparently it's delicious but I haven't attempted the making or the eating of it.

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    1. It's more "tofu" I suppose, since there's no soy. It's decades since I even thought about bacon, so I don't think I'm likely to make a lookalike.

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  2. Ah, cats. Dudo once pushed the apartment door closed behind me when I was watering plants in the hall. Fortunately, I had put my keys in my pocked just in case.

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    1. I wonder who they think will feed them if they lock out the humans.

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  3. The lentil 'tofu' looks interesting. It would work with brown and green, too.
    One of the Burmese cats I bred found his way into a neighbour's house and enjoyed her water bed! As you say, never a dull moment with a Burmese.

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    1. I expect there's a chickpea version of the mock tofu, too.
      Burmese are really a piece of work. I'd wonder about puncturing a waterbed!

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  4. I’m sure life would have been interesting with a Burmese. Although I haven’t known anyone to have one, they do have a bit of a reputation.

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    1. They're like sturdy Siamese, and she was sealpoint, cream fur, dark ears and paws.

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  5. Not being sure what a Burmese cat was, I looked it up. A pretty cat. Are they known to be mischievous? You know, I never realized that the scientific name for a domestic cat is "felis catus." For some reason that cracks me up. "Come here, you catus!"
    Yes. Please tell us how the lentil tofu tastes and cooks up.

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    1. She certainly knew how to get her way. She was devoted to Duncan, twice her size, she'd patiently groom him.

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  6. That homemade tofu looks interesting but my gut is not a fan of soy or lentils, so I think I'll pass, even though it would probably be very healthy for me, the gas would probably kill everyone within my vicinity:)

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    1. Did you know that cumin seeds are a remedy for that? You'll often find them in Asian recipes. But there's a limit to how much they help!

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  7. Interesting. An ingenious - and simple-looking - way to make tofu. You'll have to report back on texture and flavour - not that it has a lot I assume.

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    1. Typically tofu doesn't have a lot of flavor. It's more about texture. But I'll let you know.

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  8. Good idea with the pipe to keep your sliding door closed.

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    1. It's an old handy trick. A groom handle cut to size works, too.

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    2. Too funny, wondering where your mind went there -- a Broom handle is what I meant!

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  9. Cats are just too darn smart for our own good, aren't they.

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  10. You just keep expanding your culinary talents. Tricky cats.

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    1. I like ideas like this one. Better than ordering and waiting.

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  11. That is truly and interesting recipe. It looks really good.

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  12. Curiosity killed the cat, as they say! I'm impressed by your lentil tofu. I had no idea handmade tofu from lentils was even a possibility.

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    1. Me neither until I came across this video!

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  13. Cats (and dogs) are incredibly clever. Sometimes too clever for their own good!

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  14. Animals are very smart. I have never tried tofu.

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  15. I'll be curious as to how you think it tastes compared to regular tofu. I hope it is as good or better!
    You seem to enjoy the murder mysteries like I do--lol! I have for a long time but even more so lately I like to see the bad guys get caught. ;)

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    1. Stay tuned for the food writer's verdict! I like the puzzle to be cleared up, and baddies caught, goodies rewarded -- clearly not real life!

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  16. I didn’t realize you could make tofu from lentils! I always lean something from you, Boud,

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    1. I just found out myself, so I had to try it.

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  17. I’m not big on tofu. But I do like lentils. Maybe this is something I could use instead of.
    I’ll wait for the final assessment

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  18. Once more I learned something (the making of lentil tofu). Who knew! Not that I'm about to make any because 'lentil' apparently is a dirty word in our household.

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    1. They don't forget easily, do they? I like lentils, so versatile, but I only have to please myself.

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