Tofu

[jfullertonharvey]

Hi. New to tofu. What's the go for hiking with it? Doing a three day hike in wild dog mountains, blue mountains, and using it for second night. How should I store it in my pack?

[Eremophila]

Assuming you mean fresh tofu?? Some brands have a better shelf life than others, I have purchased some that go off in their original packaging well before their expiry date.
I'd leave it in its packaging - assuming the quantity is what you need - and "double-bag" in a strong ziplock. Store in the middle of your pack if it's warm weather. Should be fine for your suggested 2-day period.
I'd suggest there may be better vego/vegan products for a short hike.....

[jfullertonharvey]

Assuming you mean fresh tofu?? Some brands have a better shelf life than others, I have purchased some that go off in their original packaging well before their expiry date.
I'd leave it in its packaging - assuming the quantity is what you need - and "double-bag" in a strong ziplock. Store in the middle of your pack if it's warm weather. Should be fine for your suggested 2-day period.
I'd suggest there may be better vego/vegan products for a short hike.....

Any suggestions for other products?

[ofuros]

Dried tofu comes in all shapes & sizes, thin sheets, small square tiles, long twisted cigar shapes etc etc....your going to have to play around with soak times at home before heading for the bush.

Pack storage with dry tofu won't be an issue, just know your soak times.

[GPSGuided]

Ofuros is correct, various tofu and tofu related bean based food in Chinese supermarkets to choose from. I would not take fresh tofu as they are too heavy (full of water). Dried or 'half dried' options are plenty on the shelves. Ask a Chinese friend to go with you and advise. Good healthy source of protein.

[Mark F]

If you are looking for non-meat based meals, also consider textured vegetable protein (tvp) which you can buy from indian grocery shops. I use it for simple curries. It holds together much better than tofu after cooking and is already dry. It comes in bite size chunks rather than a mince and is quite cheap. One packet is about 2-3 serves. I will add brand details once I find a packet.

[Orion]

I often buy miso soup that has freeze-dried tofu in it. In that form it's okay, texture is decent, and it rehydrates very quickly. But I've never seen freeze-dried tofu for sale by itself in Asian food stores.

Apparently you can buy it online: https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Tsuruhabuta ... 2436497194

Depending on what you plan to do with the tofu it might be worth a try.

[jfullertonharvey]

If you are looking for non-meat based meals, also consider textured vegetable protein (tvp) which you can buy from indian grocery shops. I use it for simple curries. It holds together much better than tofu after cooking and is already dry. It comes in bite size chunks rather than a mince and is quite cheap. One packet is about 2-3 serves. I will add brand details once I find a packet.

So do you still need to soak it in water before use?

[blakey_]

TVP does require rehydration. Relatively easy to find if you're in a major metro area, or order online.
https://www.affordablewholefoods.com.au/shop/tvp-mince/

You can also get shelf stable tofu in most supermarkets, including coles/woolies. It'll be in the 'international' aisle. It doesn't need rehydration like the bits in instant miso packets.
https://www.woolworths.com.au/shop/prod ... -curd-firm
https://shop.coles.com.au/a/a-national/ ... -curd-firm

[ribuck]

I often buy miso soup that has freeze-dried tofu in it. In that form it's okay, texture is decent, and it rehydrates very quickly.

It's amazing stuff. Rehydrates in 30 seconds with hot or cold water. From the Japanese Foods shelf in Woollies or Coles. Make sure you get the one that says Freeze Dried on the box.

[Eremophila]

Any suggestions for other products?

TVP, as suggested above. I'm pretty sure Sanitarium used to make this, it used to be readily available in the "health foods" section of the supermarket or a deli / health foods store.

Lentils, beans, falafel....

[Orion]

From the Japanese Foods shelf in Woollies or Coles. Make sure you get the one that says Freeze Dried on the box.

Really? Thanks for that. I'll look for it next time I'm in Australia.

And maybe I need to look more closely at some of my local shops as well. From what I've read recently it's a staple in Japan. So it could be that it's sold in Japanese grocery stores and I overlooked it.

[Huntsman247]

First of all, I have to say I do like tofu in general. But...
A friend of mine who is vegan decided he would not go with my suggestion to make beef jerky as a snack idea and ended up making tofu jerky.
I had my reservations and didn't want to try it at first but gave in... after the 30th offer...
Well, I can say that it tastes crap. Do not even try. lol.
Eventually... my friend admitted he didn't like it either. haha

Personally, I'm not sure if I'd bring tofu as food on a hike. I just don't think I could use the idea of tofu to push myself up that last steep km long bushbash to get to the campsite or destination. lol.
Anyways I can't help you on how to store it but maybe how not to store it.

[GPSGuided]

A friend of mine who is vegan decided he would not go with my suggestion to make beef jerky as a snack idea and ended up making tofu jerky.

What is a 'tofu jerky'? There's a variety of dried/semi-dried tofu-beancurd products in Asian snacks, but I would consider none of them to be in the 'jerky' category. This is an area that I would leave to the well tried and tested than coming up with one's own. Wrong spice and treatment and it's all wrong.