There must be five spices in heaven.

Does anyone else out there have major problems making tofu?

I am sure I have made tofu a hundred different ways since I became a vegetarian, but only a handful of my attempts have come out just right. Among the few winners are the tofu in the famous General Tao's Tofu recipe on vegweb.com, Em's tofu from the Gliding Calm blog (which I still mess up 66% of the time), and Veganomicon's Broiled Tofu, and any kind of scrambled tofu is an easy way out of the whole press-marinate-and-bake mess. I have gone through many, many tofu losers -- they just usually don't make their way to the blog. But that's not what this post is about!!!

I am here to tell you that you don't have to go through the trouble anymore. You don't have to kick yourself for trying a new recipe that yields mediocre tofu. Here's your new best friend:



Meet Mr. Five-Spice Tofu. This is the same stuff served at Pei Wei Asian Diner (where I worked this summer!) and P.F. Chang's China Bistro (in their heavenly vegetarian lettuce wraps).

Five-spice tofu is amazing -- if you have an international food store nearby, this tofu is worth seeking out! You're not going to find it at any normal grocery store; not even Whole Foods carries it. Also look for the words "dry tofu" or "dry spiced tofu" or just "five-spice" on the package, as I believe there are multiple brands of this tofu.

It is already pressed and baked, and it is absolutely delicious. Instantly delicious. The texture is just fabulous, and its appearance rocks too: The outsides of the tofu are browned, so that when you cut it into slices, the edges are darker and the insides are light. So cool!



I used up this block pretty quickly. First, I made General Tao's Tofu, from vegweb.com. I made double of what you see on the plate and I took half to bring for lunch at school the next day!



Next, I finally made a recipe from the Native Foods Restaurant Cookbook, the Gandhi Bowl. I have eaten this for two nights in a row, it's so good! Now I'm sad all my five-spice tofu is gone.



I made it yesterday with buckwheat soba noodles and tonight with brown rice. I also included baked sweet potatoes, steamed broccoli, wild curry sauce, and pan-fried five-spice tofu, garnished with raisins and scallions.

I ordered the Gandhi Bowl at the actual Native Foods restaurant, but I have to say, the sauce I made myself was even more incredible than I remember having in California! Here's a picture of how the restaurant did it (they served it with tempeh):



According to the menu, Native Foods' Gandhi Bowl consists of jasmine and brown rice, steamed veggies and blackened tempeh topped with cranberries and wild curry sauce. The ingredients that really make the sauce pop are coconut milk, maple syrup, and curry powder -- there are definitely a lot more ingredients to it, but I am purposefully leaving their names out. Buy the cookbook!!! It's worth it. Or just visit Native Foods in California, like I did this summer (twice). I love that place.



Just for kicks, here's another tofu photo (although not the five-spice kind).



There's a brand new Whole Foods in town, and it is incredible. The Asian station serves Szechuan tofu (I will try this soon) and Kung Pao tofu (my choice). I took it to go, and enjoyed it with some kale salad as my family chomped on steak and French fries at a local diner. I think my food was better! The smell of the sauce reminded me of something I've had before, a long time ago, but I can't put a finger to it. Here are the ingredients, if you're curious:



And I should mention that the whole reason I ordered this entree was because it came with peanuts (Kung Pao entrees are usually known for this). Guess what they forgot to put with my tofu? Peanuts. Ughhh. Oh well. I still love you, Whole Foods.

Let me know if you find and buy the five-spice tofu. I would love to hear what you think of it!