Tofu Makeover The Boring And Bland But Oh-So-Good-For-You Bean Curd Is Undergoing An Image Adjustment

Tofu, the spongy, off-white soybean cake that spells B-O-R-I-N-G for so many people, is about get a marketing makeover.

In the new year, new cookbooks will extract tofu entirely from its original Asian context. It will show up in brownies, paella, red flannel hash and cappuccino pie. Even the newest edition of “Joy of Cooking” will feature tofu recipes.

Packaging is undergoing a revolution of bold colors and graphics. And those dreadful, sloshy refrigerated containers will give way to stylish cubes of shelf-stable packaging.

But some advertising and marketing professionals say that’s not enough.

“Tofu is a joke,” scoffs Adam Morgan, an advertising executive with TBWA Chiat/Day who specializes in food products. “Tofu is a sissy - bland, white, boring. It needs to take a stand, become something. And that name! It’s terrible.”

Tofu goes against the American palate, adds Martha Dahlen, who has been teaching classes on Chinese ingredients in Hong Kong for 18 years.

“Very little in American food, except baby food or gelatin, has that texture,” she says. “Even buying tofu is alien. What else do you buy floating in water? And Americans love convenience. Bean curd is anything but. It’s not an open-and-eat product.”

And tofu threatens some cooks. “I buy tofu,” says Annabelle Stevens, president of Warren Cowan & Associates. “But it just sits there, floating, in my refrigerator. It makes me feel stupid and guilty. What do you do with it? I end up tossing it out.”

Stevens, who teaches classes in how to market products, agrees that changing the name and putting a face on it would help. “Call it something French, like Le Tofu,” she says. “Then stick Wolfgang Puck’s picture on it. It would take off.”

Of course, some people think tofu is just fine the way it is.

“Trying to make tofu sexy is dishonest,” says William Shurtleff, who brought national attention to tofu when he published “The Book of Tofu” in 1975. “Tofu isn’t sexy. It’s plain, like a pair of old shoes. The more you wear them, the more comfortable they become.”

Nutritionists say tofu is a comfortable fit in a healthy diet. Soy foods contain chemicals that help reduce cancer risk and also lower the levels of LDL the so-called “bad” cholesterol - in the bloodstream, helping to protect against heart disease. Recent research suggests soy may even help control menopausal hot flashes.

When Morinaga Nutritional Foods Inc. hired Bucher & Russell Advertising of Los Angeles to promote Mori-Nu brand tofu, Susan Bucher started at the bottom. “All people knew was that it was white and Asian,” she says. “Only a few associated it with health.”

Progress has been slow but steady. Over the years, Bucher & Russell has developed point-of-sale coupons, an exercise video and recipe booklets. There’s a toll-free number for information and recipes (1-800-669-8638), and a newsletter that goes out to 7,000 customers. When the company introduced its reduced-fat “lite” variety in 1993, sales jumped 30 percent.

“Lite” tofu contains 1 gram of fat and 47 calories in a 4-ounce serving, compared to 6 fat grams and 120 calories in regular, firm tofu (generally, the softer the tofu, the lower the fat content). But even regular tofu has less saturated fat than an equal portion of skinless chicken breast.

Further plans for Mori-Nu include larger and more colorful packaging and an ad campaign that touts tofu as a staple in American pantries.

Tofu products are proliferating. Already there are flavoring packets that will turn it into chocolate pudding, an eggless breakfast “scramble” seasoned with Italian herbs or a taco filling or a pizza topping.

Worthington Foods has produced meatless products for 59 years, but the company has experienced a sales rush over the past four years in soy-based meat alternatives.

Its hottest-selling items, under the Morningstar Farms label, are soy-based breakfast patties, sausage links, garden burgers and spicy black bean burgers. Those products will be joined soon by a breakfast sandwich sausage patty on English muffin or bagel, geared to the “grab-and-go” fast-food customer.

“Attention to tofu has helped,” says Don Burke, Worthington’s executive vice president of sales and marketing. “But people who buy our products are the masses, people who want to cut down a little on meat and saturated fat. Most are aging baby boomers who want taste, convenience and a health benefit.”

Let the tofu age begin.

Mushroom Scrambler

Mayi Brady, a cook in the Los Angeles Times Test Kitchen, devised this scrambler recipe. Adding egg substitute gives the tofu a familiar, egg like coating; fontina cheese, mushrooms, green onions, garlic and rosemary make the whole thing taste good.

1 (1-pound) package firm tofu

2 teaspoons oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 cups sliced assorted mushrooms (such as brown, button and shiitake)

1/2 cup chopped green onions

1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary

1 (8-ounce) container egg substitute

1/2 cup grated fontina cheese

Salt, pepper

Drain tofu and crumble into cottage cheese-size pieces.

Heat oil in large skillet and add tofu. Cook over medium-high heat until tofu becomes light golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 3 to 4 minutes more. Add mushrooms and continue to cook until mushrooms begin to brown, then add green onions and rosemary. Cook 3 to 4 minutes.

Add egg substitute and cook just until liquid begins to set, then add cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Cook just until cheese begins to melt. Do not overcook.

Yield: 6 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 79 calories, 141 milligrams sodium, 4 milligrams cholesterol, 3 grams fat (34 percent fat calories), 8 grams carbohydrate, 6 grams protein.

Lemon Tofu Cheesecake

Tofu for dessert? Cheesecake without cream cheese? Silken tofu, which comes in shelf-stable asceptic packages, provides the creamy texture in this New York-style cheesecake recipe from “The Lactose-Free Family Cookbook,” by Jan Main (Robert Rose, 1996).

Crust:

1-1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/4 cup granulated sugar

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Filling:

2 (10.5-ounce) packages silken firm tofu

4 eggs, separated

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon grated lemon peel (yellow part only)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using sieve, drain tofu.

In mixing bowl, stir together graham cracker crumbs, sugar, oil and cinnamon. Press onto bottom and 1 inch up sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake for 10 minutes; let cool.

In food processor, process drained tofu, egg yolks, sugar, lemon juice, flour, lemon rind, vanilla and salt until smooth. In separate bowl, using electric beaters, beat egg whites until stiff. Fold into lemon mixture and turn into prepared shell.

Bake for 60 to 65 minutes, or until almost firm in center. Let cool before serving.

Yield: 8 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 357 calories, 9 grams protein, 53 grams carbohydrate, 13 grams fat (32 percent fat calories).

Tofu-Vegetable Pot Pie

This vegetarian pot pie from Mary Carroll, author of the “No Cholesterol (No Kidding!) Cookbook” (Rodale Press), is good for a Sunday night supper. The gravy and breading is made from a yellow flake yeast called nutritional yeast that tastes like Parmesan cheese and packs plenty of B vitamins; look for it in health food stores.

Pie:

1/2 cup flour

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 pound extra-firm tofu, cut into 1-inch cubes

1/2 to 1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup dry sherry or water

1 onion, thinly sliced

1 carrot, thinly sliced

1 cup peas (preferably fresh)

2 teaspoons minced garlic

2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce

Gravy:

1/2 cup nutritional yeast

1/4 cup flour

1 to 2 tablespoons safflower oil

1-1/2 cups water

2 teaspoons reduced-sodium soy sauce

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine flour, yeast, garlic powder and salt in paper bag. Add tofu cubes and shake well to coat.

Heat oil in 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add tofu and cook until brown on all sides. Spoon into 2-quart casserole dish. Set aside.

Add sherry to skillet and bring to boil, scraping to loosen any browned bits. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until soft but not browned. Add carrot. Cover and cook 5 minutes or until tender. Add peas and cook 1 minute. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Add soy sauce. Remove from heat. Add mixture to tofu cubes.

To prepare gravy, combine yeast and flour in clean 10-inch nonstick skillet. Cook and stir over low heat 3 minutes or until fragrant. Add oil and whisk until mixture becomes smooth sauce. Add water, soy sauce, salt and pepper and cook over medium-high heat until gravy thickens.

Pour gravy over tofu and vegetables. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until bubbling.

Yield: 6 servings.

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: Just what is it you do with this tofu stuff? For the uninitiated, here are some tofu tips: Tofu can be used in place of meat in many dishes, such as chili. Or crumble it, bake it dry and add to sloppy joes. (It can’t, however, be used as the main ingredient in a vegetarian meatloaf.) When using tofu in a stir-fry, maintain its shape and texture by adding it at the last minute. Overcooking softens tofu. Freezing tofu gives it a firmer, meatier texture, especially in chili or sloppy joes. To freeze tofu, cut it into 1-inch slabs and wrap in plastic. Freeze 48 hours before thawing for use. Crumble firm tofu like a dry cheese over tacos, taco salad or burritos and into scrambled eggs. Chop or puree tofu, mix with chopped vegetables and use as a filling for an omelet or quiche. Chop tofu like hard-boiled eggs and add to tuna salad. Marinate tofu cubes, then skewer with vegetables and meat strips for grilled kebabs. For a cocktail nibble, drain tofu and marinate in vinaigrette overnight, then cube and spear with a toothpick. Combine tofu with fruits, juices and flavor extracts in a blender to create a smoothie drink. Mix tofu with fruit puree and vanilla or almond extract for a dessert dip for fresh fruit. Puree tofu with fruits and layer it with crushed cookies in parfait glasses or into a toasted graham cracker crust for an easy pie. When using tofu in a chilled dessert or a dip, allow the dish to sit at least one hour for the flavor to develop. In baking, use tofu - mashed finely - as a substitute for sour cream. Using tofu in baked goods results in a product that’s less rich. It also separates more easily than eggs, milk, cream and related products. Many bakers prefer regular to “lite”-style tofu, because it produces a denser, richer product. The shelf life of an unopened aseptic box is up to 10 months. Fresh tofu is also sold as cakes packed in water. It must be refrigerated, and the water must be changed daily. Be sure to note the sell-by date before buying; do not purchase if the container seems bloated. Discard any tofu with a strong odor.

Types of tofu Tofu comes in three textures: Soft (kinugoshi) tofu, with a custard like consistency, is used in dips, dressings, custard, cheesecake and puddings. Firm tofu, with a medium-dense texture, goes in salads, casseroles, barbecues, soups and recipes requiring that the tofu retain its shape. Extra-firm tofu is used for crumbling, stir-frying and deep-frying. The firm and extra-firm styles simply have more water removed. Los Angeles Times