Tofu - where do I start?

Hi Mrs Miggins--there are loads of people who know far more about tofu than I do, but we've cut slices of the "firm" kind, marinated it in a bit of soy and honey and panfried it(an Annabel Karmel recipe but not a huge hit) and we've taken a few spoonfuls of the "soft" kind and added it to fruit smoothies in the blender, much more interesting for ours.


If you buy it fresh, you need to keep it in the water. You can also buy the UHT kind (which packaged in English). Either way, you need to use it within a few days of opening.


Another good early protien is red lentils...there are a few recipes that cook the lentils together with carrot and a bit of onion (as I remember) and then puree. That was big hit in our family. I can dig a couple out if you'd like it.

I started giving my kids tofu by the time they were about 9 months old. Once again, I just added it into their veggies and blended all together so that it wouldn't taste too bland as I never added any seasoning till they were about 15 months old.

Try and find the "silken" version which has more water content and is easy to smash and puree. It is also able to be eaten as is, and doesn't have to be cooked.


in city super IFC, they have a very nice "fresh" tofu section - go there and ask which tofu can be eaten straight out of the box - they will point you to the right one- which will be more likely the "silken" version.


I gave tofu to my daughter at 7 months (as recommended by the Super Baby Foods system.)

You may not want to introduce honey to your 6 months old as it may lead to some kind of problem. Fresh tofu mixed with Vege should be good.

I finally asked my doctor about honey as there are SO many warnings about it, turns out it's only RAW honey that's a problem. The botulism (I may have badly mispelled this) spore, which is the concern, is killed when honey is sterilized, and normally honey is sterilized.


Even raw honey that's used in a marinade and then cooked probably gets hot enough to kill the spores. But we don't buy raw honey, just to be safe.

The fresh tofu, just strain, cut into cubes and cook it in a soup (just stock will do, or water). I think you just simmer until well heated through. Just mash, when baby is older, they will probably eat the chunks in soup as a while like mine - we add sliced meats and vegies, they love it.


This is really easy to do at home.

At P&S at the deli section or where they sell the fishballs etc, they also have what is called the cod fish tofu. They're shaped like half circles and my son loves it! Just cook them in a clear soup or cut it into halves and stir fry them in veggies or broccoli. Or just add them in a stew or anything.

Ewe Tly! I can't stand the fish balls! yuck! Glad your baby likes them! However, I cook lots with tofu, as my protein-allergic daughter can generally tolerate it. I'll post some of our family favorite recipes on the "recipe" board when I get a chance. (My daughter who is allergic to eggs recently invented a fake egg salad using tofu.) However, just a comment about introducing tofu to a baby. I don't think anyone has addressed the issue of what age it is wise to introduce soy protein. I know that soy formula is highly processed to make the protein more digestible, and the same with formula based on cows milk. But generally speaking most protein foods should not be introduced until after one year of age because of the danger the child's immature immune system would develop allergies. I think the age at which tofu should be introduced is a medical question which I am not qualified to answer. But, I wouldn't "assume" it to be safe to introduce soy generally at an age younger than one year. On the issue of botulism and honey, the issue is that the infant's gut isn't powerful enough to kill botulism spores, so if the baby eats something with spores in it, they can possibly grow inside the baby's tummy enough to produce the toxin. When my babies were small, I read that botulism spores are only guranteed to be killed by boiling at a full boil for five minutes. Other foods can also harbor botulism spores, such as canned foods. So, all canned foods should be thoroughly reheated. I chose not to take a chance on honey of any kind until they were over one year of age. By one year of age, their tummy is tough enough on the inside to kill the spores.

I find the whole what to give to not be allergic question really interesting - as there is lots of new research that is cropping up constantly.


In Korea, people give tofu from about 7-8 months old. They cook it in some broth and give it to their babies. Very few people in korea are allergic to soy - and I gave it to my daughter at that time and she was fine with it - I wonder if there are other connections from people who take soy and then end up allergic?

I just read that link, what a load of alarmist rubbish. They think throwing a load of chemical names is evidence enough to their case. Based on their comments, we should only be eating REAL butter and foods straight from the ground.


Tofu is not exactly a NEW invention! I would do a bit more research with a REAL doctor/nutritionist before believing that link.

A little harsh I think exyoqi. I guess we all do the level of research we need to, to be satisfied we're doing the right thing for ourselves and our kid(s). Personally, I don't care for sites that read like the ones you've referenced, they don't seem credible to me. And I wouldn't give my baby (or myself) raw milk either, even if I lived on the farm. No matter who endorses it. Dairy farms aren't clean places and the bacteria growth can be really dangerous. Kids used to die from milk until pasturization came about.


On the credibility subject, I bought a product called "juice plus" for my daughter, a 100% fruit and vegetable juice gummy, to supplement her meager intake of vegetables and because I read a strong recommendation for the product on a well known pediatrican's website, one I refer to quite alot. Well, after the third order of refills, I did a google search on "juice plus", I'm not even sure why. Turns out quite a few people say their health claims are unproven, are greatly exaggerated (mostly because there's no evidence that the the health benefits of whole fruits and vegetables can be applied to the juices alone) and the ploy of having credible doctors and other specialists providing product endorsement has made for quite a successful pyramid scheme. So...I think we all have a responsiblity to ask questions and do research until we're satisified, but, at the end of the day, we may still be wrong.


Back to TOFU. I checked my two main sources for introducing foods to toddlers. Both recommend tofu as an excellent meat and dairy substitute, high in protien and low in fat. It doesn't need to be cooked (but can be) because it's made from cooked soybeans. "Super Baby Food" by Ruth Yaron says tofu can be introduced from 7 months and "Optimum Nutrition for Babies and Young Children" by Lucy Burney says it is suitable from 9 months (I've noticed Lucy is generally a bit more conservative). I think both are reputable resources, but I'm no specialist.


Ruth goes in to some care and maintainence tips:

- Tofu must be stored underwater in the refrigerator. The water must be changed daily. If treated well, it will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week.

- Tofu can be frozen, either in the orginal container, or if opened, covered with water and frozen (or cut into small chunks, put into ice cube trays, covered with water and frozen) Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or thaw the ice cube in the microwave on low power. Sometimes the texture changes with freezing, so be sure it hasn't become too difficult for baby to chew.

- For baby, be sure to buy tofu in sealed packages only, as the open refrigerated barrels may harbor unfriendly bacteria (and in many parts of the world are no longer sold in open barrels for that reason).


And a last note, organic Tofu would be free of genetically modified soybeans, if that's important to you.

try tofu with steam salmon.

Tofu is great sources of Nutrition for all ages..

I have a perfect recipes for fussy eater and others...Its called Tofu Pancake (Vegetarian, included Leek, onion) and Tofu & Beef Burger cake(Inlcuded Minced beef, minced Tofu, Mashrooms, Onions, Zucchini..and it tasted very good. My son & my husband are fussy eater..So these will be perfect recipe for all the families, either they don't like to eat Veggie or Tofu..


Anyone interested, please email me at rpalmer@netvigator.com