FOODIE FRIDAYS: How To Make Your Own Tofu Turkey

Well, I did something I never thought I'd ever do: I made tofu turkey. Yes, you read that right. I didn't even think something like this even existed until my Uncle told me about it. Apparently you can get these tofu turkeys, or Tofurkeys, from local grocery stores in Vancouver. Here in Edmonton (aka: Beef Country), it feels like a sin even asking for one.

So, I came across a recipe and thought, "What the heck! I'm gonna give it a try and make it myself." I mean, if it didn't work out, I would have just eaten all the fixins. Guess what? It actually turned out okay! And it wasn't nearly as difficult as I thought it would be.

I'm going to share how I did it, step-by-step. I tried taking as many pictures as I could throughout the process so what I was doing made sense. The only suggestion I have is that tofu has no flavor whatsoever. Zero. Zip. It takes on the flavor of whatever you're cooking it with so don't be afraid to season your tofu turkey like crazy.

Ready? Here we go....


This recipe makes a fair-sized tofu turkey so unless you're feeding a crowd of vegetarians (or, at least, folks willing to eat it) you don't need as many blocks of tofu as they call for. In my case, 2-3 blocks would have been more than enough but use your own judgment. Also, the original recipe only calls for a tablespoon or so of each herb and there is no salt or pepper. Can you believe it? Tofu...needs...salt and alot of seasoning so don't be shy with it.

You can use fresh or dried herbs, just remember that you need to use a bit more fresh than dried as the dried is more potent. (I used dried.) I chose not to use the poultry seasoning as much of what it consists of are the herbs you're already using but celery salt is a great replacement or additive (that's one thing I wished I'd added.)

One final tip, find yourself an appropriate colander for this project. If you can find one that's rectangular or cylinder-shaped, that would be great! Not that it really matters but when I got my tofu turkey dumped out after the refrigeration step, it looked like a big boob. =S I had to add to it to make it look less boob-like so I could serve it. HAHAHA!
Bearing that all in mind, let's start!

Tofu turkey:
~ 5 blocks firm or extra-firm tofu, well pressed
~ 2 tbsp fresh chopped sage
~ 1 tbsp fresh thyme, minced
~ 1 tbsp fresh rosemary, minced
~ 1 tbsp vegetable broth powder
~ 2 tbsp poultry seasoning

Basting sauce:
~ 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
~ 1/3 cup red wine
~ 2 tsp Dijon mustard
~ 2 tbsp soy sauce

You'll also need approximately 2 cups prepared vegetarian stuffing.

(1) Break your tofu up into small pieces and whirl them through a food processer. Feel free to do it in small batches if your processer is smaller. If you don't have a food processer, you can always mash it up with a fork but that does take alot of elbow grease! The tofu should have a smooth, creamy texture when it's ready and should hold together when you squish it between your fingers. [see picture on right]


(2) Dump the tofu into a large mixing bowl. If you're using the fresh herbs, make sure that you've chopped them very fine. Then add all of your seasonings to the tofu, mixing well.

(3) Line a colander with cheesecloth and put your tofu mixture in, pressing it all down firmly. Cover the top of the tofu with cheesecloth and put weight on top of it. The idea here is to press out any excess moisture that may be left in there. (We just put two 5-lb weights on the top of the tofu then put the entire thing on a plate to catch any of the drippings.) Put the entire thing in the fridge to chill for at least three hours (we left it to chill overnight).

(4) Okay, now for the fun part! Once the tofu has chilled and is firm, you need to scoop out the middle to create a well or shell where you'll be 'stuffing' it. Be sure to save the scooped out stuff as you'll need it later. Scrape away until you have about 1 1/2 inches all around.

Once you've finished scooping everything away, you can fill the cavity with your stuffing (if you need a recipe for vegetarian stuffing, let me know.) Two cups should do it but, if you're like me and love the stuffing, feel free to add a bit more. Then you take some of the tofu scrapings and press it on top of your stuffing, smoothing the entire surface over.

(5) Now you're almost ready to get this puppy in the oven! Lightly grease a baking sheet then carefully invert your tofu turkey onto it. Peel off the cheesecloth then, depending on the shape of your collander, it should look something like what I have in my picture on the left.

(6) Whisk together all the ingredients for your basting sauce then generously brush your tofu turkey with it. Put it in the oven at 350* for 90 minutes, basting every 15 minutes. This may seem really fussy but it's so worth it to make sure that your tofu turkey doesn't dry out.



(7) After 90 minutes, it should be totally done! We kept ours warming on the backburner until the rest of our meal was done. Serve it with all the regular Holiday meal fixings, like roasted potatoes, mixed veggies, salad, hot rolls and, of course vegetarian gravy!

And that's all there is to it. It actually turned out pretty good. As I said, I think more seasoning would have taken this from 'not too bad' to 'pretty good' but I'm really proud of how it turned out and would definitely do it again. Good luck to all of my vegetarian friends thinking of trying this for your own Holiday feast of those wanting meal options for your vegetarian guests. Be sure to come back and tell me how your tofu turkey turns out.

Vegetarians can enjoy Holiday feasts too!