Grandma P. is in rehabilitation. She’s slowly getting her movement back. But she is not pleased with the situation. She said, “Well I guess you’re learning a lot about life, aren’t you.” Then she said, “I’m learning a lot about life too.”
One of the last things we made together was tofu mayonnaise. She really loves tofu and its magical powers, about as much as she loves stevia. In fact, I smuggled some of her egg dip into the nursing home while I was there… trying to emulate her prowess with the blender.
When I emailed her a few weeks after our tofu recipe session and asked her for the recipe, she wrote this:
“I’m just getting ready to make up a batch; I will send details after doing it again so I can be certain of proportions…”
You see, she’s never certain of proportions. It’s all intuition. I think the best food is always based on intuition. I’m always suspicious of recipes. But I write them down for posterity. And because I’m told that’s what the people like.
She often had something peculiar in her hands that she forgot was in there. In this case it was a bunch of parsley leaves.
It has a sort of vinegar and herb taste, this tofu mayo.
And is slightly thinner and lighter than real mayonnaise.
It’s very good. I know some people are afraid of mayonnaise and some people are afraid of tofu but don’t be afraid of this tofu mayonnaise.
I like to play with my food. I could drop dollops of this for hours. I really could.
A little while later I got this email from Grandma P.:
“I just hot-footed it out of the HOT kitchen with a big dollop of it on my lettuce-tomato-cucumber-avocado-celery salad. No cooking. Here we go:
“Tofu Mayonnaise”
Ingredients
- 6 oz soft or regular tofu
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 5 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 tsp salt to taste
- 1/4 tsp turmeric adds flavor, nourishment and yellow color
- pinch of powdered stevia to taste
- Herbs and minced garlic may be added if desired
Instructions
- Blend all ingredients together in blender or mini-prep.
- When well-blended and thickened, it's ready to use.
- Will keep in refrigerator for 5 or 6 days.
Let me know what you think of it: Any changes or additions to suggest?
Sometimes I use 1 Tbs sesame oil for part of the oil, and when I have pomegranate juice I might use it instead of the stevia.
‘Til next time,
Love, Grandma”
I miss her emails.
7 Comments
Julie
I've made a wasabi tofu mayo very similar to this! Except I used Asian ingredients like sesame oil, ginger, garlic, and mirin. I think it's so versatile and delicious!
Gabi
What a lovely email from your grams. I would certainly miss emails like that as well. I know my grandmother's handwritten cards always mean a lot to me.
I don't think I have ever even heard of tofu mayo outside of places like Northampton and Jamaica Plain (i.e. the Berkeley-esque areas in Massachusetts). My fiance is super sensitive to egg smells, so he was excited by this new mayonnaise alternative.
I want to surreptitiously try it on my friends and see if they like it. Is it very tofu-y? Will they even notice? What would you recommend serving it with?
Georgia
I don't personally think it's very tofu-y, I think the tangyness balances it well. You might have to juggle proportions a bit to get it how you like. I think it works well as a dip for vegetables but it would be great on a sandwich… maybe a BLT of sorts.
technics
never thought of making mayo with tofu, definitely going to try it. what herbs would you recommend pairing it with?
gpellegrini
Well, parsley like what's in Grandma P.'s hand : ) Then also some chives and maybe some basil… you really can't go wrong.
afracooking
I like the idea of adding sesame oil… I usually make a version using silk tofu. balsamic, mustard powder, worcesershire sauce. I do not use any oil. I love that is tastes indulgent but is guilt free
Georgia
I agree, yours sounds delicious too! It also makes a great dip I think.