Tofu is delicious. As a vegetarian who likes good food and cooking, tofu is an essential building block. I want to talk about making fried tofu and tofu scramble.
Fried tofu should start with pressing out the extra water from the soy cake. Buy firm or regular tofu, anything but soft tofu (which is great for smoothies and certain recipes where structural integrity isn’t the thing). Open up the package and rinse your tofu. Slice it into slabs and then lay it onto a clean towel and gently press the water out of the tofu.
Cut tofu into chunks and then add to hot frying pan with a little oil. You’ll be getting the pan pretty hot, so I recommend a seasoned cast iron pan and an oil with a high smoke point like peanut or canola. But anything will do, if you happen to be cooking with olive oil then just turn down the temperature a little.
One CRUCIAL tip is to leave the tofu alone for a minute or two. Most of us want to stir and shake all the time. But the first minute of cooking is when the tofu develops it’s developing delicious crispy skin. If you move it before that happens you’ll tear up the tofu because it is still sticking to the pan. Let the tofu sit until it gently moves in the pan with a little shake of the handle.
Flip the tofu chunks with tongs or by shaking the pan. But remember to leave the pan alone after moving your tofu to let that tasty skin develop.
Tofu scramble is really a matter of taste. There are a couple of health food store semi-corporate seasoning packets that you can buy to get inspired. If you investigate this way, just note the seasonings on the back and you can usually remake the recipe with your own changes.
When I ate scrambled eggs I preferred them to be a medium for cheese and vegetables. So my tofu scramble comes out the same way — more heavily seasoned and with a lot of vegetables mixed in.
Step one: sauté a few veggies — whatever you want to eat for breakfast. Here is some cabbage and zucchini.
Step two: add tofu. Once you get the veggies a little soft crumble the tofu on top and then stir it all together.
Step three: seasoning.
The most important addition in tofu scramble is nutritional yeast. I’ll add it into the scramble at various points. It adds salt, fermentation flavor, sweet, color and it dries up the tofu bits making more browned (maillard reaction) flavor. Start with a tablespoon and add more to your taste.
Turmeric doesn’t add much flavor but it gives a great color and smell.
Hot peppers, chili flakes, hot sauce, any kind of heat.
Soy sauce. I’ll just splash in soy sauce and mix it around.
Italian seasonings usually go just fine — oregano, marjoram and thyme.
Cook and taste, adjusting seasoning along the way. If you like runny eggs, then just leave a little of the moisture from the tofu and veggies going. If you want a more crumbly dry scramble, then cook a little while longer and add a little more nutritional yeast. Enjoy!
Life of refinement 
Cannibal Capitalism the Birdman edition
Photo of Birdman’s RG (perhapsRich Gang) and YMCMYSL (perhaps Young Money Cash Money Young Stoner Life) tattoos. Thanks to The Smoking Section for the photo, I assume taken from Birdman’s social media.
Birdman is trying to sign Young Thug to his record label. To prove his sincerity he tattooed several Young Thug associated tattoos on his hands and face.
Cannibal capitalism is the mediated experiences of human suffering projected for human entertainment and profit. It is obvious that the bodily impact of Birdman’s tattoos is a particular kind of communication. Tattoos have often been the indication of long-term committment for gangs, military units and fans of musical artists. Birdman’s tattoo is amplified on social media and through dozens of rap blogs. It is a public communication of his commitment intentionally articulated to bring his company more profit (by signing a strong young artist).
In some ways the suffusion of cannibal capitalism into many so-called reality television shows (cooking shows, real estate flippers) is an indication of the desperation of many people. But Birdman isn’t desperate (not in the poverty sense) — he can give expensive cars and jewelry to friends and label-mates. I heard on NPR he just gave a Bugatti to Justin Beiber.
Fleeting fame and the potential for profit have encouraged more than one reality TV contestant to become a public exercise in morality and exclusion. (Did you hear about Stephanie on Top Chef when she cut herself and she went to the hospital?!?! How about that Survivor episode where that guy broke his leg? What a wimp!)
Cannibal capitalism can be mapped whenever a human is harmed and it is filmed and amplified for other people’s pleasure. When this happens a particular morality of self-sacrifice is usually articulated. Announcers and other contestants express just how someone should take the suffering. In some ways the harm done to the body gives access to comment on the body.
In the case of Birdman’s new tattoo’s the morality expressed isn’t how tough Birdman was for getting the ink, but rather how idiotic it is to tattoo to something as fleeting as a new potential corporate rap alliance. Here is the Smoking Section‘s Gotty mocking the social costs of multiple face tattoos.
We recognize that the fact that Birdman will never have to go to a job interview ever in his life. The Cash Money CEO’s so loaded his kids kids most likely will never have to worry about working either. With that said, his continuing effort to ink his whole body with scribblings dedicated to Cash Money subsidiaries is a little odd.
Actually, the “RG,” presumably for his Rich Gang management company, added to his right cheek isn’t that bad because what the hell would two more letters do to a face littered in tats? It’s the “YMCMYSL” scripted on his fingers that doesn’t make sense. Assuming the letters rep Young Money Cash Money Stoner Life as in Young Thug’s movement, that’s more confusing.
via Birdman Permanently Pays Homage To Young Thug | The Smoking Section.
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Filed under capitalism, communication, hip hop, music, representation
Tagged as Birdman, Birdman and cannibal capitalism, Birdman tattoo, Birdman tattoos alliance, cannibal capitalism, cannibal capitalism and hip hop, face tattoos and morality, moral commentary mediated harm, suffering and hip hop morality, tattoo, tattoos to communicate commitment, The Smoking Section, Young Thug