Tastes Better Than Chicken

I had a tofu craving and this is what I made. It’s "Mock Chicken Salad" from "Simple Vegetarian Pleasures" by Jeanne Lemlin. It’s one of my all-time favorite cookbooks, not just vegetarian. Most of the ingredients are things you can find at a regular store, and the dishes taste like the kind of food you’d eat and not even realize that you’re eating vegetarian.

I ate some today wrapped in a flour tortilla. I found a new Mexican grocery store in town, they have everything, a tortilleria, panaderia, carniceria, and groceries. The tortillas were hot off the grill and still warm when I got them home. Absolutely delicious. I wouldn't say it "tastes like chicken" but the texture is very similar, in fact, I like the texture a lot better than those mock egg salad sandwiches made with tofu.

MOCK CHICKEN SALAD
For 4-5 sandwiches
1 pound extra firm tofu
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon tamari soy sauce
1 large scallion, very thinly sliced
1 medium celery rib, very thinly sliced
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Place the tofu in a cotton or linen kitchen towel and gather up the sides of the towel to create a pouch of tofu. Twist the ball of tofu until a lot of liquid is released. Drop the tofu ball onto a cutting board, then with a large knife, finely chop it so the pieces are the size of small peas.
2. Heat the oil in a large, non-stick skillet over high heat until it is very hot but not yet smoking. Add the tofu and shake the pan to prevent it from sticking, then, using a spatula, flip it around until it gets evenly golden brown. This should take at least 10 minutes. Keep the heat high. The pan might start to smoke but that’s okay, just keep flipping the tofu. When done, drop it into a medium-size bowl and drizzle the soy sauce all over it. Toss well. let cool 10 minutes, then refrigerate it until very cold, at least 1 hour.
3. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Keep covered and chilled until ready to use.