Will tofu pair with Prosecco?
Have you ever tried them together?
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As with many discoveries, finding out that Prosecco goes together with tofu happened by happenstance because these two things couldn’t be any further apart.
One comes from China and is around two thousand years old. Another one is from the Italian peninsula and is just over two hundred years old. Guess which is which?
Tofu is essentially a cheese made from soybean milk, and I hope all Chinese, Italians, and vegans forgive us for a comparison.
Prosecco is a fruit-forward sparkling wine that came into stardom in the late part of the 20th century.
Actually, they both are late bloomers. If we roll back the clock, fifty years ago, a few knew what Prosecco was outside of Italy until the clever producers exploited the price and taste gap between expensive French Champagne and cheap Spanish Cava. The tofu wasn’t a staple food outside of South-Eastern Asia until the veganism revolution of the West.
Temporarily speaking, they are millennia apart from their origin, but both experience universal popularity in the 21st century.
And that’s how they met each other at our table for the impromptu vegan lunch.
Seared Tikka Masala Tofu
This is a highly complex 1-2-3 recipe and might be for you if you need a quick healthy lunch and never went to culinary school.
First, you need to chop firm tofu into inch-sized cubes. Second, toss them in a bowl with a tablespoon of tikka masala spice mix. Third, brown roughly chopped garlic (1-2 cloves) on the skillet and add tofu. Sear it for five to seven minutes. Add chopped scallions (optional). Done!
Prosecco
Plant the wines. Wait three years. Harvest the grapes.
Nah! Just kidding!
It’s even easier than tofu. Just grab a bottle of Prosecco from your local wine shop. When you shop for Prosecco, keep in mind there’s a substantial difference in taste between $7 and $50 bottle.
The best Proseccos come from Conegliano and Valdobbiadene areas of Veneto. Villa Sandi Superiore di Cartizze Vigna La Rivetta 2018, are at the top of quality pyramid. Few things take it to the top. First, it comes from the most prestigious area of Valdobbiadene – Cartizze. Second, Superiore indicates that it produced with more strict criteria. Finally, it’s a vintage Prosecco. Like in the Champagne region, most wines blend different years, and only exceptional vintages are bottled non-blended and with year on the bottle.
Our experience shows that the sweet spot between quality and price is between $13 and $17, like Albino Armani and the 2018 Casa Sant’ Orsola Prosecco Millesimato Eleonora Collection.
Pairing Tofu with Prosecco
Why tofu and Prosecco go well together?
On its own, tofu has a delicate and almost bland flavor. It is like a blank canvas that chefs can flavor anyway they want. Still, it’s not easy to pair it with wine because tofu has a secret flavor called umami. Why?
Umami foods can make some red wines taste bitter. On the other hand, white wines may not withstand such intense flavors as garlic and chili peppers.
That’s why Prosecco is the solution. Often Prosecco made in an off-dry style. The sweetness helps balance the spiciness, acidity cuts through oil, and bubbles lighten up the flavor. It also plays off the flavors of caramelized garlic.
Finish
Discovering this pairing was, in a way, a happenstance. Still, we followed some basic pairing principles and excluded the wines that likely to clash with tofu.
We are happy that we decided to experiment and discovered something that can lighten up lunch for vegans and vegetarians.
What are your exciting and unexpected wine pairing discoveries?
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