Why it works: Flour and soy milk match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 203 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Tofu "Chik'n" Enchiladas
Ingredients
Directions
Make the spicy sauce
In a large pot, heat the margarine or oil until melted.
Add the minced garlic and fry for a few minutes.
Add the flour and stir to form a thick paste, and let this cook for a few minutes.
Whisk in the remaining ingredients and simmer over medium-low for 20 to 30 minutes.
Prepare the muffins, tofu and cheese sauce
In a second bowl, whip the first amount of soy milk with the corn or potato starch.
Add the brown sugar, the rest of the soy milk, the melted chocolate, the melted margarine and the vanilla, and beat on a medium speed until it is all thoroughly combined.
Pour this into the well in the dry ingredients and mix lightly and quickly until just moistened.
Fold in the remaining half of the chocolate chips.
Fill prepared muffin tins (either oiled or lined with paper cups) 2/3rds full, and bake 25 - 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre of one comes up clean.
Preheat oven to 400 F.
Slice the tofu into thin slabs.
In a large bowl or other container, mix the soy sauce/braggs with the water and immerse the sliced tofu in this mixture.
Let marinate at least 20 minutes.
Drain the tofu and place on a lightly oiled baking sheet.
Bake for 20 minutes, turning halfway through, until the tofu is crispy on the outside and is a lovely golden/brown colour.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool enough to handle.
Whiz all ingredients together in your blender or food processor, then transfer to a small saucepan.
Heat over medium, whisking constantly until thickened.
Remove from heat and set aside.
Top, bake and fill
When the enchiladas have done their 20 minutes in the oven, remove the foil and top with the melty cheese sauce.
Return to the oven and bake, uncovered, for another 10 minutes or until the cheese has developed a skin and has started to brown a little.
Remove from the oven and let set for about 10 minutes before serving.
Top with extra tofu sour cream, salsa, and chopped green onions.
In a large bowl, mix the remaining ingredients until thoroughly combined.
Shred the tofu with your hands into small pieces and add this to the bowl.
Mix thoroughly and set aside.
Assemble and bake
In a 9 x 13" baking dish, ladle a thin layer of the spicy sauce so that it coats the bottom.
Take 8 large soft flour tortillas (I use whole wheat).
Add them to a hot skillet that has 1/2 tsp or so oil or melted margarine in it.
Fry each tortilla for 1 or 2 minutes on each side, until brown spots form and it is slightly crispy.
Dip the fried tortilla in the enchilada sauce until it is coated on both sides.
Lay this on a tray or large plate and fill with about a 1/3 of a cup of the very creamy "chick'n" filling.
Roll up and place seam side-down in the prepared baking dish.
Repeat with all tortillas.
Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake at 375 F for 20 minutes.
While these are baking, prepare the melty "cheese" sauce.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 19 of 21 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 19 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Soy Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Cheese | 1 oz (28g) cheddar | 113 |
| Banana | 1 medium (118g) | 105 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Yogurt | 170g plain Greek | 100 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Tofu | 100g firm | 76 |
| Broccoli | 1 cup chopped (156g) | 55 |
| Miso | 1 tbsp (18g) | 34 |
| Tomato | 1 medium (123g) | 22 |
| Soy Sauce | 1 tbsp (15ml) | 9 |
| Chili | 1 tsp (2.7g) | 8 |
| Cumin | 1 tsp ground (2.1g) | 8 |
| Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Garlic | 1 clove (3g) | 4 |
| Olive | 1 large (4g) | 4 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Sauce | not in our table | 0 |
| Water | not in our table | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
-
Flour + soy milktop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together203 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Tomato + garlictop 3% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together14,076 recipes
Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
-
Flour + misotop 4% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together41 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Soy milk + misotop 6% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3 recipes
Shared aroma: acetoin (butter, cream).
-
Garlic + misotop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together128 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Extra firm tofu
- Firm tofu holds its shape and crisps on the outside when baked after marinating.
- Flour
- Flour cooked into fat forms a paste that thickens the sauce.
- Cornstarch
- Cornstarch thickens the cheese sauce as it heats, giving a smooth, firm texture.
- Nutritional yeast flakes
- Adds a savory, cheesy flavour to the cheese sauce.
- Tomato sauce
- Provides the base liquid and tomato flavour of the spicy sauce.
- Garlic
- Adds aroma and savory depth when fried in the oil at the start.
The step that matters
Heat the melty cheese sauce over medium while whisking constantly. Cornstarch thickens only as the mixture heats, and without constant whisking it can lump or stick and scorch on the bottom of the saucepan.
Swap the clove
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sauce, tomato, flour, garlic, cheese, soy milk, miso):
- Jalapenofits better
- Capersfits better
- Cuminfits better
- Clovethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against sauce, tomato, flour, garlic, cheese, soy milk, miso. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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