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Tofu "Chik'n" Enchiladas

A vegan enchilada dish with tofu, spicy tomato sauce, and a melty cheese-like sauce.

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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

Oven400 F (tofu); 375 F (enchiladas)

Ingredients

Directions

Make the spicy sauce

  1. In a large pot, heat the margarine or oil until melted.

  2. Add the minced garlic and fry for a few minutes.

  3. Add the flour and stir to form a thick paste, and let this cook for a few minutes.

  4. Whisk in the remaining ingredients and simmer over medium-low for 20 to 30 minutes.

Prepare the muffins, tofu and cheese sauce

  1. In a second bowl, whip the first amount of soy milk with the corn or potato starch.

  2. 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.

  3. Pour this into the well in the dry ingredients and mix lightly and quickly until just moistened.

  4. Fold in the remaining half of the chocolate chips.

  5. 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.

  6. Preheat oven to 400 F.

  7. Slice the tofu into thin slabs.

  8. In a large bowl or other container, mix the soy sauce/braggs with the water and immerse the sliced tofu in this mixture.

  9. Let marinate at least 20 minutes.

  10. Drain the tofu and place on a lightly oiled baking sheet.

  11. Bake for 20 minutes, turning halfway through, until the tofu is crispy on the outside and is a lovely golden/brown colour.

  12. Remove from the oven and allow to cool enough to handle.

  13. Whiz all ingredients together in your blender or food processor, then transfer to a small saucepan.

  14. Heat over medium, whisking constantly until thickened.

  15. Remove from heat and set aside.

Top, bake and fill

  1. When the enchiladas have done their 20 minutes in the oven, remove the foil and top with the melty cheese sauce.

  2. 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.

  3. Remove from the oven and let set for about 10 minutes before serving.

  4. Top with extra tofu sour cream, salsa, and chopped green onions.

  5. In a large bowl, mix the remaining ingredients until thoroughly combined.

  6. Shred the tofu with your hands into small pieces and add this to the bowl.

  7. Mix thoroughly and set aside.

Assemble and bake

  1. In a 9 x 13" baking dish, ladle a thin layer of the spicy sauce so that it coats the bottom.

  2. Take 8 large soft flour tortillas (I use whole wheat).

  3. Add them to a hot skillet that has 1/2 tsp or so oil or melted margarine in it.

  4. Fry each tortilla for 1 or 2 minutes on each side, until brown spots form and it is slightly crispy.

  5. Dip the fried tortilla in the enchilada sauce until it is coated on both sides.

  6. 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.

  7. Roll up and place seam side-down in the prepared baking dish.

  8. Repeat with all tortillas.

  9. Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake at 375 F for 20 minutes.

  10. While these are baking, prepare the melty "cheese" sauce.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

1447Calories
70 gProtein
58 gFat
169 gCarbs

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
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Soy Milk1 cup (244ml) whole149
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Cheese1 oz (28g) cheddar113
Banana1 medium (118g)105
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Yogurt170g plain Greek100
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Tofu100g firm76
Broccoli1 cup chopped (156g)55
Miso1 tbsp (18g)34
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Soy Sauce1 tbsp (15ml)9
Chili1 tsp (2.7g)8
Cumin1 tsp ground (2.1g)8
Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Olive1 large (4g)4
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Saucenot in our table0
Waternot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

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.

  1. Flour + soy milktop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together203 recipes

    Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

  2. Tomato + garlictop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together14,076 recipes

    Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

  3. Flour + misotop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together41 recipes

    Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

  4. Soy milk + misotop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together3 recipes

    Shared aroma: acetoin (butter, cream).

  5. Garlic + misotop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked 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):

  1. Jalapenofits better
  2. Capersfits better
  3. Cuminfits better
  4. 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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