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Tofu Gumbo

A spicy tofu stew with okra, tomatoes, and a roux, served over white corn grits soufflé.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 23 ingredients
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Why it works: Garlic and onion match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 29,058 recipes. Both carry furaneol, which smells caramel, strawberry. The science ↓

Tofu Gumbo

Time15 to 20 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Marinate the tofu

  1. Combine garlic, onion, mustard, cayenne pepper, peanut oil, vinegar and brown sugar in a large bowl.

  2. Place tofu cubes in the mixture and marinate for 2 to 24 hours.

  3. Drain tofu, keeping diced onion.

Make the gumbo base

  1. Heat 1 tablespoon canola oil in a large pot over medium heat.

  2. Sauté onions, celery, peppers and garlic until onions are translucent and vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes.

  3. Add tomatoes, thyme, oregano, basil, bay leaves, stock, salt and pepper.

  4. Reduce heat to medium‑low and cook for 15 to 20 minutes.

Cook okra and tofu

  1. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet and sauté okra until light brown.

  2. Remove okra from the skillet and add it to the tomato mixture.

  3. Reheat the skillet and sauté tofu until lightly browned.

  4. Remove tofu from the skillet and add it to the tomato mixture.

Thicken and serve

  1. Heat the remaining 1/4 cup oil in the skillet and whisk in flour.

  2. Continue whisking the mixture, or roux, until it is light brown and smells slightly nutty, for 3 to 4 minutes.

  3. Reheat the tomato mixture over medium heat and stir in the roux 1 tablespoon at a time.

  4. Continue to stir until the gumbo has the consistency of gravy.

  5. Remove from heat and serve over White Corn Grits Soufflé.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

990Calories
28 gProtein
35 gFat
146 gCarbs

Counts 20 of 21 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 20 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Peanut Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Tofu100g firm76
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Okra1 cup (100g)33
Bell Pepper1 medium (119g)31
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Chili1 tsp (2.7g)8
Celery1 stalk (40g)6
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Oregano1 tsp dried (1.8g)5
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Thyme1 tsp dried (1.4g)4
Mustard1 tsp (5g) yellow3
Vinegar1 tbsp (15ml) distilled3
Bay Leaf1 leaf (0.6g)2
Basil5 leaves fresh (2.5g)1
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Cidernot 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. Garlic + oniontop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together29,058 recipes

    Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

  2. Garlic + mustardtop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together4,053 recipes

    Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).

  3. Onion + mustardtop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together9,259 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  4. Cider + vinegartop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together3,431 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4-ethyl-2-methoxyphenol (smoky, clove).

  5. Mustard + vinegartop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together14,067 recipes

    Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

All-purpose flour
Forms the roux that thickens the gumbo to a gravy-like consistency.
Okra
Releases natural thickeners as it cooks, adding body to the gumbo.
Tofu
Absorbs the marinade and browns in the skillet, adding a firm, savory protein.
Canned tomatoes
Provide acidity and liquid that form the base of the gumbo.
Green pepper
Adds vegetable sweetness and aroma to the sautéed base.

The step that matters

Browning the roux. Flour cooked in hot oil must be whisked until light brown and nutty; undercooked roux tastes raw and thickens poorly, while overcooked roux scorches and turns bitter.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (garlic, mustard, pepper, peanut oil, cider, vinegar, sugar):

  1. Broccolifits better
  2. Capsicumfits better
  3. Horseradishfits better
  4. Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against garlic, mustard, pepper, peanut oil, cider, vinegar, sugar. 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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