SCD Recipe: Red Lentil Tofu – (Soy Free)

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What is Red Lentil Tofu?

Tofu is a bean curd made from mashed soybeans. Red lentil tofu isn’t really tofu in the traditional sense, but this recipe is a good substitute for those who can’t eat soy. In this process dried lentil beans are soaked and pureed to make a mash that is chilled, cut up and then baked or fried.

Red Lentil Tofu - Air Fried
Air-fried tofu

How do you make Red Lentil Tofu?

Red lentil tofu is very easy to make. You only need three ingredients.


A lot of recipes for non-soybean tofu call for a quick soak of the beans, which involves using boiling water to get them soft. In this Specific Carbohydrate Diet™ (SCD) version, I do a full 12+ hour soak of the beans and then rinse them and add fresh water.

Chilled red lentil tofu
Chilled red lentil tofu

To make the tofu you simply puree the soaked and rinsed beans in a food processor or high-powered blender with a little water. Then you cook the pureed beans with more water until they are cooked and very thick. Then just chill, slice, and bake or fry to add to any dish you would make with tofu. I wouldn’t use this for dessert, but it’s great for savory dishes like stir fry.

What equipment is needed to make Red Lentil Tofu?

Red Lentil Tofu - Air Fried
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SCD Red Lentil Tofu

Soy-free bean cakes made with red lentils.

Course Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine Plant-Based, SCD, Vegan, Vegetarian
Keyword beans, gluten free, grain free, lentils, specific carbohydrate diet
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Chilling time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings 30 pieces
Author Sherry Lipp

Ingredients

  • 1 cup dry red lentils soak 1 cup dry red lentil beans for at least 8 hours, up to 24
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 cups filtered water

Frying or baking ingredients

  • 1 – 2 tsp olive or sesame oil (or use mixture)
  • 1 tsp your favorite seasonings (garlic, ginger, cumin, etc)

Instructions

  1. Placed soaked, rinsed beans in food processor with a ½ cup of the water

    Soaked Red Lentil Beans

  2. Process on high speed until beans are as smooth as possible – 2 – 3 minutes. Mine was about the consistency of very soft cream of wheat. You can go longer if you want it smoother, but I like a little texture

    Pureed red lentils in food processeor

  3. Pour puree into saucepan and whisk in the teaspoon of salt

  4. Whisk in the remaining 1½ cups of water – for lighter, softer tofu, add 2 cups of water

    Cooking red lentil tofu puree

  5. Cook over medium-high heat, while whisking, until mixture gets very thick. This will take 5 – 7 minutes

    Red lentil tofu puree thickened

  6. Pour into 8×8" glass or ceramic dish (no prep needed)

    Red lentil puree in pan

  7. Refrigerate for at least an hour

  8. Use a butter knife to loosen the edges of the tofu from the sides of the dish

  9. Turn over to remove from the dish

    Chilled red lentil tofu

  10. Slice into cubes or slices to fry or bake

    Sliced red lentil tofu

Frying the tofu

  1. Add olive oil and/or sesame oil to pan

  2. Add tofu and sprinkle with desired seasonings

  3. Cook over medium heat for 1 – 2 minutes per side until tofu is golden brown

Air Frying tofu

  1. Place tofu pieces in a bowl

  2. Add oil and/or sesame oil

  3. Sprinkle with desired seasonings and gently mix to coat

  4. Place pieces on trays or in basket

  5. Air fry at 400F° for 10 minutes – tofu should be golden brown and crispy

Baking the tofu

  1. Preheat oven to 350F°

  2. Follow the same instructions for oil and seasonings as above

  3. Arrange pieces on a baking pan lined with parchment paper

  4. Bake for 30 minutes or until pieces are golden brown

Sherry Lipp
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