Vancouver Cheap Eats: Top 5 spots for Tofu meals under $5
What’s not to love about coagulated soymilk pressed into curds?
Plenty.
No really, we promise.
Tofu may seem like a creepy, rubbery, gooey substance that has no business in your diet, but there’s a lot more to it than this bean curd lets on. Allow its white colour to symbolize the blank canvas at which you can paint with flavour, as it absorbs and mimics whatever it is paired, sauced, and soaked in. It’s like how Robin is to Batman, Spock is to Captain Kirk, or Chewbacca is to Han Solo; tofu’s the supportive act that often flies under the radar yet things just wouldn’t be the same without it.
Sliced up in an appetizer, masked in a main, or featured in a dessert, Vancity Buzz and Chowmenow have coagulated (yep, we’ve used that word twice now) the top tofu choices that may convince even the most carnivorous that going veg isn’t all bad. Whether it’s a light snack or a satiation you’re looking for, we’ve got it all here for five dollars or less.
One Saigon offers plenty of choices where you can scarf down this bean curd goodness. Stuffed in a baguette for $4.25 or rolled up in a wrap for $3.75, it’s a healthy option for anyone venturing for a quick bite downtown.
It makes complete sense that a restaurant called Beefy Beef Noodle House would serve up deep fried tofu for $4.50, right? This place on Main street will keep you eating up the tofu like it’s going out style – or at least until 2am when they close.
For 80 cents a pop, 5 of these tofu puffs should tie you over until your next meal, as they’re stuffed with bean sprouts and cucumber, then slathered in peanut sauce. They’ll put a new meeting to the phrase, “once you pop, you can’t stop”.
Yogis and tofu go together like two soybeans in a pod, so naturally Chau Veggie Express named their lemongrass, tofu, cucumbers, and quinoa wrapped in rice paper the Namaste for $3.75. If you’re feeling a bit crispier, opt for the Non La, which are crispy spring rolls that contain egg, tofu, taro, mung bean, and other vegetables for an even $4. A light snack or shared amongst flexible friends, you’ll be ready to strike a pose like a warrior and get down like a dog.
Like any good meal, you have to end it with the sweet stuff, and you might as well do that at a place that has “Excellent” in the title. There are endless options for soy puddings that range from $3.50 to $4. We recommend adding ginger syrup, liquid sugar, and crushed peanuts before you start slurping.
So how about you coagulate (that’s 3x now!) with us on Twitter and Facebook what you think of the white blocks, and feel free to share your tofu cheap eat on our site. Good or bad, we’d love to hear where you Chow down!
Photo Sources: Good Eat; Amanda’s Edible Delights; Gourmesy; Chau Veggie Express
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