Tofu often comes in plastic packages, swimming in water.
With very few exceptions, you should always drain tofu before using it in a recipe. In fact, you should drain tofu unless the recipe explicitly tells you not to. In egg salad (or imitation egg salad) tofu adds a nice texture and nutritional bonus. Wet tofu makes the salad runny and more difficult to eat, not to mention higher in sodium thanks to the tofu juice runoff.
Draining Tofu
Those in a hurry can simply open the package and pour out the tofu juice, while cooks with more time should pour out the juice and let the tofu sit on paper towels for 10 to 20 minutes before adding the tofu to the salad. Some recipes recommend gently pressing any extra liquid out of the tofu.
Moisture
Egg salad is supposed to have a moist and creamy texture. The texture comes from the moisture of the hard-boiled eggs and tofu, the mayonnaise or vegan substitute, and the mustard, but none of these ingredients should be watery.
Tofu Salad
Starlife on the Oasis Caf in Seattle offers a menu with vegan and vegetarian versions of soups, salads and sandwiches. Norah Grace states that she always drains the tofu for Starlife's tofu salad because the tofu juice would make the salad too soupy, causing it to soak through the bread on sandwiches. In Grace's experience, customers tend to return soggy sandwiches and demand a free replacement.
Why Add Tofu?
Some people add tofu to egg salad to increase the protein content while cutting down on the fat. Vegans and the cholesterol-conscious skip the eggs and mayonnaise altogether and make imitation egg salad using only tofu (with the right amount of Dijon mustard and spices). The cooking website The Happy Herbivore reports that tofu salad tastes better than the real thing.
Tags: tofu salad, tofu juice, imitation salad