PUMFU: Pumpkin Tofu!
I must admit if I saw the name of this product, I would wonder what the acronym stood for and probably would make it into a game for the kids. Or perhaps it would become a Liar’s Club word and I’d challenge my guests to guess which person at the dinner table was giving the real definition. Come to think of it, that could be a lot of fun … combine it with a little wine and some fun prizes and voila, home-grown entertainment. Sorry, I’m getting off the reason for my post, a product review of PUMFU by Foodies Vegan.
In this particular case, I stumbled across it yesterday at Food & Thought: The Organic General Store located here in Naples Florida. Originally, I went there to grab a few ingredients for dinner and it was my need for organic non-GMO tofu that I found this interesting package. The name alone got me to pick it up and then I read … PUMPKIN SEED TOFU ALTERNATIVE so obviously the PUMFU name represents a combination of PUM (kin) and (to) FU.
Now I have to be completely honest, I have NEVER been a fan of tofu. I always found it non-descript and a bit on the spongy side however being that when I met my husband, he was the head chef at the Amrit Yoga Institute. Now if you’ve ever been to an ashram or a yoga institute along the lines of The Chopra Center or Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health, then you might understand that everything you eat during your stay will be vegetarian or vegan and more times than not, completely organic. Why? Because it’s pesticide free and it’s food that is easier on the body to digest. So no food crashes after you eat. It was during my three years living and working at the Amrit Yoga Institute that I came to love his recipe for baked tofu and have been completely converted. Now that we have once again become a vegetarian household, I am the one cooking with it!
Since I needed tofu for my dinner ingredient, I decided to give PUMFU a try. We love pumpkin anything and this is made from pumpkin seeds and filtered water. Two ingredients so you can’t go wrong. Each package is 8oz, is already pressed and vacuum sealed, so none of that delay of cooking game waiting for the water to drain out like you have with traditional soy-based tofu press. One cake is about two fingers thick and the size of a slide of Dave’s bread, so it’s easy to cut in half and then into small cubes. PUMFU is a bit pricier than tofu at $4.98/package but regardless, I bought two packages for my stir fry and headed home.
The color is a beautiful sage green, there is little to no odor when you unwrap it and it’s firm to the touch and knife, just like the extra firm tofu that I’ve become accustomed to. Once I cut it into the cubes, I marinated* (I included the marinade ingredients below.) it for an hour in the ‘fridge, occasionally stirring it so each of the cubes would absorb as much of the marinade as possible. In the meantime, I prepped the veggies: bok choy, red Swiss chard, sweet onion, baby Bella mushrooms, carrot and cauliflower. Once the PUMFU was finished marinating, I brought it closer to room temperature before sautéing it in Sesame Oil. One of the ways I like to set my “your oil is hot enough” alarm is to drop a small piece of onion in the center of the pan. As the oil heats, the onion will start to sizzle. When it’s reached the perfect sizzle, then I know the pan is hot enough for the larger ingredients. It also helps to infuse a little extra flavor in the oil.
Traditionally I bake my tofu in the toaster oven until it is caramelized and crunchy around the edges but I decided to try something new … PUMFU is incredibly easy to fry on the stove! I didn’t need much oil nor did the PUMFU stick to the pan as it browned. While the stovetop cooking was faster, I think I still prefer baking it in the oven. It gets crunchier, which is a texture thing and my own preference. Once it was browned to my liking, I removed the PUMFU from the sauté pan, replaced it with the veggies and as they were cooking, I deglazed the pan with some vegetable stock bringing all of the flavors together.
I served the PUMFU with organic short brown rice and a veggie sauté. Overall, I would buy the PUMFU again. It absorbed the flavors of the marinade beautifully, so the taste of the pumpkin seeds does not come through the spices and the texture is good. While it doesn’t “taste” like pumpkin seeds, it has a density that regular tofu doesn’t so when you eat it, you actually end up eating less because the PUMFU is more filling.
Health Benefits of Pumpkin Seeds: They are a great source of tryptophan, which can be converted in the body into serotonin & melatonin. Needless to say, a few seeds before bed will do the body good. Pumpkin seeds also reduce inflammation and arthritic pain, as well as a treatment for parasites & tapeworms. In some cultures pumpkin seeds are used as an aphrodisiac and lastly, the oil has been used topically to help with urinary symptoms. Lastly, studies show that pumpkin seeds help prevent kidney stones.
We left the table completely satisfied and happy with the product. Fortunately I was able to buy this locally, but if you are interested, I found it on-line at Vegan Essentials but the price is $5.99 and you can buy it by the CASE at Foodies Vegan for $47.97 (click on the name to be linked to the site).
Here is a description of PUMFU according to the Foodies Vegan site: Made from USDA organic, Non-GMO pumpkin seeds and filtered water, Pumfu is rich in protein with 17g per serving! It has a mild, nutty flavor with a texture like extra-firm tofu. It comes pre-pressed (with no excess water) and is ready to cook. Versatile, keto friendly and deliciously satisfying, Pumfu is sure to become your go-to plant-based protein.
Ingredients: Organic pumpkin seeds, filtered water
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 4 oz. (113g)
Servings Per Container: 2
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 320
Total Fat: 28g
Trans Fat: 0g
Saturated Fat: 6g
Sodium: 0mg
Total Carbohydrate: 6g
Dietary Fiber 5g
Sugars 0g
Protein 17g
Calcium 4% DV
Iron 30% DV
*Marinade Ingredients: Bragg’s Liquid Aminos (I use this as a soy sauce replacement/alternative … it’s salty but lacks preservatives and the liquid aminos aid in digestion), rice vinegar, maple syrup, toasted sesame oil, garlic cloves, fresh grated ginger