Mexican Tofu Chocolate Pudding

On the left is bang bang chicken from the cookingwithdog youtube channel.  On the right is rice, potato salad, and MEXICAN TOFU CHOCOLATE PUDDING!  I'll say, right off the bat, the bang bang chicken DID NOT impress me.  I made it one more time after this and it honestly just tasted so bland to me.  It tasted like bad chicken in peanut sauce.  I will never make that again... EVER.  The mexican tofu chocolate pudding, however, was a pleasant surprise.  Read more for the recipe.

Mexican Tofu Chocolate Pudding:

Why? do you ask would I make this instead of regular chocolate pudding with cream?  Cause I didn't have any cream... I did have tofu though (I always have tofu...) So, there you go... I didn't know what to expect when making this, so I was presently surprised at how good it turned out.  It didn't necessarily taste worse than regular pudding, just different.  It's still rich and creamy.  Its good.  Trust me.


ingredients:
1.  1/2 lb (8 oz) tofu
note:
silken is always recommended, but I only had firm tofu and it still turned out great.  Obviously, expect a slightly firmer consistency with firmer tofu.

2.  4 oz bittersweet chocolate

3.  1/2 tsp vanilla extract

4.  1/2 tsp mexican chili powder
note:
When I first made this, I added the chili powder as instructed and basically tasted nothing.  I ended up adding 5-6 times as much and honestly, still didn't really taste too much of it.  Obviously, you can completely omit the mexican chili powder if you don't have any but it does add an extra level of flavor if you do use it.
note:
If you do end up using mexican chili powder, please note that it is a lot more mild than cayenne, so if you are using a different chili powder, be aware that 1/2 tsp can be waaay too spicey. 

5.  1/2 tsp cinnamon
note:
can be omitted if you don't have any.

6.  1/4 tsp salt
note:
can ABSOLUTELY NOT be omitted.  I literally adjusted the pudding 10-20 times, adding in a dash of different ingredients every time, adjusting the flavor, but it just was missing 'something'.  Finally, I decided to add a pinch of salt and it instantly came together and rounded out all the flavors beautifully.  The recipe I worked from did not list salt as an ingredient, which is a fucking crime if you ask me.  LOOKING AT YOU "the minimalist.


recipe:
1.  wash the tofu well to rid it of the sour liquid it is packed in, then thoroughly pat and dry it as much as you possibly can.

2.  roughly break chocolate into a bowl then add a 1 tsp of water.  microwave for 10 seconds.  Stir and see if the majority of the chocolate is melted (it doesn't have to be perfectly smooth.  it can be somewhat chunky).  If it is still too solid, microwave for 5 second intervals until mostly melted through.

3.  add all ingredients to a blender (I used a mini blender.  Love that thing) and blend for a few seconds, shake to allow all the ingredients to drop to the bottom, then blend again for a few seconds until entire mixture is smooth.

4.  taste and adjust.
note:
I literally adjusted the flavor and re-blended the pudding around 10-20 times and it was still perfect, so don't be worried about overworking it. 
note:
Initially, the pudding just tasted like melted chocolate to me, so I added more tofu and it became too light and lost it's richness.  I added slightly more chocolate and it became perfect.  Find the perfect balance of tofu to chocolate.

1.  If its too chocolaty without enough body.  Add more tofu. 
2.  If its too light and taste like diet.  Add more chocolate.
3.  As far as the spices go, add that to your taste.  I added a ton of mexican chili powder and cinnamon and still felt like it could have used more.
4.  The salt is essential as it rounds out all the flavors and gives it depth.  If it seems right but feels like it's just missing something, you probably just need a pinch of salt.