Sticky Tofu
Tofu tastes like nothing. Like egg white, nothing.
I have struggled to eat Tofu because I never understood how to cook it. So after much experimenting, I settled on frying it. I enjoy the medium-firm Tofu for this method. A local market near me sells this in large blocks and I decided to blend flavours that I know and trust.
This recipe was developed with nothing particular in mind just a good balance of salt and sweet. I used soy sauce but not a lot of it because of its salt content. The grapefruit can probably be substituted for a zesty lemon or an orange. Its addition to the dish adds a subtle acidic balance to it all.
Honestly, this is the best Tofu dish I’ve ever made. And it was quick.
Did you know: Tofu is high in protein, low in fat, carbohydrates, and sodium. It’s a vegan alternative and it’s made from soybeans. The more firm the Tofu the better because it has more nutrients. Silken tofu has more water in it but it’s perfect for scrambles like if you’re looking for a scrambled egg substitute. Click on the link below for that recipe.
Ingredients
Tofu (roughly 600g) cut into cubes
1 tbsp chili oil (or any oil o your choosing)
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sweet chili sauce
1 tbsp Hoisan sauce
1 tsp red chili flakes
1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
3 cloves of garlic finely diced
juice of 1/2 grapefruit
1/8 cup hot water
1 bunch spring onion
1/2 cup brown rice pasta
poppy seeds
Method
Boil pasta for 8 minutes, strain, and set aside.
Heat chili oil in the pan on high and fry tofu for 3 minutes. It will stick a little to the pan so when you toss, do it with a spatula and with a strong arm.
In a bowl, mix ginger, garlic, soy sauce, sweet chili sauce, grapefruit juice, and Hoisan Sauce.
Pour it over the tofu and for about 2-3 minutes keep tossing the tofu so that it’s coated and begins to fry evenly on each side.
When the juices start to burn off, let the Tofu fry well until you start to notice a golden-brown fried colour creeping on the Tofu.
Add some chopped spring onion to the pan and by now everything will be sticky.
Drop the Tofu into your pot with the noodles and cover it. While the pan is still hot and the stove is still on, add water to the pan and with your spatula make sure all the sticky stuff becomes a little bit of gravy. Let that simmer for 1 minute and then pour it over your pasta.
Garnish with more spring onion and poppy seeds.
