Sesame Vegetables and Rice with Crispy Tofu

I've made a lot of different versions of this dish and each and every time it's so delicious. The key to making crispy tofu is to wrap the tofu block in paper towels to pull all the moisture out of the tofu. You might need to change the paper towels 5 or 6 times, but once moisture free the tofu with crisp up nicely while the inside stays soft and creamy. Secondly, add the sesame oil to the vegetables just before serving so you get the most flavor.

 

Ingredients:

1 cup basmati rice

1 block extra firm tofu

1 large or 2 medium zucchini

1 head bok choy

1/2 red bell pepper

1 can sliced water chestnut

1/2 diced yellow onion

4 chopped garlic cloves

2 tablespoons sesame oil

Salt and pepper

 

Preparation:

Cook the rice according to instructions, which is 1 cup rice, 2 cups water and some salt. The rice will be done when you're done preparing the rest of the dish.

 

Remove the moisture from the tofu by wrapping in paper towels. Repeat the process until the moisture is removed from the tofu. Cut the tofu into 1-1/2" blocks. Heat a large skillet and add the canola oil. Cook the tofu until brown on all sides, about 10 minutes.

Heat a 12" sauté pan to medium high. Add some canola oil and the diced yellow onion and cook for just a minute. Add the diced zucchini, chopped bok choy, bell pepper, garlic and salt and pepper to taste. Cook until the vegetables start to soften up. Add the sliced water chestnuts and cook an additional 2 minutes. Lastly, check for proper seasoning, add salt and pepper if necessary and add the sesame oil. Toss to mix in the sesame oil and you're done.

 

To serve, place some rice on a serving plate and add portion of sesame vegetables and crispy tofu. Garnish the dish with chopped cilantro and toasted sesame seeds.

 

Tofu and Mushroom Miso Soup

I had this dish years ago in a Korean restaurant and it was so good! This dish is called bubbling tofu. The reason it's called bubbling tofu is because it's served in a cast iron bowl that keeps the soup basically boiling for about 5 minutes at your table. What makes this soup so luxurious is the thickness of the broth and flavor of the miso broth.

 

Ingredients:

32 ounce organic miso broth from Whole Foods

1 package firm tofu diced

1/2 pound crimini mushrooms

1/4 pound shiitake mushrooms

1/2 medium yellow onion diced

2 cloves garlic diced

2 heaping tablespoons corn starch 

1 bunch green onions

Cilantro

Chopped nuts

 

Preparation:

This is a one pot wonder and so easy to put together. Take an large 4 quart sauce pan, add the miso broth, reserving 1 cup, bring to a boil. Once at a boil, reduce to high simmer. Add the diced yellow onion, diced garlic, crimini and shiitake mushrooms and tofu and cook for 15 minutes.

 

Mix the corn starch with the reserved cup of miso broth and add to the soup. This should thicken it up quite a bit. You want the consistency of the soup to be like motor oil, not a great comparison, but I can't think of anything else. If the soup didn't get thick enough, mix another heaping tablespoon in with a half cup of water and mix into the soup. The soup is done.

 

To serve, place a portion of soup into a serving bowl. Garnish with chopped green onions, chopped cilantro and chopped nuts. Yummmm!

 

Tofu Blocks

This is so ridiculously good that you've got to try this. The key to this dish is to cook the tofu just with canola oil in a large sauté pan so all the sides of the tofu are browned. When finished your toss with sesame oil and soy sauce and then garnish with lots of green onion, dice red bell pepper, cilantro and sriracha sauce.

Ingredients:
1 package extra firm tofu
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon lite soy sauce
1 bunch green onions
1 /2 bunch cilantro
1/4 red bell pepper

Preparation:

Drain the water from the tofu and dry with paper towels. In order to get the tofu to brown up it's important that the tofu is dry.

 

Cut the tofu into 1-1/2" blocks. Heat a large skillet and add the canola oil. Cook the tofu until brown on all sides, about 10 minutes.

Once the tofu is nice and golden brown, add the sesame oil and soy sauce and toss. Place the tofu blocks on to a serving plate and top with the diced green onions, diced red bell pepper and chopped cilantro. Garnish the dish with a few slivered green onions and sriracha sauce. 

Tofu Stir Fry

Once a month or so I get a craving to make a tofu dish, typically a stir fry with whatever vegetable I have on hand. The key with almost every tofu dish is that you have to remove the moisture from the tofu before you start cooking. When you remove the moisture, the tofu will brown and have a crispy texture on the outside and soft and creamy on the inside.

You remove the moisture by wrapping the tofu with a couple of layers of paper towels. The paper towels will slowly pull the moisture out of the tofu. Once the paper towels become saturated, repeat the process a couple of more times and you're done.

 

Ingredients:
1 package firm tofu

2 tablespoon avocado oil

1/2 yellow squash
1/2 zucchini

1/2 green or red bell pepper

1/3 red onion
1/4 red onion

4 garlic cloves

Green onions

Cilantro

Preparation:

Cut the tofu into bite size pieces. Heat 1 tablespoon of avocado oil in a 10" sauté pan and add the tofu. Fry the tofu on medium high heat turning occasionally until all sides are browned. When done set a side in a large bowl.

Cut the yellow squash and zucchini into bite size pieces. Take a 10" sauté pan and add 1 cup water, cover and steam until the squash is half cooked about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat, drain in cold water and add to the bowl with the tofu.

Cut the bell pepper into bite size pieces. Chop the red onion and mince the garlic and add to a 10" sauté with 1 tablespoon canola oil. Cook for about 3 minutes until the bell pepper and red onion are half cooked.

Add the tofu and yellow squash to the sauté pan. Add the fresh spinach and sliced green onions and cook on medium high heat until the spinach has wilted. Finish the dish by adding 1 tablespoon sesame oil and 1 table spoon lite soy sauce.

Grilled Tofu with Crimini Mushroom Ragu

This is such a tasty dish. What I like about tofu is that you can make it so many ways. When I grill tofu I use a indoor grill pan. The key to grilled tofu is to remove the moisture from the tofu and use a little spray canola oil to keep the tofu from sticking to the grill. Secondly, always season the tofu with soy sauce or teriyaki sauce after grilling the tofu, otherwise the tofu will end up burnt from the sugar in the soy and teriyaki.
 

Ingredients:

1 package firm tofu

1/2 lb crimini muschrooms

1 cup white short grain rice

1 bunch green onions

Red bell pepper

2 tablespoons chicken stock

1 teaspoon soy sauce

Couple of drops of sesame oil

1 teaspoon Corn starch

Preparation:

Sliced the crimini mushroom thin and saute in a little olive oil. When cooked down add the shiitake mushrooms. Combine the chicken stock, soy sauce and sesame oil and cornstarch in a small bowl and mix. Add the mixture to the mushrooms and cook until the sauce thickens up like a thick glaze.

Cut the block of tofu lengthwise and then into triangles so you should end up with 8 triangle pieces. Grill the tofu pieces on a really hot well oiled indoor grill for about 5 minutes on each side. When done brush on a coating of soy or teriyaki sauce.

In a rice cooker, add 1 cup basmati rice, 2 cups water and some salt.

To plate, add some rice to a plate or shallow bowl and toss on some green onions. Top the rice with a 2 pieces of tofu and then with the shitaki mushroom ragu. Finish the dish by sprinkling on more green onions, some minced red bell pepper and drizzel some teriyaki sauce over the plate.

Tofu And Zucchini Stir Fry

I guess I was feeling like I needed to make something healthy. It's all about the tofu in this dish. When tofu is cooked properly the outside will have an almost crispy texture and the inside will be soft and creamy.

As with all fried tofu dishes, you need to place the tofu on paper towels and remove the moisture from the tofu in order for the tofu to get brown and crispy. Secondly, sauté the tofu in canola oil and always season with soy sauce and sesame oil right at the end.

 

Ingredients:

2 packages firm tofu

2 medium zucchini

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 bunch green onions

Preparation:

Drain the water from the tofu and dry with paper towels. In order to get the tofu to brown up it's important that the tofu is dry. Dice the tofu into 3/4 inch pieces. Heat a large skillet and add canola oil. Cook the tofu until brown on all sides, about 10 minutes.

While cooking the tofu, add the soy sauce. If you like it spiced up then add some Mongolian fire oil. In a separate skillet stir fry the zucchini. When cooked add to the tofu and heat through. Serve over brown basmati rice, top the dish with dice green onions and drizzle with sesame oil.