It’s too embarrassing to admit how many times I’ve picked up a block of extra firm tofu at The Trader Joe’s Sunday Shop, only to have it end up, four weeks later, in the garbage can of good intentions. Nonetheless, this past weekend, I tossed one into the cart, avoiding eye contact with my husband who would no doubt be happy to point out my current 0-and-5 bean curd record. Why does it go to waste every time? Why do I have such a hard time figuring out what to do with it? Well, in addition to the big huge minus of the kids not fully embracing tofu (“It’s like a wet flavorless marshmallow,” Phoebe once said), I’m just not confident cooking and experimenting with it, and I don’t feel like I have an archive of inspiring recipes. Once, I confessed all this insecurity to a blogger whose posts led me to believe she had an advanced degree in Tofu, and begged her to be my Tofu Tutor. I think I scared her off, because I never heard from her again.
But this past Monday, I wasn’t messing around. In order for Tofu Family Dinner to happen, clearly I had to get out of my own way. So I made a plan. First, on facebook I asked you guys for suggestions. Wowowowow! Why don’t I do this more? Three hours and over 70 ideas later, I whittled the choices down to five, with the finalists mostly being chosen for simplicity, pantry overlap (no way was I hitting the store the day after our weekly shop), and how golden and shiny the tofu looked. (I did not want anything remotely resembling a marshmallow.) Next, I sent this email to Andy.
From: Jenny Rosenstrach [mailto:jenny@dinneralovestory.com]
Sent: Monday, May 06, 2013 2:10 PM
To: W, Andy
Subject: Tofu Multiple Choice
Which one do you want for dinner:
a) Maple-Miso Tofu
….. …….b) Mongolian Stir-fry
c) Brown Rice Sushi Bowl with Tofu and Avocado
d) Soy glazed Tofu and Carrots
…………..e) Ma Po Tofu
I’m not holding my breath that girls will eat. we have leftover chicken for them.
Can you tell I’m procrastinating my real work in a major way? I hyperlinked the recipes for him and everything. This was his response:
From: Andy [mailto:andy@dinneralovestory.com]
Sent: Monday, May 06, 2013 2:10 PM
To: R, Jenny
Subject: Tofu Multiple Choice
B! But without that much garlic.
So that’s what you’re looking at below. Did the girls like it? No, but they each tried a bite before digging into their auxiliary proteins (leftover chicken sandwiches). For Andy and me, though, it was one of those dinners that ended up pre-empting all other conversation at the table. (“We need to make this again.” and “Damn!” and “So healthy!” and “How can you guys not like this?”) Thanks to all my facebook friends who shared their recipes, particularly Libby, Andrea, Mary, and Miller for providing the finalists above — and big thanks to Jessica who has officially introduced a keeper to the DALS rotation.
Mongolian Stir-fry
Adapted from The Jey of Cooking
I pretty much followed the recipe to the letter, but, per Andy’s request, limited the garlic, used less sugar, and added some vinegar and fresh squeezed lime to cut the salty-sweetness. FYI: To press tofu, place your tofu block on a plate, cover with a few paper towels, then place a heavy pan on top for at least 30 minutes.
1 block extra firm tofu, pressed and cubed
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons sesame oil (or olive oil)
1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 scallion chopped (for garnish)
fresh lime juice
Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cornstarch to the tofu in a small bowl and toss to coat.
Add the tofu to the skillet and cook until browned on all sides, about 6 minutes.
While the tofu is cooking, combine the ginger, garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, 1/2 cup water and brown sugar. Mix well.
When tofu has browned, add the sauce, stir, then bring to a simmer before reducing heat to low. Simmer for 5-10 minutes, until sauce has thickened and reduced.
Serve with brown rice, soba noodles, or green beans, and garnish with green onion and a squeeze of lime.
I don’t always have time to extract the water from the tofu, but when I do, this recipe is great.
Thai basil is another good garnish for this.
#newslettergiveaway
I’ve been eyeing this recipe for a while and finally made it last night. It’s delicious, but the idea of tossing the tofu with cornstarch is life changing for me. Well, the part of life that touches tofu. OK, it’s tofu-changing. Thank you!
Made this last night for meatless Monday. Good stuff with everyone liking it so will definitely be prepared again. Thank you.
This was a good recipe, and the kids enjoyed it! Thanks! If I made it again, I might reduce the sugar even further, to a 1/4 C, double the ginger, and restore the garlic to 3 cloves. The rice vinegar you added is a must! Can’t imagine how sweet it would taste without it.
I made this recipe a while back and blogged about it here: http://gwensfishfood.com/mongolian-tofu-2/. I reduced the sugar to 1/4, and I think it probably could’ve gone even less for my tastes. I also added some sriracha which gave it all a really lovely kick! I dream about this sauce still! Thanks for the recipe!
Made this last night, mostly as written. I added seared and steamed fresh broccoli in at the end during the simmer and reduce phase. Very nice, my kids liked it also.
In my 30 years experience cooking tofu one of the consistent things I’ve found is that every tofu recipe I’ve ever read dramatically underestimates the amount of time it takes to brown tofu. This one was no different. I’ve wondered for years if there’s some conspiracy amongst vegetarian cookbook writers around the notion that if we knew how long it really takes to get a nice sear and crust on tofu nobody would bother, and we’d go back to meat.
Having said that, the sauce was excellent. Next time I’m going to cut way back on the brown sugar and try Thai sweet soy sauce in it’s place.
What a simple, and delicious sounding dish – cannot wait to try it! It’s nice to see people really getting in to tofu and sharing different ways of using it. I just tend to chuck it into soups: http://sconetopot.wordpress.com/2014/10/11/phothai-soup-with-mussels/
There is nothing wrong with tofu as long as it is non GMO and organic.
Tofu is fine as long as it is a brand that is GMO free and organic.
Jenny, you weren’t kidding. This recipe is no joke! The best tofu dish I’ve ever made. EVER. The first time I tried it, the husband & kids raved. When I decided to ditch my stand-by tofu recipe and make this again a week later, I added diced red bell pepper, celery & peanuts and it was even more amazing. Thanks for some much needed inspiration!
If I have tofu that I am not using in a timely manner, I put it in the freezer. Once it thaws the texture is a little spongey, but I have a friend that prefers the tofu prepared this way. Then I usually press it, marinate it with a little soy sauce and garlic powder and then bake it.
One of my favorite ways to cook tofu gives it a lot of flavor, but does require some pre-planning because the long marination is important. I mix up a marinade of the juice of 1 lemon, 2 T olive oil, 2 T balsamic vinegar, 2 T Bragg’s liquid aminos (or sub soy sauce), 1-2 cloves garlic microplaned, and the key ingredient is 2 T Better than Bouillon vegetable base mixed in either 1/2 cup wine or 1/2 cup water. I cut the block of tofu into slices (thick for grilling, thinner for baking) and press the liquid out with some paper towels or a kitchen towel using my hands. Then I marinate it for at least 12 and preferable about 24 hours. The concentrated bouillon gives the tofu a lot of flavor and it works really well for grilled tofu. The other nice thing about this recipe is it does not use asian flavors, so it makes it easier to pair the tofu with other dishes that don’t have asian flavors.
I made this today for dinner. The tofu was good and the sauce was delish. I’m not sure if I’m fully converted to tofu but I can see myself eating this again.
Mongolian tofu recipe link now dead. We always liked that one, so if you have a similar one, please let my household know.