Sesame & Peanut Tofu

Yesterday we learned how to elevate tofu from “nutrition” to “nutritious tasty snack” with our Basic Baked Tofu recipe; today we’re expanding on that, to take it from “nutritious tasty snack” to “very respectable meal”.

You will need

For the tofu:

• The Basic Baked Tofu that we made yesterday (consider making this to be “step zero” of today’s recipe if you don’t already have a portion in the fridge)

For the sauce:

• ⅓ cup peanut butter, ideally with no added sugar or salt (if allergic to peanuts specifically, use almond butter; if allergic to nuts generally, use tahini)
• ¼ bulb garlic, grated or crushed
• 1 tbsp tamarind paste
• 1½ tbsp tamari sauce (or low-sodium soy sauce, if a substitution is necessary)
• 1 tbsp sambal oelek (or sriracha sauce, if a substitution is necessary)
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• ½ tsp ground sweet cinnamon
• ½ tsp MSG (or else omit; do not substitute with salt in this case unless you have a particular craving)
• zest of 1 lime

For the vegetables:

• 14 oz broccolini / tenderstem broccoli, thick ends trimmed (failing that, any broccoli)
• 6 oz shelled edamame
• 1½ tsp toasted sesame oil

For serving:

• 4 cups cooked rice (we recommend our Tasty Versatile Rice recipe)
• ½ cup raw cashews, soaked in hot water for at least 5 minutes and then drained (if allergic, substitute cooked chickpeas, rinsed and drained)
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
• 1 handful chopped cilantro, unless you have the “this tastes like soap” gene, in which case substitute chopped parsley

Method

(we suggest you read everything at least once before doing anything)

1) Combine the sauce ingredients in a bowl and whisk well (or use a blender if you have one that’s comfortable with this relatively small quantity of ingredients). Taste it, and adjust the ingredient ratios if you’d like more saltiness, sweetness, sourness, spiciness, umami.

2) Prepare a bowl with cold water and some ice. Steam the broccolini and edamame for about 3 minutes; as soon as they become tender, dump them into the ice bathe to halt the cooking process. Let them chill for a few minutes, then drain, dry, and toss in the sesame oil.

3) Reheat the tofu if necessary (an air fryer is great for this), and then combine with half of the sauce in a bowl, tossing gently to coat well.

4) Add a little extra water to the remaining sauce, enough to make it pourable, whisking to an even consistency.

5) Assemble; do it per your preference, but we recommend the order: rice, vegetables, tofu, cashews, sauce, sesame seeds, herbs.

Enjoy!

Want to learn more?

For those interested in some of the science of what we have going on today:

• Tofu vs Seitan – Which is Healthier?
• Plant vs Animal Protein: Head to Head
• Sweet Cinnamon vs Regular Cinnamon – Which is Healthier?
• Our Top 5 Spices: How Much Is Enough For Benefits?

Take care!