by Illaria Catizone
I am always on the lookout for more plant-based recipes and when I recently tried this one I knew I had found a winner!
Originally from Veggie Society (https://veggiesociety.com/sesame-tofu-recipe-broccoli/ ) this sesame tofu dish was very well received by the whole family… well almost… my super fussy 4 year old took one look at it and burst into tears. She is not the best to boost your culinary confidence I tell ya! However, when she finally calmed down and decided to try it (bribed with the promise of dessert!) she liked it enough to finish all she had on her plate. So an overall WIN!
The dish comes together in two parts: the tofu and sauce…. and a third part which is the broccoli. We actually did have broccoli and brown rice with this, but the stars are the tofu and the sauce, so you can pair those we any veggie and carb you like. The original recipe linked above actually gives you a few different options. Here is how I made mine. All of the ingredients are available in BULK at the Co-op, another WIN!
For the tofu:
- 350g firm tofu
- 2 tbs arrowroot flour
- A small splash of sesame oil
- Light olive oil for shallow frying
- A sprinkle of salt
I didn’t have time to press and dry the tofu as the recipe suggested, plus I thought a bit of moisture would make the arrowroot powder stick better to the tofu and it did. I tore the tofu into small pieces, placed it in a bowl and tossed it around with the arrowroot and salt.
Meanwhile, I had a pan heating up with enough olive oil to coat the bottom of it. Once the pan was hot I poured the tofu mixture and cooked it for about 10 minutes on high and 5 min on medium heat, stirring often. When it was nearly ready I sprinkled a light splash of sesame oil on it and cooked for another minute or so. This step is totally optional but I like sesame oil.
For the sauce:
- 3 tbs shouyu – as our bulk soy sauce at the Co-op is called
- 2 tbs of vinegar – the original recipe called for apple cider vinegar and I certainly think this is the right one to use, but I had just finished mine so I used a smaller splash of balsamic and it worked really well
- 3 tbs of maple syrup – I am pretty sure honey would work well here too if you are not vegan.
- 2 cloves of garlic – I just put them in whole as I blended the sauce anyway
- 2 tsp of ginger – the recipe calls for fresh ginger but I was out so used powder. It worked fine but both my 10 year old daughter and I, who love fresh ginger, agreed this would give it a lovely kick which ours was missing
- 1 tbs of cornstarch
- water – enough to give it a thick, but still liquid consistency.
I put all the sauce’s ingredients in a pan and heated until it thickened. Then I gave it a quick whizz with the blender just to make it extra smooth.
Once I was happy with the consistency, I poured it over the tofu, sprinkled with lemon juice and sesame seeds and served warm!
I hope your family likes this as much as mine did. It is quick to make and you can buy all of the ingredients at the Co-op without the plastic, including the tofu, which is always a thrill!
Let us know if you have a go at making it yourself 🙂