Lenny Kravitz ~ Stut album
Do you ever cook a recipe and deep down you are dreading eating it? No? Just me then....crikey. OK so I confess this is exactly what I was feeling whilst making today's dish. I have a tofu issue....those that read my little blog regularly will be aware of this. I struggle with the spongy texture when eating it 'slabbed' in any style. I don't mind it scrambled or blitzed and I greatly enjoy it as a Spanish Omelette ala Terry & Isa but as a stand alone ingredient I struggle. So why did I make this recipe from BBC's Vegetarian Christmas magazine? Well because I found one of the key ingredients in the supermarket and thought...what the heck? I want to find my tofu love so decided to be brave...
I had to make one major change to the recipe as it called for egg strands in the original. I decided to add some cooked gluten-free noodles which suited my tastes well. I used brown rice miso for my glaze and blimey it was an intense smell in my kitchen and I wasn't left with a lot of glaze to drizzle over the final dish..well I probably had 2 1/2 tbsp and it set like concrete! The salad is very easy to make as is its dressing. The cooking and glazing of the tofu is too. And although I enjoying making this meal...I was dreading eating it. I had even got myself convinced that I would be trying one mouthful and then I would be heating up a bowl of the soup I had made earlier in the day. The tofu steaks sat in my oven all day taunting me...
What a fool! Because as soon as this lovely meal hit my taste buds I was a sold. The tofu steaks had absorbed the glaze perfectly and had even firmed up and I loved the texture. The beansprout salad was refreshing compared to the smokiness of the tofu steaks, the noodles gave it a stability that I fear it would have lacked without. And the ingredient that started it all...the rare to find...pea shoots were a delight. I'm so happy I tried this recipe and it has inspired me to keep trying different ways of cooking the demon white stuff.
Right I am away to be a happy Auntie as we have our nieces and nephew here for the weekend. Happy, happy days....
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| Miso Glazed Tofu Steaks with Beansprout Salad |
Miso-glazed Tofu Steaks with Beansprout Salad Serves 4
(Adapted from BBC Vegetarian Christmas Magazine)
For the beansprout salad:
300g/11oz beansprouts
1 red pepper, deseeded and sliced into thin strips (I used yellow)
100g/4oz red radishes (about 12) trimmed and quartered
2 spring onions, finely sliced on the diagonal
75g pack of peas shoots
50g roasted peanuts, roughly chopped to serve
For the dressing:
3 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp reduced salt soy sauce (I used Brags!)
1 tbsp caster sugar (I used a stevia blend)
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 cm/ 1/2" piece ginger, peeled and finely grated
3 tbsp sunflower oil (I used only 2)
For the glazed tofu:
400g/14oz pack of fresh firm tofu
1 tbsp miso paste (I used brown rice miso)
150ml/ 1/4pt mirin
75ml/2 1/2 fl oz reduced salt soy sauce (I used Brags)
Cooked gluten-free noodles for however many you are cooking for..
Prepare the beansprout salad. Put the beansprouts in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave for 2 minutes then drain well and leave to cool. When cooled combine with the pepper, radishes and spring onion.
To make the dressing, whisk together all the ingredients except the oil until the sugar has dissolves. Trickle in the oil slowly whilst whisking to emulsify. Stir the dressing through the beansprout mixture and chill until ready to serve. Stirring occasionally.
Drain the tofu, wrap the whole block in kitchen towel, and press gently to absorb all the moisture. Unwrap and cut in half across the middle, then in half again diagonally, to create four triangles.
To prepare the tofu glaze, place the miso in a cup and add 2 tbsp of boiling water. Whisk until completely smooth. Pour into a pan that the tofu will fight into a single layer. Add the mirin and soy sauce, stir and bring to a boil. Add the tofu to the sauce and simmer for 15 minutes, carefully turning the tofu half through.
Heat the oven to 220'C/GM 7/425'F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Carefully lift the tofu from the sauce and place on the tray. Cook in the oven for 15minutes, then turn off the oven and then leave the tofu in to keep warm. Meanwhile, to thicken the glaze, raise the heat to a medium boil, stir occasionally, until syrupy. Set aside.
When ready to serve remove the tofu from the oven and spoon a bit of glaze over the top of each piece, spreading with the back of a spoon. (If the glaze has cooled completely and is too thick, reheat slightly until spoonable) Reserve any remaining glaze to finish. (I only had a tiny amount of glaze...just saying ~R~)
To assemble, arrange the beansprout salad on a plate. (If using noodle add them to the salad here ~R~) Place the tofu steaks on top of the salad and scatter with peanuts and pea shoots. Finish with a drizzle of of the glaze. Serve..
Enjoy!
Thanks for stopping by and I hope your weekend is a happy one....
~Red~
NB: This is not my creation and therefore take no credit for it whatsoever. It is the adapted recipe from BBC Vegetarian Christmas magazine. I thank them for sharing such a great recipe. ~R~
