KORN ~ Oildale (Leave Me Alone)
Dhumamarga ~ Dhumamarga
Live ~ The Distance
KORN ~ Twist
Kelly Rowland ~ Daylight
Beth Hart ~ Monkey Back
Soundgarden ~ Like Suicide
The Union ~ You're My Jesus
Jack Johnson ~ Drink The Water
Depeche Mode ~ See You
Jose Carerras ~ The Way We Were
Pearl Jam ~ Just Breathe (Live)
Lisa Loeb ~ Stay (I Missed You)
Halestorm ~ Tell Me Where It Hurts
Oh...my...goodness! I don't think there are words right now to describe how this dish blew my mind last night. Regular followers will know that it is a battle for me to enjoy tofu. I had one meal made for me by Guest Host Dev which I enjoyed very much and thought maybe that was the one to get me past the fear of the white stuff..lol. But sadly afterwards I fell back into my mistrust of the texture of it. Blitzed in any form...love it...in chunks...nope. Nuhuh..not gonna happen. Until today...
When searching through the recipes to try out whilst on holiday this one seemed to call out to me. Even though part of my mind was in shock..lol I've never actually shallow fried tofu before as I hate frying anything and have a real oil phobia. But yesterday I did it..I made the recipe exactly as D.K instructed and only had a mild flipout at during the frying moment. I enjoyed making the sauce which smelt so good simmering away and it was so easy to make too. I steamed my broccoli and red pepper and set it to one side...it was maybe the broccoli in this dish that pulled me in...lol...broccoli addict that I am. It seems like a lot of work for one dish but believe me it isn't...and it is so worth it. I will be making this once a month as a treat...and can't wait to try it out on Dev very soon...
So I served mine with steamed brown rice as you can see in the photo and it worked brilliantly. The tofu with its sesame crust was just firm enough that I didn't have my usual reaction..combined with the tender steamed veggies, the power house of flavours glaze and the rice...it made a succulent, heady and indulgent meal. I ate every mouthful on my plate and I smiled the entire time. It was rich without being heavy or stodgy which is always good in my opinion. Afterwards you are left feeling like you have been thoroughly spoilt....
I urge you to try this for yourself...if I hate every other recipe I try this week I won't care at all because of this one recipe, it was worth the price of the book.
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| D.K's Sesame-Orange-Glazed Tofu Nuggets with Broccoli and Red Bell Pepper |
Sesame-Orange-Glazed Tofu Nuggets with Broccoli and Red Bell Pepper Serves 4
(Recipe from A Chinese Vegan Kitchen/Klein)
11b extra firm tofu, drained
1lb fresh broccoli florets, cut into bite sized pieces
1 large red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
1 cup of orange juice, preferably freshly squeezed
1/2 cup of water
3 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp chilli paste, or more to taste
1 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce, (I used wheat free)
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp plain rice vinegar
1/2 tsp salt plus additional to taste
2 tbsp Hoisin sauce
1 tsp toasted dark sesame oil
1/3 cup of sesame seeds, (I used black sesame)
3 tbsp all purpose flour, (or GF equivalent)
1/4 cup peanut oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 scallions, white and green parts thinly sliced
Place the tofu on a deep sided plate or shallow bowl, top with a second plate and weight with a heavy can. Let stand for a min 15 minute or preferably 1 hour. Drain excess water, cut into 1" cubes and set aside.
Steam broccoli and red bell pepper until tender crisp and then set to one side.
Meanwhile in a small saucepan whisk together the orange juice, water, 1 1/2 tbsp of cornstarch, chilli paste, soy sauce, sugar, vinegar and salt until thoroughly blended. Bring to a brisk simmer, stirring often, reduce heat to medium and cook, whisking constantly until the glaze bubbles and thickens..2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the Hoisin sauce and sesame oil and set aside.
Place the sesame seeds in a small bowl. In another bowl combine the remained cornstarch and flour. Roll the tofu in the sesame seeds and then the flours until well coated. In a wok or large non stick skillet..heat the peanut oil over a med-high heat and add the tofu and cook, turn it every few minutes until nicely browned on all sides...6-8 minutes. Transfer to some kitchen towel to drain and season with salt and pepper.
In the same wok, return the tofu and add the steamed veggies and glaze. Cook over a medium heat, stirring and turning often until tofu and veggies are thoroughly coated and heated through. Serve at once...
Enjoy!
Thanks for stopping by and I hope your Monday has been kind to you...
~Red~
Many thanks to Donna Klein for a very interesting cookbook...respect.
