Miso and Turmeric Tofu
Serves 2
It dawned on me in the middle of the night that I couldn’t very well let Veganuary come and go without at least a single tofu recipe! This one is so versatile and so very delicious. I either use it in a lunchtime asian-inspired salad; a dinnertime stir-fry loaded with veggies and noodles, or I even enjoy it cold as a snack to seriously up my protein game. My husband was a staunch no-tofu-eater until I made this and now he actually requests this for dinner weekly, rather than looking at me like I’d served him a dead rat for dinner, like he did the first time I put tofu on his plate.
And if you are reallllly not feeling brave enough to try tofu (I get it, I’ve been there, I think we’ve all been there), then this marinade would also work wonders with a chicken stir fry too. But I urge you to get out of your comfort zone and try the tofu, as it is a great source of protein and contains all nine essential amino acids. It is also an excellent source of iron and calcium and a whole host of other wonderful micronutrients.
Making the marinade is as easy as mixing a few ingredients together in a bowl. Preparing the tofu block, takes a little bit more love and patience, but it’s not exactly difficult — all you need is some kitchen roll and some heavy books to help squeeze out some of the moisture.
P.S. Make double/triple the marinade, as it is a good one to have stock piled in your fridge for when you are short on time. It jazzes up any stir-fry, or is delicious on chicken or fish too for an Asian twist.
INGREDIENTS
· 1 tbsp Fresh Grated Ginger
· 1 tbsp Fresh Grated Turmeric
· 1 Garlic Clove — minced
· 4 tbsp Toasted Sesame Oil
· 1 tbsp Miso Paste
· 1 Lemon — Juice and Zest
· 1 tbsp Tamari (or Soy Sauce)
· 1 tbsp Japanese Rice Vinegar
· 1 tbsp Mirin
· 1 tsp Chilli flakes (or fresh chopped red chilli)
· Optional — 1 tsp Maple Syrup/Honey or more to taste
· Fresh Ground Black Pepper
· 1 Packet of Firm Tofu
METHOD
· For the marinade, place all of the ingredients (apart from the tofu itself) into a high-speed blender and blitz, or simply whisk together in a bowl and set aside.
· Drain the tofu and remove it from its packet.
· Place the tofu between two thick tea- towels or several layers of kitchen paper, and then put something heavy on top like a coffee table book or a frying pan.
· Let them soak up the moisture for about 20 minutes, changing your towels/kitchen paper around 3 times when they get too wet.
· The drier the tofu, the more the marinade will be absorbed.
· Once dry, chop into roughly 2cm cubes and put in a container and smother with the marinade, making sure each piece of tofu is well covered.
· Put this in the fridge for between a 1–24 hours. I always like to prepare my tofu the day before to really let the marinade do it’s thiiiing, and then you also have the added bonus of hardly having to prepare anything the next day for dinner!
· Once marinated, heat a little oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the tofu.
· Pan-fry the tofu until it is nicely golden brown on both sides.