• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Marge Perry's A Sweet and Savory Life

  • Recipes
  • Articles
  • Calendar
  • About
  • Contact

Tofu, Whether You Like it or Not

March 27, 2012 By Marge Perry

Lots of people don’t like tofu, and I get that. People who love tofu say things like “You can’t dislike tofu–it has no flavor of it’s own” and “It just absorbs whatever flavors it is paired with”. I disagree. Tofu can take on the flavors around it, but it has its own characteristics, too.

Just to be clear, I like tofu. I like it prepared many different ways– some of which people who don’t like tofu would abhor (because the custard-like texture and inherent flavor are left unmasked). But most of all I like tofu turned into meaty, chewy triangles with a crispy crust. And, I have found, so do lots of people who don’t normally eat tofu. This is Tofu for the Reluctant.

The powerfully flavorful salty, spicy sauce adds to its appeal– for both Reluctants and Lovers. And now, I’m going to pull out the really big guns (in case I havent been convincing enough): you can have this dish on the table in about 15 minutes.

 

Tofu for the Reluctant

1 14-ounce block firm tofu

2 teaspoons sesame seeds

1-2 teaspoons honey

2 tablespoons light soy sauce

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

3 scallions, green parts only, chopped (about 1/3 cup

2 tablespoons sesame oil, divided

1. Drain the tofu and press it; top it with a plate and weigh the plate down with a heavy can.

2. Place the sesame seeds in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Cook, shaking the pan occasionally, until the seeds are light brown, about 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool.

3. Make the sauce: combine the honey, soy sauce and fish sauce in a bowl; stir to dissolve the honey. Add the sesame seeds, scallions and crushed red pepper.

4. Turn the tofu on its side and cut into four even slices. Lay the slices back on top of each other and cut diagonally across in quarters to form 16 triangles.

5. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in the skillet over medium high. Add half the tofu and cook 4 minutes per side, or until lightly golden. Keep warm in a low oven or drape with foil while you repeat the procedure with the remaining oil and tofu.

6. To serve, spoon the sauce over the tofu.

Makes 2 servings

Nutritional analysis for each serving: 345 calories, 20 g protein, 11 g carbohydrates, 2 g fiber, 23 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 1284 mg sodium

 

Filed Under: Appetizers, Hors d'oeuvres and First Courses, Fast and Easy, Meatless Mains, Recipes, Tofu

Previous Post: « Irish Brown Soda Bread (Please Respect the Fairies)
Next Post: A Do-Ahead Passover Menu: Kugel, Brisket, Roast Spring Vegetables, Matzo Ball Soup and Pomegranate Poached Pears »

Reader Interactions

Get More Updates!

Sign up to get exclusive updates & tips!

Comments

  1. Susan Siegeltuch says

    March 28, 2012 at 6:09 am

    This sounds delicious Marge!
    I’m goign to try it!

    • Marge says

      March 28, 2012 at 6:50 pm

      Great Susan– let us know how it turns out!

  2. laurie says

    March 28, 2012 at 6:21 am

    THIS LOOKS AMAZING. I AM DEFINITELY TRYING IT. THNAK YOU !

  3. Edward says

    March 28, 2012 at 6:30 am

    I’m a convert lately. Especially with big spicy flavors. Need to add this to our repertoire!

  4. Ebo says

    March 28, 2012 at 8:35 am

    Ed, it’s super tasty. Even when it was cold it was still crispy…

  5. Kamen says

    March 28, 2012 at 12:14 pm

    This looks very tasty and presentable thank you very much. Can not wait to take your course on Fish next month as well…

    • Marge says

      March 28, 2012 at 6:51 pm

      Kamen– I’m looking forward to cooking with you again. I think we’ll be having a mini-reunion– I believe Emily will also be in Simple and Savory Fish.

  6. northern deb says

    April 9, 2012 at 7:10 pm

    Do you have a substitute for the fish sauce? My daughters are vegan and I would love to try this…. sounds wonderful.

    • Marge says

      April 10, 2012 at 3:40 am

      I have a few suggestions: none of them will produce the same flavor, but I believe all will work with varying degrees of success. My first choice is to hunt down vegetarian “fish” sauce in a specialty Thai market. It exists, but I am not sure how commonly available it is. I realize that may not be practical, so a good alternative is to soak seaweed in some soy sauce. The resulting liquid will have more depth of flavor than plain soy sauce, and even a slightly “fishy” flavor. This should work well. You can also soak dried mushrooms in the soy sauce: this too will add depth to the flavor, but not the flavor of the sea. Finally, my last choice is to try making the dish using all soy sauce– the sauce will have a thinner flavor, but should still be tasty.

  7. Jazz says

    August 22, 2012 at 4:12 pm

    Hi Marge, my mom made this for me while I was home for college this summer. She substituted the soy sauce with liquid aminos and chili flakes for cayenne! It was amazing! Now I cook this in my apartment back at school. Thanks for the recipe!

Primary Sidebar

I make my living writing, teaching and speaking about food and travel. In the name of work, I (have to!) eat a lot, meet interesting people (many of whom, like me, are passionate about their work) and travel near and far to see where and how food is made, grown or raised. I am saved from a life of extreme obesity by the fact that I truly love to exercise, but I am always one forkful away from not being able to button my jeans. Mine is a sweet and savory life.

I share it with my husband and co-author, David Bonom. Check out our new book, Hero Dinners: Complete One-Pan Meals That Save the Day

To learn more about me, click here →

Subscribe

sign-up here for email updates!

  • Want to see a cool trick for poaching eggs? Check out this video we did for Anolon. The trick comes at :22!

  • Craftsy Blogger Awards - Winner Best Tutorials Badge

    Popular Posts

    How to Cook Tender, Juicy (not dry!) Chicken Breasts

    Grilled or Roasted Spice-Rubbed Chicken Thighs: My Go-To Easy Dinner

    Strawberry Frosted Cupcakes

    Disclosure statement

    Do you have Chicken Anxiety??

    Become a Chicken Master! Make moist, tender, juicy, safe chicken each and every time. My online Craftsy video class, All About Chicken will show you how. Click here to learn more-- and get a special reader discount of half price.

    Footer

    Hero Dinners: Complete One-Pan Meals That Save the Day, our latest cookbook, is available wherever books are sold (including on Amazon).

    Want to see more of my work? Click on "Articles" at the top of the page for links to our recipes, articles and videos in magazines, websites, and social media.

    Feel free to connect/follow via any of the social media buttons below or drop me a line here through my contact page. Read More…

    More From the Blog

    Subscribe

    sign-up here for email updates!

    Copyright © 2023 asweetandsavorylife