- Weekend Brunch Flatbreads – Recipe - 22 January, 2016
- Winter sea salt brownies – Recipe - 19 November, 2015
- Grilled Aubergine Bruschetta - 19 August, 2013
So essentially this is the opposite of last week’s recipe; it’s vegetarian and may actually not reduce a nutritionist to tears.
I am currently trying to do this thing where I have at least two veggie days a week. I would love to say that it’s because I worry about the poor tortured animals (or the fact that there may be a pony in my lasagne) but really it’s because I’m a poor postgraduate and meat is bloody expensive. However I am not a fan of fake meat things, I mean have you seen veggie bacon? That’s a colour that should not be found in anything edible! So I tend to go for things that manage to be tasty and meat-free without using some weird fungus based product. Fried tofu is definitely a whole lot nicer than anything Quorn has to offer.
A lot of people tend to get a bit put off by the slightly slimy texture fresh tofu has but I can guarantee zero percent sliminess in this recipe. The trick is to dry and salt the tofu before you fry it. This helps draw out most of the moisture and gives the tofu slices a lovely crisp exterior. Although it’s called fried tofu this recipe actually requires little to no oil, depending on how non-stick your pan is. Just make sure the tofu is lovely and golden on one side before you flip it over. I had mine with greens and rice but it actually would make a nice starter on its own with some sweet chilli dipping sauce. The recipe makes enough for about 2-3 people depending on your appetite and the size of your plates…
1 pack firm tofu
4 small leeks
2 handfuls spinach
4 brown mushrooms
200ml rice
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup teriyaki sauce
2 tbsp salt
A little oil for frying
1. Slice tofu into 1cm (1/3 inch) slices, halve those and spread on a chopping board covered in kitchen roll. Pat dry with some more kitchen roll. Cover generously with salt and leave to sit for 15 mins.
2. While the tofu is oozing water, wash and cut up your veggies. You want everything in thin slices apart from the spinach which only needs a quick rinse.
3. Put rice in a saucepan with 400ml water and bring to the boil. Stir once when it starts boiling then put the lid on and leave to simmer for 15 mins. Once the rice has finished cooking take it off the heat and cover with a clean tea towel. This should help absorb the steam so your rice is all nice and fluffy.
4. Cover a plate or chopping board with kitchen roll. Pour one tablespoon of oil into a large frying pan and heat to a medium-high heat. Once the oil is simmering carefully place tofu slices into the pan and fry till pale golden on one side (about 2 mins) then flip over and wait till the other side is golden as well. Leave fried tofu on your pre-prepared plate while you fry the next batch. You may have to add a little more oil if your pan gets very dry.
5. Return the fried tofu to the pan and add leeks and mushrooms, fry on a high heat till the leeks start to brown a little bit then add the spinach.
6. Divide rice and your tofu and veggie mix between 2- 3 plates, depending on how greedy you feel, and pour over soy and teriyaki sauce.
