Tag Archives: tofu

Black Pepper Tofu

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It has been too hot to even grill so I needed quick meals that didn’t heat up the kitchen too much this week. I have also been trying to incorporate vegetarian meals as meat can be expensive, even though we have small portions of meat. It does add up! My husband is very lukewarm when it comes to tofu so I try to make dishes that have loads of flavour. I saw several different recipes for Black Pepper Tofu and decided to come up with one myself.

I can’t complain too much about the heat, the rest of the states are getting pummeled by unyielding heat at the moment. Hopefully it will break soon and there will be relief.

Technique for Black Pepper Tofu

This meal takes about 20 minutes to make, just prep the tofu about 1/2 hour before hand. You don’t want the tofu wet otherwise it won’t crisp up.

Cube the tofu and place between paper towels/kitchen roll. Press and set aside.

Add the sauce ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer and stir frequently. Simmer on low while the rest of the dish is cooked.

Dredge the tofu cubes in corn starch/corn flour and tap the excess off. In a large skillet, heat up the peanut oil.

Cook each side until the tofu is crispy and golden. Remove the tofu from the skillet and place on a plate lined with paper towel/kitchen roll. Set that aside. Add more peanut oil if need be to the skillet. If there are allergies to consider, vegetable oil will work just as well. Start cooking the udon noodles at this point.

Sautè the mushrooms until they start browning and then add the scallions. When the noodles are cooked add them to the skillet. I don’t drain the noodles but rather I use tongs to transfer the noodles as some of the cooking water comes along for the ride. This helps thicken the sauce a bit.

Add the tofu back into the skillet to make sure they are warm. When the noodles are cooked add them to the skillet. I don’t drain the noodles but rather I use tongs to transfer the noodles as some of the cooking water comes along for the ride. This helps thicken the sauce a bit. Add the sauce that has been simmering and reducing a bit at a time to the skillet. You don’t want to flood the dish but you want to make sure all the ingredients are well coated with the sauce.

I really enjoyed the punch of the black pepper with the ginger. Having leftovers the next day, the mushroom flavour really came through. Even though this wasn’t a heavy dish which we don’t want in the height of summer, it would be a very warming dish when needed.

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Black Pepper Tofu

A easy vegetarian dish that is packed with great flavours of ginger and black pepper.

Course Main Course
Cuisine Asian
Keyword Black Pepper Tofu
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings 4
Author Our Growing Paynes

Ingredients

  • 1 packet of udon noodles
  • 15 oz extra firm tofu
  • 2 tbsp corn starch/corn flour
  • 1/2 cup soy sauce/amino acids 4oz
  • 1/2 cup rice vinegar 4oz
  • 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp minced ginger
  • 2 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tbsp peanut oil
  • 2 spring onions/scallions, chopped
  • 6-8 shiitake mushrooms, sliced
  • 1/2 jalapeño pepper, finely chopped

Instructions

  1. Drain the tofu for about half an hour. Then cube it and press between paper towel/kitchen roll. You don't need to press hard but you want the paper towel to soak up the moisture.

  2. Put the soy sauce, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger and black pepper in a small saucepan. Simmer until it reduces about a third.

  3. Heat the peanut oil in a large skillet. Dredge the tofu in the corn starch/corn flour. Tap the excess off and place in the skillet. Cook until both sides are golden and crispy. Remove from the skillet and place on a plate lined with paper towels. Cover to keep warm.

  4. Add more peanut oil if needed to the skillet. Toss in the shiitake, scallions and jalapeño. Sautè until the mushrooms start to brown and turn golden.

  5. Add the tofu, noodles and sauce into the skillet and mix well with the veg. Serve immediately.

Poached Eggs and Tofu

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I mentioned in my last post of my Tofu Burrito I was struggling with a dish so I had put it aside. It called for hot spring eggs, which are made by covering with boiling water. The recipe is from Harumi’s Japanese Cooking and said it’s very easy to make. Not so! I tried it different ways and all I ended up with was the yoke. I gave up as making poach eggs is faster and I knew what I was getting. So this is my Poached Eggs with Tofu, loosely based on the Hot Spring Eggs.

I love the subtle flavours of this dish and the ingredients are relatively easy to find. With a bit of prep you’ll have an easy lunch to enjoy.

Technique for Poached Eggs and Tofu

About an hour or so before the dish is made a stock has to be made and the tofu needs to be wrapped in paper towel/kitchen roll. Slice two rectangles of tofu per serving and wrap it. Set aside. This helps remove excess water for when you pan fry the tofu. In a cup add equal parts bonito flakes and kelp and cover with boiling water.

Set this aside and let steep for about an hour.

When it’s time to make the dish bring water and a 1/4 cup (2oz) of white vinegar to a boil. Poach the eggs for 3 minutes.

Mix the ingredients for the sauce in a small serving bowl.

Meanwhile, heat up the sesame oil in a skillet. Fry the tofu until both sides are golden and crispy.

Drain the tofu of excess oil and place the eggs over the tofu. Drizzle some sauce over the eggs and top with fresh scallions/green onion.

I enjoyed this with smoked mackerel. I’m glad I switched to the poached eggs as I love the flavours of the dish so it was nice to finally get it together!

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Poached Eggs and Tofu

Asian flavours with pan fried tofu.

Course Main Course
Cuisine Asian
Keyword Poached Eggs and Tofu
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Author Our Growing Paynes

Ingredients

  • 2 slices tofu (per serving)
  • 2 eggs (per serving)
  • 2 tbsp sesame oil
  • equal parts bonito flakes and kelp
  • 2 tsp mirin
  • 1 tsp amino acids or soy sauce
  • 1 tsp minced ginger
  • 2 tbsp stock made with bonito flakes and kelp
  • 1/4 cup sliced scallion/green onion

Instructions

  1. Boil water and cover the bonito flakes and kelp in a cup. Steep for at least an hour.

  2. Slice the tofu and wrap with paper towels/kitchen roll to remove excess water. Set aside.

  3. Boil water with 1/4 cup/2oz of white vinegar. Poach the eggs for 3 minutes.

  4. Mix the stock from steeping the bonito flakes and kelp with the aminio acid, mirin and minced ginger. Stir well.

  5. Heat the sesame oil in a skillet and pan fry the tofu until golden and crispy. Drain the excess oil from the tofu.

  6. Place the poached eggs over the tofu. Drizzle the sauce over the eggs and top with the scallion/green onions.

Tofu Burrito

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Before I decided to make this Tofu Burrito, I was trying to make a different dish with eggs. I tried over a few weeks to get it to work based on the directions. Easy it said. Not in the least. So I put that on the back burner to make a different dish so that I could at least get a post done this month. Have you ever run into the proverbial brick wall with a recipe?

Last weekend, my husband and I decided to play hooky from working on the house. It’s a Victorian Queen Anne and while we love old homes, it becomes a drag at times with the constant long list of to-dos. It was a gorgeous autumn day so we went hiking into the woods. Being out in nature does wonders for the mind and makes it easier to take deep breaths.

We found a fabulous cafe in our travels for lunch and my husband ordered their tofu burrito. The only complaint he had was they didn’t use cilantro (coriander leaf). Because our son also loves burritos I decided to recreate this dish for them. My son was shocked I have never eaten a burrito in my life. He looked at me like I had three heads! How have I survived? 😉

Technique for Tofu Burrito

This dish couldn’t be simpler to make. Make the rice while you prepare the filling. White rice or brown rice is fine. I went with white rice as it can cook in half the time and I wanted a quick dish for the week night.

Heat up the olive oil in a skillet. Cook the beans and corn until the corn thaws.

Add the hot pepper, for this dish I used a cayenne pepper from the garden. Also add the scallion (spring onion), garlic and tofu. Sauté until the onion begins to soften. Add the chili powder, cumin and lime juice. Don’t worry about the level of seasoning until after you add the rice.

Add the sweet pepper and cilantro (coriander leaf). I add the sweet pepper last so there is a bit of crunch.

Add the rice and mix well. Check the level of seasoning and adjust as needed. I added a bit more lime juice at this point. Then season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

Lay out the burrito wrap. Add the shredded cheese and top with the burrito filling. Wrap tightly.

Serve with salsa and sour cream. My son said this was really good. High praise from a 15 year old and he went back for seconds.

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Tofu Burrito

A vegetarian dish with tofu and black beans

Course Main Course
Cuisine Mexican
Keyword Tofu Burrito
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings 6
Author Our Growing Paynes

Ingredients

  • 6 burrito wraps
  • 1 cup dry white rice
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 cup canned black beans
  • 1 cup frozen corn
  • 1 hot pepper of your choice, chopped
  • 2 scallions (spring onions), sliced
  • 1 cup cubed tofu
  • 1-2 cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped
  • 1/2 cup chopped cilantro (coriander leaf)
  • 1 small sweet pepper, chopped
  • 2 tbsp chili powder
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 2 tbsp lime juice
  • sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
  • 2 cups shredded cheese

Instructions

  1. Cook the rice according to the package directions

  2. Blot the excess moisture from the tofu.

  3. Heat the olive oil in a skillet. Cook the black beans and corn until the corn has thawed.

  4. Add the scallions, hot pepper, garlic and tofu. Sauté for a few minutes. Add the chili pepper, cumin and lime juice. Mix well.

  5. Add the sweet pepper and cilantro. Sauté again for a few minutes. Then add the cooked rice. Check the level of seasoning and adjust as needed. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

  6. Add cheese on top of a wrap and spoon the mixture over the cheese. Wrap tightly and serve.