Baked Tofu with Celery and Pickled Radish

This is a multi-part recipe. The first stage is to marinate then bake the firm tofu to replicate the taste/texture of Trader Joe's pre-packaged baked tofu. The reason for doing this is that Trader Joe's marinade has onions in it and we all know from reading this blog that onions are the spawn of hell. Eventually, I'll find a recipe that allows me to make the pickled daikon radish that's used in this dish. I've done this with firm, medium firm, and extra firm tofu, the latter of which works well. I'll still "press" the extra firm tofu to drain the excess water from the tofu. If you have ever purchased pre-packaged baked tofu, you'll note that it is supremely dense. Also, Trader Joe's tofu is $3.69 for 7 oz and a standard 16 oz package of "fresh" organic tofu from the supermarket costs around $2. 

The Foodening Blog: Baked Tofu with Celery and Pickled Radish

Baked Tofu

Tofu marinade:

3 tbsp tamari (wheat-free) soy sauce
3 tbsp organic apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp raw honey
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp ground mustard
1 tbsp filtered water
1/2 tsp sea salt
1.5 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp celery salt
1 block organic tofu, extra firm

Press. Before marinading the tofu, put the tofu on a clean plate and place a plate on top of the tofu. Put a heavy object (a bottle filled with water) on the top plate. Let it "press" out the excess water for a half hour. There will be more water exuded from medium firm tofu than from extra firm tofu. Discard this water.

Marinate. Combine marinade ingredients and pour over tofu in a container large enough so that the marinade and tofu can fit. I use a 3-cup resealable container. Let tofu marinade in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or longer.

Bake. Preheat oven to 425 F. In a metal or glass baking dish, either oil the bottom of the dish or add a bit more water to the marinade; or bake the tofu slightly covered. I did all three and didn't end up with dried/burnt marinade in the baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes. You can flip the tofu half way through baking, but I don't think it matters all that much.

Onto the second stage:

Ingredients

1 recipe baked tofu, sliced thin into matchsticks
3 organic celery stalks, sliced into matchsticks
1-2 tbsp unseasoned rice vinegar
1 6 oz jar of pickled radish
1 bunch cilantro, leaves only

Roughly chop the cilantro. Slice the celery and tofu into matchstick pieces. Add pickled radish and a splash of rice vinegar (can substitute apple cider vinegar). Mix well. Can refrigerate this until ready to serve.

Makes roughly 2 quarts (by volume).

Future note: The pickled radish is a specialty item; though most Asian grocery stores will carry it. And taste-wise, quick pickled radish recipes will not be a fair substitute for it.

Tofu Dango

It's hard to not try a new recipe when you see the food item raved about on an anime series. Part of this recipe is about curiosity and seeing how there are so few ingredients for it, the dumplings practically begged to be made. Depending on the sauce used on the dango, it can be sweet or savory. It's pretty easy to make.

Dango (dumplings) coated with black sesame,
vanilla sauce, and a savory sauce

Prep/cooking time: 20 minutes
Cuisine: Japanese
Food type: appetizer or dessert

Tofu Dango

Ingredients

6 oz tofu (roughly half a box of Silken tofu, firm)
2/3 c. glutinous rice flour

Directions

1. Mix ingredients together in a bowl. If it is too dry, add a little bit of water. If it's too wet/sticky, add a little bit more rice flour.

2. Form into a log and separate it into equal portions. Half, then quarters, then smaller pieces from the quarters.

3. With the smaller pieces roll each into a ball. You may coat each with a some rice flour to keep it from sticking to your hands.

4. Bring a pot of water to boil and add the dumplings. Boil for 2-3 minutes or until the dumplings are floating on the water.

5. Use a slotted spoon or strainer to take the dumplings out. Immerse in a cold water bath to stop the dumplings from cooking.

6. Spear three dumplings onto a bamboo skewer. Set on a plate.

At this stage, I don't advise eating them. They're really, really bland.

Dango Sauce Variations

(savory)

1 tbsp mirin
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp brown sugar

Bring to a boil and let cool in a small bowl. Spoon over dango.

(simple vanilla sauce, not vegan)

1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 tsp flour
1/4 c. milk

Bring ingredients to a boil. Let cool and serve over dango.

(sweet, black sesame)

1/4 c. black sesame seeds
1/4 c. brown sugar

Grind seeds until powdery in a suribachi or food prep. Coat the dango and serve.


View more pics.

Mápó dòufu (hot spicy tofu)

This dish is commonly regarded as one of the signature dishes of the Szechuan province in China. It is pretty easy to prepare. I'm not a fan of this dish, but after watching this prepared in an episode of the comedy anime series Chuka Ichiban (Cooking Master Boy), I got awfully interested in cooking it. Everyone else in my family is proficient at cooking it. 

My mom tells me that it isn't complicated at all... "You fry the pork and green onion. Put in the tofu and fry it. Add the sauce and you're done." 

My dad's recipe, as it was told over the telephone, went like this: "Take one box of tofu and chop it into whatever shape you want. Fry ground pork until crispy with soy sauce. Add some chicken broth. Put a little salt on it. When it starts to bubble, put the ground pork in. Add 1/2 tsp black pepper. Cook with medium-thick cornstarch until it is a little shiny and sticky. If you like it hot, chop up a red pepper. Put spring onion on it. Add a few drops of sesame oil. Add the hot bean sauce last so that it's not too hot." 

My brother's recipe had less of the how and more of the what to put in the dish: sauce is 1/4 c. stock, 1 tbsp hot bean sauce, 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce; green onions, minced ginger, minced garlic, tofu, 1 lb ground pork, and Szechuan peppercorns (btw, these are no longer a banned ingredient in the USA). 

Here's what transpired on the stove tonight... 

Ingredients: 

1 box soft tofu (should be firm, but this is all I had in my pantry) 
1/4 pound ground pork 
1/2 tsp fresh ginger, minced 
2 cloves garlic, minced 
1 stalk green onion, sliced, for garnish 
1 tsp sesame oil (optional) 
1/4 c. chicken broth 
2 tbsp olive oil, for frying freshly ground black pepper 
Sauce thickener (optional): 1 tsp cornstarch 2 tsp cold water

Sauce (mildly spicy): 
1 tsp hot bean sauce (1 tbsp for very spicy) 
1 tsp light soy sauce
1/2 tsp salt (up to 1 1/2 tsp salt) 

Directions: 

1. Cube the bean curd into 1/2" pieces and set aside. 

2. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan and fry the ground pork until almost no pinkness remains. Set aside. 

3. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan and add the garlic and ginger. When these start to lightly brown, add the tofu and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the pork, chicken broth, and sauce. Simmer for about 3 minutes. 

4. Dissolve the cornstarch with the cold water and pour this into the pan. This will thicken the sauce. 

5. Stir in the sesame oil and sprinkle with green onions. 

6. Remove from heat and serve. Looked like mapo tofu, tastes like mild mapo tofu. Well, it has all the flavor and very little of the hot spicyness. This can be converted into a vegetarian dish by omitting the ground meat and using a vegetable broth instead.

A tofu trick

Ever not have deep fried tofu around? Well, here's tofu you can keep in your freezer until it's needed. Buy a "firm" package of tofu, preferably the one that doesn't come in a vacuum seal. Any brand will do. Put it in your freezer until it freezes. Then thaw it out, drain all the water and squeeze out as much water as you can from the tofu without breaking it. Slice the tofu brick into 4 equal portions. Each portion is about a serving for one person. I am usually cooking for one, so put the rest of the portions into a ziplock bag and back into the freezer.

The portion that remains, slice that into smaller pieces. Put those pieces into your soup. This tofu will soak up much of the flavor in your soup and be very tasty.

Pumpkin Bread (with tofu)

This is a pretty good dessert to bring into one's workplace. People always like eating healthy things, mostly.

Dry ingredients:

3 c. whole wheat flour
1 tsp. each cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, salt
2 tsp baking soda
2 c. granulated sugar

Wet ingredients:

2 c. pumpkin flesh, mashed
One 10.25 oz pkg. soft tofu, any brand
2/3 c. milk
4 eggs, beaten

Directions

1. Mix wet with wet. In a separate bowl, mix dry with dry. Gradually add dry to wet and mix until blended thoroughly.

2. Grease bread pan with olive oil and dust lightly with flour. Fill bread pan with mixture and bake at 350 F for 1 hour.

3. Let cool on rack before emptying the pan.

Makes 2 loaves.