Sesame Tofu Recipe with Hot & Sweet Sauce - Step by Step

TH and I both like tofu so I really have no excuses for not cooking with it more often. For the longest time, I wasn't able to recognize extra firm tofu in the Singapore supermarkets but finally figured out that it's labeled Tau Kwa. Tofu is super absorbent and takes in flavours beautifully no matter what you cook with it or cook it in. When we go out, especially for a non-Indian meal, we find ourselves with some side dish with tofu in it, especially in a Thai meal.

The moment I saw this gorgeous sesame tofu recipe, I wanted to try it. Some of the original ingredients are not always what I have in hand or use much so I substituted with my own variations and it still tasted great. Generally, I am not a fan of mixing sweet in a savoury dish but honey-based sauces are always an exception.

I am positive this would taste just as fabulous with paneer substituted for tofu and and as a side dish for vegetable fried rice or egg fried rice. Yum!

HOT & SWEET SESAME TOFU RECIPE

Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Serves 2
Recipe and photo adapted from: Use Real Butter

Ingredients:

• 1 block of firm tofu
• 1/4 cup of cornflour / corn starch
• A pinch of salt
• 2 tbsp of white sesame seeds
• A small bunch of spring onions/green onions

For the sauce:

• 3 tbsp of honey
• 1 tsp of soya sauce
• 1 tsp of vinegar
• 2 tsp of red chilli flakes
• 1 tsp of freshly grated ginger
• 1 tsp of freshly grated garlic
• 2 tsp of sesame oil
• 1/2 cup of oil, more or less, for shallow frying

How to Make Sesame Tofu:

1. Mix all the ingredients for the sauce in a pan.

Simmer on low heat until it starts to bubble up a bit. Continue to simmer for 2-3 mins and then turn off flame.

3. Now we need to fry up the tofu. If your tofu came packed in water, drain completely and press between kitchen towels to extract extra moisture. Cut into bite-sized cubes and dredge in the corn flour until fully coated.

4. Heat oil for shallow frying in a pan and add the tofu pieces in small batches making sure they don't overlap at all. Fry until light golden brown, drain and continue until you are done with the entire lot. Drain on kitchen towels to absorb the extra oil.

5. Add the fried tofu to a wide bowl and pour the sauce on top.

6. Top off with the sesame seeds and chopped spring onions.

Toss well to coat.

Sesame tofu is best served hot and immediately. If you expect it to be a while until you can serve it, keep the fried tofu and sauce separately, warm the sauce, and then do the mixing and tossing. The tofu pieces will remain crisp and the sauce gives a lovely sweet, hot, tangy, crunch to the entire dish.

Note:
The original recipe called for tamari instead of soya sauce I used, rice wine vinegar instead of the regular white vinegar I used, and Chinese sesame oil whereas I used gingelly oil or Indian sesame oil. As mentioned, I still loved the end product although my sauce was thicker since I added lesser honey.

Featured Props:
Brown flat plate and dark peach bowl both from Kappabashi Street, Tokyo.

Tofu Egg and Vegetable Fried Rice Recipe, Step by Step

A quick and easy fried rice recipe with tofu, vegetables, and egg.

This is a very ad-hoc recipe that I concocted one night. I had some tofu in hand that needed to be used up and I was in no mood to cook a rice or roti, then a side-dish, etc.

This post actually has 3 recipes, in a way. You can stop at two other stages on the way to making the tofu vegetable fried rice or go all the way and make it a one-pot meal.

This fried rice goes really with Thai green curry or even just a good dose of tomato ketchup. Also check out recipes for egg fried rice, chicken fried rice, mushroom fried rice, and Indo Chinese vegetable fried rice.

3-Way Tofu, Egg, and Vegetable Fried Rice
Serves 2-3
Ingredients and measurements are approximate

Ingredients for basic tofu + veg base:
1 block firm tofu
1 cup mixed vegetables, chopped (I used carrot, French beans, corn, peas)
1 onion, sliced
1 tbsp soya sauce
1 tsp green chilli sauce (I use Ching's Secret for both soya sauce and chilli sauce)
1 tbsp freshly cracked black pepper
1/2 tsp minced ginger
1/2 tsp minced garlic
3 tbsp oil
Salt to taste

Additional optional ingredients:
2 eggs
2 cups cooked rice

Instructions:

1. Heat oil (make sure its not smoking hot, just barely glistening on top) and add the ginger and garlic. Saute for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the sliced onion and saute until cooked and soft.

2. Increase the flame/heat and add the soya sauce and chilli sauce. Saute for a minute. Lower flame and add cubed tofu. Fry until the tofu has browned on most sides.

3. Add the vegetables and some salt (be careful with salt since soya sauce is already salty) and mix well. Cook partially closed until the vegetables are cooked. Add pepper.

You can stop at this stage and serve this with noodles or rice.

Another step further would be to make space in the centre of your pan and crack in two eggs side by side. Don't disturb it until the whites are partially cooked. Then slowly scramble it into the tofu and vegetable mixture.

If you want a one-pot meal, mix in 2 cups of cooked rice. You may want to increase the amount of salt and pepper in this case. The rice will be mild and perfect for a wholesome weeknight dinner.

Of course you can garnish with coriander leaves or spring onions if you have any in hand. Serve tofu and egg fried rice hot.

Veg Thai Tom Kha Soup Recipe | Vegan Tom Kha Recipe

Vegetarian Thai Tom Kha soup recipe, step by step. 

Thai recipes are not supposed to be vegetarian. They like their seafood and their meat, and create magic with it. 

Since some of us like to be vegetarian and eat Thai food, we need vegetarians versions of Thai recipes. Someone's got to do it! 

While I may not be the first, this is an awesome vegetarian Tom Kha recipe. Tom Kha is my favourite Thai soup and I usually order the one with chicken and mushrooms. However, my homemade vegetarian version has tofu and no mushrooms (because I was serving this to someone who doesn't eat mushrooms either!). 

In Singapore, we get something called a Tom Yam set on most supermarkets that has all the essential ingredients to make vegetarian Tom Kha soup, namely, galangal, lemongrass, thai chillies, kaffir lime leaves, lemon, and shallots. 

Galangal is not optional and ginger is a very poor substitute. Galangal tastes nothing like ginger, although they look very similar. 

Tom Kha soup is supposed to be watery, not thick, so water is a reasonably good base for the soup. However, if you have the patience to make your own vegetable stock or have access to good vegetarian stock cubes, please use that for added flavour. 

For more Thai recipes, check out pad thai recipe, vegetarian green curry recipe and also how to make Thai green curry paste at home. Oh and by the way, if you haven't tasted a good Thai mango sticky rice dessert, you haven't lived. Just saying.

Vegetarian Thai Tom Kha Soup

Serves 2 generously

Ingredients:

1.5 cups thick coconut milk

1 cup water / vegetable stock

2 stalks of lemongrass

2-3 1" pieces of galangal

5-6 kaffir lime leaves

4 shallots

1 block of soft tofu cut into 1" cubes

12 button mushrooms, quartered (or any other variety you like)

4-5 Thai chilli padi / serrano chillies

1 tsp sugar

1 lime

Fresh coriander leaves / cilantro to garnish

Salt to taste

Instructions:

1. Discard the bottom 2 inches of the lemongrass. Discard the top woody part and use the middle portion (about 8" of it) for the soup. Cut this part into small circles and set aside.

2. Roughly chop the galangal, chillies, and shallots. Tear the limes leaves into two.

3. Bring water or vegetable stock to a boil and lower fire to a simmer. Add the galangal, lemongrass, shallots, chillies, sugar, and lime leaves. Keep on simmer for 5-7 minutes.

4. Add the coconut milk and the tofu and mushrooms with some salt. Keep on simmer for another 7-10 minutes until the mushrooms are soft.

5. Remove from fire. Squeeze in fresh lime starting with half a lime and then increasing the quantity as you like. Garnish with roughly torn coriander leaves / cilantro. Serve hot.

The flavour of Tom Kha soup should be spicy, sour, and sweet from the coconut milk and added sugar. Adjust the ratios according to personal taste.