"Tofu? Really?"

That was my husband's reaction when I told him what was for dinner last night. And the words were accompanied by the kind of face that conveys more horror than eager anticipation. Tofu does not have a good rep in this house. Firstly, my husband has a deep-rooted suspicion that I am trying to turn him into a vegetarian by stealth, so feels the need to stock the fridge with large packs of bacon now and then, just to reiterate his refusal to comply with my apparent cunning plan. if you are a frequent visitor here, you will know that over the years we have turned more to plant-based meals, but that meat still features in our diet, and I don't see that changing. Nevertheless, I do like to 'poke the bear' by occasionally leaving packets of soy chorizo or nutritional yeast around - hehehe!

Secondly, the results of many of my attempts to work with tofu have not been exactly spectacular - we just don't like the texture of it, which to me, often seems to be akin to that of meat fat, not my favorite thing in terms of mouth-feel. I have had wonderful tofu dishes in restaurants where they achieve a great crispy exterior that prevents this, but I have never been truly able to replicate that at home. And there is a general...err... resistance to these efforts having any kind of frequency...

So I was intrigued recently, when I came across a recipe that used tofu, but called for grating it, rather than cutting it into chunks. And, as should have become evident, when culinary curiosity is piqued in this house, there is a usually a visit to the store soon afterwards, and I start experimenting! I was pretty delighted with the result, and the process, discovering that with the tofu I used, you didn't have to grate anything as it just fell apart for me. Having never made this dish before, I made very few tweaks to the original (from Bon Appetit), but I did add more flavoring, since tofu is such a blank canvas, and we like our food flavorful and rich in this house. I also felt that it didn't have enough vegetables in it for my taste, so I upped the quantity of scallions/green onions, and also did a broccoli side (see below), which, together with the tofu, will definitely find a spot in regular rotation here, as it was equally delicious.

All in all, a plate of yummy goodness. It may not have completely converted my husband to the vegan future that he clearly fears his wife envisages, but it did at least ensure that the reaction to the word 'tofu' might not be quite so unfortunate next time round!

Soy and Scallion Tofu
Serves 3
Adapted from Bon Appetit

1 16oz block of extra-firm tofu, drained
canola/sunflower oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp aleppo pepper (can be substituted for 1/2 tsp of chili flakes/crushed red pepper flakes)
6 scallions/green onions, green and white parts sliced
4 TBSP soy sauce
2 1/2 TBSP mirin (sweet Japanese rice wine)
2 TBSP unsalted butter
cooked long grain rice and sesame seeds for serving

1. Break the tofu into pieces and squeeze over the a bowl until it is as dry as you can get it. If it is anything like mine, the tofu will break up into tiny pieces as you do so. If not, you can grate it to obtain the desired consistency. Once it is broken on, blot it with kitchen towel to make it as dry as possible.

2. Heat oil and garlic in a large skillet over medium heat until garlic starts to turn golden. Add the aleppo pepper and stir to combine. Stir in the tofu, breaking it up further with the spoon if need be. It should start to crisp up, which is exactly what you want. It will start to turn golden on the edges. At this point, stir in the scallions, soy sauce, miring and butter and continue to cook until the liquid is almost evaporated.

3. Serve over rice, and sprinkle sesame seeds over the top if desired.

Asian-style Roasted Broccoli
Serves 3
Adapted from Showmetheyummy.com

1 lb broccoli, cut into small florets
1 TBSP coconut oil, melted
3 TBSP soy sauce
3 TBSP seasoned rice vinegar
1 tsp sriracha
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp garlic powder

1. Preheat oven to 400F (200C).

2. Line a 15"x11" rimmed baking tray with parchment paper and spray with canola oil spray

3. Put the broccoli florets in a large bowl. Mix together the coconut oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sriracha, ginger and garlic. Pour over the top of the broccoli and toss to coat.

4. Spread the coated broccoli over the prepared baking tray and bake for about 25 minutes, stirring half way through. 

Mean and Green

Why should red lentils have all the fun? Today's recipe is a revamp of a recent Bon Appetit recipe that makes green lentils into the star of a green curry. Nom nom nom. Note that the quantity of green curry paste indicated below yields a nice spicy curry, not so hot that you can't taste it and break out in a sweat (that would NOT do in our house). So if you want to take the skin off the roof of your mouth, add more (the original recipe called for a 1/4 cup), and if you fear the heat (no shame), then take it down a notch. (If doing the latter, you could always add some lemongrass paste, or some grated lemon zest, just to give it some zing, without the heat). All in all, this is pretty satisfying with some naan bread to mop of the delicious juices.

The vegetables you use is entirely up to you. I had a turnip begging to be employed for good, so I stuck that in, with a can of baby corn. Any root vegetable would cook nicely in this dish, and again, if you are aiming to limit the heat, then go for something that has a sweet taste, such as butternut squash, or sweet potato. 

Green Lentil Green Curry
Serves 4
adapted from Bon Appetit

2 TBSP coconut oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1-2" piece of ginger root, grated
3 TBSP green curry paste
1 large purple-top turnip, peeled and chopped into 1/2" cubes
3/4 cup of green/brown lentils
4 cups vegetable broth
1 13.5oz can coconut milk
4 cups fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped

1 can baby corn, drained and chopped
1/2 tsp fish sauce
salt
fresh cilantro leaves (coriander) and lime wedges to serve

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the onion, ginger and garlic. Cook stirring frequently so that it doesn't stick, until the onion is softened (about 5 minutes). Add the curry paste and continue to cook, stirring, until the mixture is fragrant (i.e making you dribble!)

2. Add the turnip and lentils and stir to combine. Then mix in the stock, and 1/2 tsp sea salt. Bring the mixture to the boil, the reduce heat and simmer for around 25 minutes, by which time the lentils should be cooked but not mushy and breaking down. The turnip should also be cooked by this point.

3. Add the coconut milk, spinach, corn and fish sauce, and return to the boil. Once hot, taste for seasoning and add more salt or fish sauce, if needed. 

4. Serve in bowls, topped with fresh chopped cilantro and with lime wedges to squeeze over.