Tasty tofu

Ever eaten a dry, tasteless tofu skewer? Me too, but it doesn’t have to be this way!

Tofu can be an intimidating ingredient if you don’t know how to cook it, but done right, your tofu dishes will be bursting with flavour and taste scrumptious.

Teriyaki tofu steaks with broccoli

Serves 2 / Hands on time 10 mins / Total time 40 mins

You’ll need:

• 20cm oven-proof dish
• 280g firm tofu, drained
• 200g tender-stem broccoli
• 4 whole spring onions, outer layer removed and ends trimmed
• For the marinade
• 2 tbs light soy sauce
• 1 tbs sweet chilli sauce
• 1 tbs maple syrup
• 1 tbs mirin
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp garlic oil or 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 knob of ginger, grated

To serve

• Boiled rice or noodles
• Black sesame seeds (optional)

Method

1. Pre-heat an oven to 220°C/200°C fan/425°F/gas mark 7.

2. Drain the tofu and cut into thick steaks and place in the oven-proof dish before putting to one side.

3. In a bowl, combine the marinade ingredients together and pour evenly over the tofu steaks. Give the dish a shake until all the tofu is evenly covered. Bake in an oven for 15 mins, before taking out and carefully turning the steaks over – I do this by inserting a fork into each tofu steak and carefully flipping them over. Return to the oven for 15 more mins.

4. Meanwhile, use this time to cook the rice or noodles. Steam the broccoli and the spring onions together 5 mins before the tofu is due to come out.

5. Remove the tofu from the oven and leave to rest for 5 mins before lifting the steaks out and placing them on top of rice or noodles. Scrape out any remaining sticky sauce and top the tofu with it. Serve with the steamed greens and a sprinkling of black sesame seeds.

Braised tofu & kale bulgur bowl

Serves 4 / Hands on time 45 mins / Total time 45 mins 300ml cold water 120g bulgar wheat 1 Knorr vegetable stock pot (½ for the stock, ½ for the stock) 1 tsp sesame oil 1 medium onion, roughly sliced ½ tsp sea salt flakes 1 tbs balsamic vinegar 1 tbs light soy sauce 2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped 500ml boiling water 125g Shiitake or chestnut mushrooms, sliced 280g firm tofu, cut into 8 thick slices 4 handfuls chopped kale 2 spring onions, finely chopped to serve (optional)

Method

1. Measure out the bulgur wheat and pour into a small saucepan along with 300ml of cold water and half a vegetable stock pot. Place over a medium to high heat until boiling before turning down and simmering for 8 mins. Once the water has absorbed, remove from the heat, give it a quick stir and cover with a lid. Put to one side.

2. Meanwhile, warm 1 tsp of sesame oil in a large pot with a lid over a medium heat. Add the chopped onions, ½ tsp sea salt flakes and 1 tbs of balsamic vinegar. Give it a good stir and pop the lid on. Turn down the heat slightly and allow to soften for 10 minutes – stirring occasionally.

3. Once the onions have softened, add the garlic along with a dash of stock and cook for a further 2 mins. Add the soy sauce, the rest of the vegetable stock and the mushrooms. Up the heat and bring to the boil.

4. Reduce the heat and carefully submerge the 8 tofu slices into the broth, before covering with a lid and cooking for 10 mins. Once the tofu is cooked, add 4 handfuls of kale directly on top the tofu and cover again for a further 5 minutes.

5. Loosen up the bulgur wheat by stirring with a spoon and divide into bowls. Top with the braised tofu and sprinkle with chopped spring onions.

Peanut tofu with roasted greens

Serves 2 / Hands on time 20 mins / Total time 50 mins

You’ll need:

• A baking tray and a wok or large frying pan
• 1 tsp rapeseed oil or rapeseed oil spray (see tip below)
• 396g pack of firm tofu
• 1 can chickpeas, drained
• 100g tender-stem broccoli
• 4 spring onions, trimmed
• 2 tsp light soy sauce
• 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
• ½ lime, quartered

Satay sauce

• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 tbs boiling water
• 3 tbs crunchy peanut butter
• 1 tbs light soy sauce
• 1 tbs rice vinegar

• 2 tbs sweet chilli sauce

To serve

• Brown rice or bulgur wheat to serve (optional)
• Freshly chopped coriander (optional)

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 200°C/180°fan/400°F/gas mark 6. Drain the block of tofu and cut into large chunks. Line a baking tray with baking paper and place your tofu chunks on it, evenly spaced apart.

2. Bake in the oven for 10 mins before turning the tofu and continuing to bake for 5 more mins. Meanwhile, make the satay sauce by combining all of the ingredients together in a medium sized bowl, large enough to include the tofu later. Put to one side.

3. Drain the chickpeas and prepare the veg by trimming the stalks of the tender stem and halving the spring onions.

4. Once the tofu is cooked, remove from the oven but keep the oven on. Transfer the tofu a bit at a time to the satay sauce coating the cubes carefully with a spoon. Once all the tofu is well coated, put to one side to marinate. If you’re making rice or bulgur wheat, now is good time to put it on (I recommend cooking just 50-60g for 2 people or you may end up with too much food).

5. On the same baking tray you cooked the tofu on, add the broccoli, spring onions and chickpeas. Drizzle with a tsp of sesame oil and 2 tsp of soy sauce and bake in the oven for 15 mins, giving it a shake halfway through. 10 mins before the vegetables and chickpeas are due to come out the oven, heat a tsp of sesame oil in a wok or large frying pan over a medium to high heat. Once hot, add all the tofu along with all the sauce and fry until sticky and a bit singed. The sauce will stick to the pan a bit as it’s quite sweet but simply scrape it off with a wooden spoon – these bits will add a delicious burnt caramel flavour.

6. Divide the cooked rice or bulgur wheat (if using) between two bowls and top with the chickpeas and greens. Spoon over the tofu and finish with a squeeze of lime and a sprinkle of chopped coriander (optional).