Crispy Accordion Cut Tofu

The other day I talked with my friend, Lol, and told him about a new recipe for grilled tofu. 

“How do you grill tofu?” he asked. “Doesn’t it slip through the grill onto the flames?”

“Ah,” I replied. “I have a secret to grilling tofu.” 

“Do tell,” he said.

“The secret is to use organic firm tofu. It has a meaty texture and doesn’t disintegrate on the grill. I make cuts that crisscross the tofu and brush a sauce of tamari, rice vinegar, Sriracha, garlic and ginger into the cuts before grilling. I’ll make it sometime for you and Linda. I think you’ll like it!”

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons Tamari

4 tablespoons rice vinegar

4 tablespoons Sriracha Chili Sauce

1 tablespoon vegan fish sauce

3 large garlic cloves (peeled and minced)

1 tablespoon grated ginger

1 block organic firm tofu (drained and pressed dry)

8 bamboo skewers (soak in water for at least ten minutes)

3 tablespoons vegetable oil (for frying)

Salt and ground white pepper to taste

Cooked Basmati rice for serving

Garnish:

½ cup jalapeños (remove seeds and veins and chop fine)

½ cup green onions (sliced)

½ cup cilantro (chopped) 

¼ cup toasted sesame seeds

Directions:
Combine the first seven ingredients (syrup through ginger) in a medium mixing bowl and whisk. Set aside.

Remove the tofu from the package and rinse under cool water. Cut it into two horizontal slices about ¾-inch thick. Lay the slices on four paper towels and cover them with another four towels. Press down to absorb as much liquid as possible. (I put a cutting board on top of the towels then a weight on top of that, and let it sit for about 15 minutes.)

Use chopsticks to make the accordion cut. Lay a tofu slice on a cutting board and place the chopsticks on either side. Cut on a diagonal every ¼-inch until your knife stops on the chopsticks. Thread four skewers through each of the two tofu slices.

Heat a grill on medium-high heat. Add oil, then add the tofu – season with salt and pepper to taste. Sear for four minutes. Flip the tofu and pour half the sauce over the top to coat each slab thoroughly. Sear for another four minutes. Turn the tofu over and glaze with the balance of the sauce, then sear until crisp. Remove the tofu from the grill and cut each slice into two separate slices. You will have four rectangular slices of tofu.

Place a cup of cooked rice on each of the four plates and place one of the grilled tofu rectangles on top of the rice. Remove skewers and garnish with jalapeño, green onions, cilantro and sesame seeds.

Chef Randy Graham, the healthy chef. Providing consistently good vegetarian comfort food recipes. See his cookbooks at Amazon.