Long time no post! Just because I’m all temporarily vegan doesn’t mean that I don’t cook… things have just been supremely busy on my end with starting a new job, picking up some freelance writing and various other pursuits across the city.
But I’m back.
This is my second tofu post during my vegan days but really I don’t eat it that often. I actually eat it in my “regular” meat eating life more often than I have been as a temporary vegan… go figure.
I ended up making this because I had leftover tofu and it sounded kind of amazing. I’ve never really had anything marinated in green tea… and add some tamarind… I love tamarind! So it was a go. (The recipe is from the Whole Foods website)
I was all setup to make the recipe when I realized that it calls for tamarind SAUCE. In my cupboard I have tamarind CONCENTRATE. I started googling the two and couldn’t really figure out the difference. I mean is tamarind sauce diluted concentrate with other spices? Is the sauce consistent across brands? I had NO CLUE. So i just used the concentrate which I later realized was NOT the right move. The marinade was way too thick. I ended up thinning with a bit of oil, water and added some sugar to cut the tartness of the concentrate.
Aside from the sauce vs. concentrate debacle I pretty much stuck to the original recipe except that I beefed up the vegetable count. I added carrots, green peppers and zucchini because I had them hanging out in my fridge and broccoli alone was not going to fufill my veggie needs.
Overall the dish turned out okay. The sauce was a bit too tart because of the concentrate but I think if I looked around a bit harder I could find a decent “tamarind sauce” recipe to follow. Definitely a keeper. The marinade would probably be delicious with some chicken or even salmon…. yes…. salmon may be my post-vegan endeavor.
Green Tea and Tamarind-Marinated Tofu with Vegetables
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root
- 2 tablespoons prepared tamarind sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon jasmine green tea leaves
- 1 (14-ounce) package firm tofu, drained and patted dry, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 tablespoon peanut or canola oil, more if needed
- Tamari, to taste
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh mushrooms
- 1/2 large red onion, sliced
- 1 medium red pepper, chopped
- 2 cups packed broccoli florets
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
Place garlic, ginger, tamarind sauce, rice vinegar and tea leaves in a container with a tight fitting lid. Add tofu cubes and toss well. Marinate all day or overnight, shaking the container occasionally to distribute the marinade.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Drain the tofu and reserve the marinade. Add tofu and tamari to taste to hot oil and cook, stirring almost constantly for 5 to 7 minutes, or until tofu is very hot. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
Add additional oil to the hot skillet if needed, followed by the vegetables and remaining marinade. Again, season to taste with tamari. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring frequently, or until broccoli is crisp-tender and pan juices have evaporated. Return tofu to skillet and toss to combine. Drizzle with sesame oil and serve.
(From Whole Foods Market website)
