Vegan Twice Cooked Tofu

Tuesday, October 25, 2016



Must admit that cooking at home has become a bit tedious lately. While I like to prepare childhood favorites, like Ayam Goreng Mentega, or Butter Fried Chicken, my plant based children, now numbering three in total, won't be able to enjoy them. And so, I make vegan versions of said dishes. This is one of them. Stemming from the original recipe of Ayam goreng mentega, I made tofu goreng minyak, or literally translated as oil fried tofu. LOL.



Now I am nowhere close to a viral recipe with that title, oil fried tofu ... so this is what I call it now: twice cooked tofu, because, as you will see, and hopefully experience, the tofu will be twice cooked. To perfection! So what is so good about this dish anyway?




Well, we have chunks of tofu, marinated in garlic and pepper, then pan fried. Then we have a sauce that it will be drenched in ... with kecap manis (sweet soy sauce), more garlic, more pepper, and lime. Yes, lime! The sweet and tart combination is so delicious, even more so with the sliced onions and bell peppers that my vegan kids actually wanted to know how to make it. I'd call it a raving success.

Ingredients:
340 g tofu, cut into rectangles
1 tbsp melted vegan butter, or oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
3 gloves garlic, minced
2 tsp salt
1 tbsp ground pepper

Canola or vegetable oil for frying
4 - 6 tbsp vegan butter, or oil
1/4 large onion, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp ginger, minced
1 lime, sliced
2 bell peppers, sliced (optional)
1/2 large onion, sliced (optional)
2 tbsp soy sauce, low sodium, naturally.. ahem
180 ml (3/4 cup) kecap manis, or sweet soy sauce
1 tbsp black pepper
4 tbsp lime juice

Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, rub tofu with vegan butter, or oil, and lemon juice, then slather on the garlic, salt and pepper. Cover, and let marinate for an hour in the refrigerator.
2. Heat the oil in a sauté pan, up to 1/2 cm deep, then fry the tofu until sealed: until the surface has browned on all exposed sides. Drain the oil, but don't wash the pan just yet.
3. Transfer the tofu to a clean plate or bowl.

4. Melt the vegan butter, or oil, in the same pan, then sweat the onions, garlic and ginger till fragrant.
5. Add the lime, bell peppers, and onion slices, cook until they have softened, about 2 - 3 minutes.
6. Pour in the soy sauce, kecap manis, and add the black pepper, and cook for 1 - 2 minutes.
7. Transfer the cooked tofu back to the pan, and cook a further 2 - 3 minutes to let the juices seep into it.
8. Turn off the heat, then pour the lime juice on top, mix well.
Enjoy with steaming white rice.

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