Spicy black pepper tofu
Spicy black pepper tofu
This is the best tofu I have ever eaten. I first tasted the dish in Bangkok in a massive food court where they cook fresh to order. I could not stop thinking about the black pepper sauce, so I had to try to recreate the dish. The tofu remains crispy and holds onto the spicy sauce really well. I like it with rice berries or noodles. The classic version is with bell peppers and onions, but if I have other vegetables on hand, I sometimes throw them in.
Yields: 4 servings
Ingredients
½ cup tamari
3 tablespoons palm sugar
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
¾ tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cloves of garlic minced
1 teaspoon ginger minced
1 package of extra firm tofu, drained, pressed and cut into ½ inch cubes
⅓ cup of tapioca powder
2 tablespoons sunflower oil
2 red, yellow or orange bell pepper – large dice
½ medium onion – large dice
1 Thai chilies minced – optional. You can remove the seeds and membrane if you want to reduce the heat or use a milder pepper such as a poblano chili.
Steps
Combine tamari, sugar, vinegar, pepper, garlic and ginger in a small pot. Let the sauce simmer for 15 minutes so it can reduce. The sauce is ready when ⅓ of the liquid is gone.
Roll the tofu cubes in the tapioca starch. Heat the oil in the nonstick pan. When it is hot, quick fry the tofu. When it is crispy on all sides remove it from the pan.
In the same pan you cooked the tofu, add a splash more oil if needed. When it is hot, stir-fry the Thai chili, bell pepper and onions.
Turn down the heat. Add the tofu and the sauce to the pan and toss until everything is coated well.
Serve with rice or a whole grain which has more nutritional value.
