DTDaniel's Table

Pan-seared · flexible bowl

Crispy soy-ginger tofu bowl

Pressed tofu seared until golden and finished with a soy-ginger sauce.

Time
35 minutes + optional marinating
Serves
2
Serves2

Optional additions

Base (optional)
Vegetables — choose any
Finishing touches — choose any

Ingredients

scaled for 2
  • 14 ozextra-firm tofu
  • ¼ cupsoy sauce
  • 2 tbspwater
  • 1 tbsprice vinegar
  • 1 tbspmaple syrup or honey
  • 1 tspgrated ginger
  • 1 clovegarlic, grated
  • 1 tspsesame oil
  • 1 tbspneutral cooking oil

Directions

  1. 1

    Wrap the tofu in a clean towel and press it beneath a heavy pan for 15 minutes. Cut into bite-size slabs or cubes.

  2. 2

    Whisk soy sauce, water, vinegar, sweetener, ginger, garlic, and sesame oil. Marinate the tofu for 20 minutes or refrigerate it overnight.

  3. 3

    Lift the tofu from the marinade and pat it lightly dry. Save the marinade for cooking, not for an uncooked finishing sauce.

  4. 4

    Heat the cooking oil in a wide skillet over medium-high. Sear tofu in a single layer, turning when each side is deeply golden.

  5. 5

    Cook any sturdy vegetables in the same pan. Add a splash of reserved marinade and simmer it thoroughly until glossy.

  6. 6

    Build the bowl with your selected base, vegetables, tofu, and finishing touches. Add lime at the table.

Pressing and browning matter more than a long soak: a drier surface gives the tofu crisp edges while the sauce brings the flavor.