SPICY COLD SILKEN TOFU

Deliciousness ready in less in 5 minutes!

I know tofu always gets a bad rap but I’m convinced those people have never had tofu the right way. Personally, I am a huge fan of the stuff and no where near being a vegetarian/vegan. Every time I go to Whole Foods and look through their salad bar section, I always see that cubed raw firm tofu sitting in a sad little 6-pan container, untouched of course. So, if you’re one of those people whose only tofu experience is from a salad bar at Whole Foods type place, then of course you hate it, I do too!

I normally would eat tofu cooked, whether it be sautéed, deep fried, or boiled in soup, but this spicy cold silken tofu dish might be a new favorite. What makes it even better is that it can be ready to eat in less than 5 minutes! The silky soft texture of the tofu paired with the crunchy cucumbers, jalapeños, and this spicy chili soy sauce is honestly a match made in heaven kinda combo.

Some tips from the kitchen

• Silken tofu works best for this recipe but if you can’t find it, soft tofu will work as well. I would not recommend medium to firm tofu for this recipe.

• If you feel a little uncomfortable eating it straight from the container, steam the tofu whole for 5-6 minutes. Tofu is an already cooked product and it is safe to eat without cooking it.

• For you non-spicy friends out there – not to worry! This recipe is just as tasty and flavorful without the chili flakes and jalapeños. Add a bit more cucumbers to suffice for that crunch!

• When heating the sesame oil, make sure you pull it off the stove before it smokes! Sesame oil has a relatively low smoke point, but gently heating it allows the full nuttiness come through. Pouring the hot sesame oil on top of the chili flakes and alliums also allows them to bloom.

• You can make your sauce ahead of time! I actually recommend this. The longer the sauce sits (maybe a day in advance) the more the flavors will develop. The cucumbers and the jalapeños will pickle in the sauce adding another layer of flavor to the dish.

Ingredients

• 1 block of silken tofu, drained

• 1 scallion, chopped

• 1 garlic clove, minced

• 1/2 tbsp. gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)

• 1 tbsp. sesame oil, lightly heated

• 2 tbsp. soy sauce

• 1 tsp. honey

• 2 tsp. rice vinegar

• 2 tbsp. cucumbers, brunoise

• 1 tbsp. jalapeños, brunoise

• Toasted sesame seeds, garnish

Instructions

1. Drain silken tofu on a paper towel. No need to press since it might break!

2. Lightly heat sesame oil over medium heat. Make sure you take it off heat before it begins to smoke (should take about a minute or so)

3. To a heat safe container, add chopped scallions, minced garlic, and gochugaru. Carefully pour hot sesame oil over.

4. Add soy sauce, honey rice vinegar, cucumbers, and jalapeños to the sauce. Mix well.

5. Spoon the sauce on top of the tofu. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds if desired.