Seasonal Recipe of the Week
Yes, even I eat and prepare Tofu on occasion, and when I found this recipe for Broiled Szechwan Tofu Salad in Pamela Morgan’s great book called Flavors from her gourmet foods to-go store in Manhattan (now gone), I knew this should be the recipe of the week.
Ingredients
3 pieces firm tofu, about 2 1/2 pounds, drained and patted dry and sliced 1/2 inch thick
4 tablespoons peanut oil
3 cups shredded Napa cabbage
Handful of watercress
5 teaspoons Hoisin sauce
5 teaspoons Sambal (Thai red Chile sauce)
4 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
4 teaspoons Tamari
1 tablespoon dark toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon Asian hot Chile oil (optional)
1/3 cup scallions, chopped on the diagonal
Procedure
Position a rack about 3 inches from your broiler and preheat. Cover your broiling pan or sheet pan with tin foil and lay tofu slices in pan. Brush both sides with peanut oil. Broil for 4 minutes and carefully, with a wide spatula, turn then over and broil on other side. Cook till lightly browned. Take a platter and cover it with 3 cups of shredded Napa cabbage and watercress. Top with slightly overlapped slices of tofu. Now combine the rest of the ingredients (except the scallions, which you will use as garnish), to make this spicy dressing. Drizzle dressing over tofu and top with scallions. Serve at room temperature.
