The web is flooded with Asian-style tofu recipes alongside white rice or noodles.
For the sake of variety, I made relocation to tofu: Inspired by the roast beef I used to make frequently, in my pre-vegan period, I generously brushed thick slices of tofu in a mixture of mustard, maple, and lots of crushed garlic mixed with salt. Then, I sent the tofu to spend the night in the fridge to absorb flavors.
I sprinkled some rosemary on the tofu and seared it on a griddle pan the next day.
I chose to pair the tofu with flavors from Italy: rice with mushrooms that I made in a pressure cooker (recommended but not necessary) that yields in a few minutes a delicious dish, risotto-style; on top of it, I placed a colorful selection of antipasti veggies.
It was tasty! A colorful meal for every day of the week❣️
RECIPE
Seared Tofu in Mustard Maple and RosemaryThis time the tofu slices are wrapped in mustard, maple, garlic, and rosemary and seared on a grill pan; Served with risotto-style rice and mushrooms, topped with colorful roasted veggies.
Servings
Ingredients
About 5 servings
Tofu
- 600 gram tofu
- ¼ cup Dijon mustard, smooth, without berries
- 2 Tablespoon maple syrup or agave syrup
- 2 Tablespoon olive oil
- 4-6 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon rosemary, dried or fresh by taste
Antipasti
- 1 Red bell pepper cleaned of seeds and cut into eighths
- 1 Green bell pepper cleaned of seeds and cut into eighths
- 1 Yellow bell pepper cleaned of seeds and cut into eighths
- 1 White onion sliced sideways into slices of about 1cm (0.4 inches)
- 1 Zucchini cut sideways and sliced into slices of about half a centimeter
- 1 Plain or purple sweet potato
- 3-6 Medium-sized portabello mushrooms without "legs"
- For brushing: olive oil and rosemary salt* see a note at the end of the recipe
Rice with Mushrooms
- ½1 cups jasmine rice, washed
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 can Canned sliced mushrooms* strained and squeezed from liquids. See a note at the bottom of the recipe.
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 2½ cup water
- 1¼ teaspoon salt by taste
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
Pre-Preparation
- Soak the tofu in the mustard marinade overnight – to absorb the flavors.
Tofu
- Slice the tofu into slices about 1 cm (0.4 inches) wide.
- In a small bowl, mix mustard, maple, and oil.
- Mix the crushed garlic with the salt and add to the mustard; Mix well. (See note).
- Brush the tofu slices generously with the mustard mixture, transfer to a box with a sealed lid, close and send to spend the night in the fridge.
Antipasti
- Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius (392 F).
- Place the vegetables on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and brush the top of the vegetables with oil. Sprinkle with rosemary salt (note at the end of the recipe)
- Place in the oven and roast until the vegetables are tender and slightly brown.
Rice with Mushrooms
- Heat the oil in a saucepan (preferably in a pressure cooker), add the onion and fry until golden; Add mushrooms and fry until mushrooms begin to brown.
- Add water, salt, and black pepper and bring to a boil.
- Add the rice, stir and bring to a boil.
- Cooking in a pressure cooker: Close the pot according to the manufacturer's instructions; After the whistle, lower the heat and cook for 6-7 minutes. Remove from the heat and wait about five minutes. Then, open according to the manufacturer's instructions. Before opening, it is recommended to place the closed pot under a stream of cold water as a precaution.
- Cooking in a regular pot: Bring to a boil, cover, lower the heat and cook for about twenty minutes until the water evaporates and the rice is tender.
For Serving
- Sear the tofu: Heat a frying pan, brush it with a bit of olive oil, place the tofu on the pan; Sprinkle a little rosemary over the slices; Fry until you get burn marks, turn, and sear the other side.
- Put two tofu slices on a plate and a portion of rice; Place the antipasti over the rice.
Notes
Rosemary Salt: Grind in a spice coffee grinder a quarter cup of coarse salt with 2-3 sprigs of rosemary, fresh or dry (to taste). Alternatively, you can sprinkle salt on the vegetables and then sprinkle with rosemary. The advantage of rosemary salt is that it can be prepared in advance and stored (almost forever) in an airtight jar.
Mushrooms: I find that canned mushrooms do a great job here. You can, of course, replace them with fresh champignon mushrooms (300 grams – 10.581oz)
Mixing garlic with salt helps the absorption of salt in tofu.
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