Kitchen Runway

Braised tofu is one of my favorite go to dishes when I’m in a hurry.  Tofu is a great source of protein and excellent at absorbing flavor.  My friend Alissa first introduced me to braising tofu and I’ve been hooked ever since.  Braising is a cooking method where you first cook your main ingredient on a high heat then finish cooking it in a  liquid.  When you use this technique with tofu it makes it crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.  The soy sauce, garlic and honey mixture soaks in to the tofu during the cooking process giving the tofu a rich savory flavor.  This satifying vegetarian dish can be served as a side or an entree.     You can also easily add ground turkey or beef to the dish if you like.  Just brown the meat first, set aside, brown tofu and then add meat and sauce.

Braised Tofu

Prep:  10 mins  Cooking time:  20 mins Serves 4 as a side;  2 as a entree

Ingredients:

2  14 oz packs of medium-firm tofu

¾ C soy sauce (I use low sodium soy sauce – if you use regular soy sauce you may need to adjust amount )

¼ C light brown sugar

1 Tbs minced garlic (about 4 cloves)

1 tsp sesame oil

1 chili pepper, thinly sliced (use as much or as little as you want)

1 Tbs honey

oil to coat the pan

Directions:

• Drain tofu and then set in a strainer to remove excess liquid, while tofu is straining work on the sauce
• In a bowl whisk together soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, sesame oil, chili pepper and honey
• In a large frying pan, coat with oil and turn heat to medium high
• Pat tofu dry with a paper towel, cut each block of tofu into 12 pieces
• Carefully place cut tofu in a single layer into the hot pan, cook for about 5-6 minutes or until slightly brown.  Carefully flip tofu and cook the other sides until slightly brown – about another 6-10 mins.  Add marinade and carefully coat the tofu with the marinade.  Turn heat down to medium and let cook for another 5-10 minutes to allow the sauce to absorb into the tofu. 
• Serve tofu and sauce with rice.  You can garnish the dish with chives or green onions.   

Enjoy!

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