Glazed Tofu With Fiery Sriracha Pearls Food

SOY GLAZED TOFU AND ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Heat sesame oil and red pepper flakes in nonstick skillet or wok.
• Cut asparagus spears into 1 1/2 inch pieces.
• Add asparagus and tofu to heated sesame oil and stir-fry for 5 minutes.
• Add mushrooms and cook for 3 minutes.
• Add garlic, saute, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds.
• Mix sugar and soy sauce together in small bowl until combined and add to pan.
• Mix well to coat and stir-fry for 3-4 minutes.
• Asparagus should be crisp-tender at this point.
• Serve.

PERFECT GRILLED TOFU

Steps:

• Wrap tofu in a clean dish towel and weight it with something heavy such as a large can; leave it to drain for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, mix together remaining ingredients in a bowl.
• Cut each piece of tofu crosswise into 6 thick slices and put it all in a baking dish. Pour marinade over tofu, turning to coat, and chill, covered, turning occasionally, at least 30 minutes or up to 48 hours. Longer is better, but shorter is totally fine.
• Preheat a gas grill on high heat (450 degrees F to 650 degrees F) 10 minutes, then reduce heat to medium (325 degrees F to 375 degrees F)--or do whatever the equivalent is if you're using charcoal. Oil grate.
• Transfer tofu from marinade (letting excess drip off and reserving marinade) to grill with a spatula. Cover grill and cook tofu, turning once, until well browned but before grill marks get black, 10 to 15 minutes total. Transfer tofu to a platter and cover with foil to keep warm.
• Bring reserved marinade to a boil in a saucepan and boil until it reduces to about 1 cup, about 2 minutes. Pour over tofu and serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.

GLAZED TOFU WITH FIERY SRIRACHA PEARLS

Steps:

• Place an empty tall beer type glass in the freezer for an hour to chill.
• In a small saucepan, heat the sriracha, sesame oil, broth and agar over medium-low heat until it comes to a small simmer. After 45 seconds, remove from the heat and allow to cool for a minute or two.
• Remove the chilled oil and empty glass from the freezer. Place the cold oil into the glass so only and inch of two of space is left at the top. Using a pipette, squeeze bottle or syringe, suck up a tablespoon or two of the mixture. Keeping the dropper very close to the oil, slowly drop it in, and allow the beads to fall to the bottom of the glass. After several beads are created, pour the entire glass through a fine mesh strainer into the bowl, then return the oil back into the glass and repeat. The pearls can then be rinsed in the strainer and stored in water while you make your tofu.
• Cut the tofu block into 3 slabs, then half those slabs to make 6 large tofu cubes.
• Heat the peanut oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Place the cubes into the hot pan. They will sputter a bit when they hit the pan. Allow the brown on each side for 4-5 minutes each. You may need to add a little more oil to the pan during browning time if the cubes start to stick. Once they are fully browned, transfer them to another plate while you make the glaze.
• Reduce the heat to medium. Add in the sesame oil, soy sauce and mirin. Stir well, then add in the vinegar, then sprinkle the brown sugar over the top. Add in the water and cornstarch mixture, stir until thickened, then remove immediately from the heat.
• Spoon the sauce over the top of the tofu cubes, then garnish with the sriracha pearls and sesame seeds. Serve immediately.