Grilled Tofu With Bok Choy And Coconut Lime Sauce Food

GRILLED BOK CHOY

Steps:

• Preheat a grill to medium. Halve 1 pound bok choy lengthwise; microwave, covered, 3 to 5 minutes. Whisk 1/4 cup sweet chili sauce with 1 tablespoon rice vinegar and 1 teaspoon each brown sugar, sesame oil and soy sauce. Toss with the bok choy. Grill until charred, 1 to 2 minutes per side, brushing with any extra sauce.

SOY-BRAISED TOFU WITH BOK CHOY

Steps:

• Cut tofu across into ¾-inch-thick slices, then cut each slice in half so you have roughly 12 squares.
• Heat a large (12-inch), deep-sided nonstick or well-seasoned cast-iron skillet on medium-high. When hot, add 1 tablespoon of oil and swirl to coat the base. Place the tofu in a single layer, season each piece with a little salt and black pepper, and fry for 3 to 4 minutes until golden and crispy. Flip and cook on the other side for 3 to 4 minutes more, adding more oil if needed. Remove tofu from the skillet and set aside on a plate.
• Make the sauce: Combine the soy sauce, vegetarian stir-fry sauce or oyster sauce, cornstarch and sugar with ⅓ cup of water. Whisk until smooth.
• In the same skillet over medium heat, add the doubanjiang or chile oil (if you're using doubanjiang, add about 1 teaspoon of neutral oil) and stir for 15 seconds. Add the garlic, ginger and white parts of the scallion, and toss for 1 to 2 minutes, until the scallions are softened and everything is fragrant. If the pan starts to look dry, add a drop of oil.
• Add the bell pepper and Shaoxing wine, if using, and stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes until slightly softened. Pour in the seasoning sauce and let it sizzle for 30 seconds, stirring once or twice.
• Add the baby bok choy, tofu and green parts of the scallion, toss gently to coat the tofu. Let it simmer on low heat for 1 to 2 minutes until the sauce thickens, the baby bok choy is wilted but still green and crisp-tender, and the tofu has absorbed some of the sauce. Serve with rice or noodles.

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.

GRILLED SOY, GINGER AND LIME TOFU STEAKS WITH CHARRED BABY BOK CHOY

Steps:

• Put the tofu steaks on a paper towel-lined rimmed baking sheet and top with more paper towels, pressing gently to remove excess moisture. Remove the paper towels and towel and sprinkle the tofu with salt and pepper on both sides.
• Stir to combine the soy sauce, cilantro, lime juice, brown sugar, ginger, garlic and scallion whites in a medium bowl. Pour 1/3 cup of the marinade over the tofu steaks, flipping to coat both sides. Reserve the remaining marinade for serving.
• Put the bok choy on another rimmed baking sheet and brush all sides with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Prepare a grill for medium heat and brush the grates of the grill with oil.
• Put the tofu steaks and bok choy, cut-sides down, on the grill at an angle across the grates. Close the lid of the grill and cook for 5 minutes, then rotate both the tofu and the bok choy 90 degrees and cook another 5 minutes with the lid closed. Flip the tofu steaks and bok choy and cook for another 10 minutes with the lid closed, rotating 90 degrees halfway through to create crosshatch grill marks.
• Remove the tofu and bok choy to a platter. Spoon the reserved marinade over the tofu and bok choy and sprinkle the tofu steaks with the scallion greens and toasted sesame seeds.