August 21, 2011: Szechuan Pepper Tofu Amongst Wasabi Pea Sauce

Along amongst our blog's fifth birthday saltation give-away spectacular, nosotros decided to bring an actual real-life celebration of veg nutrient to grade the occasion. We gathered our park potluck crew for a Dominicus afternoon vegan, gluten-free binge, a veritable smorgasbord of deliciousness. Everyone came through amongst the goods (chocolate-coated rootage beer ice-cream! the most amazing black-bean sauce of all-time!! choc-berry tarts!!! Buffalo tofu!!!! as well as then much more!!!!!). It was a lovely afternoon, as well as having a dozen people inwards our menage who we'd never bring met without the weblog was a plumbing equipment agency to grade 5 years since nosotros started. 

My examine to print involved shallow-fried Szechuan tofu fish-fingers amongst a wasabi pea puree, inspired past times VeggieNumNum. This was an tardily combo to whip upwards as well as i that is guaranteed to impress. The Szechuan peppers gave a tingly numbing boot to the tofu strips, which combined a crunchy rice-crumb outside as well as a lemony-soy tofu interior. The pea mush was a striking light-green colouring textile as well as gave the illusion of existence guacamole - it tastes nada similar avocado, then you've got to examine to grapple your expectations. As long every bit you're non expecting guac, it's a tasty treat, amongst the sweetness of the peas cutting through past times the wasabi tang. I'll in all likelihood instruct heavier on both the Szechuan as well as the wasabi side past times side time. Rest assured in that place volition hold upwards a side past times side time.

Szechuan pepper tofu

(from Veggie num num)

1kg tofu, cutting into fish-finger sized rectangles
juice of ii lemons
3-4 tablespoons tamari
5 teaspoons of solid soil Szechuan pepper corns (I'd instruct higher hither side past times side time, I was playing it rubber for the potluck gang)
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups rice crumbs
ii teaspoons corn flour
enough of stone oil for frying

Combine the lemon juice as well as tamari inwards a baking tray as well as marinate the tofu inwards it for twenty minutes or then (I fifty-fifty turned my tofu pieces once, but that's in all likelihood non essential).

Combine the rice crumbs, Szechuan pepper, white pepper as well as tabular array salt inwards a bowl. This is your crumbing mix.

Take the tofu out of the marinade as well as pat it downwards amongst some newspaper towels to dry. Combine the remaining marinade amongst the cornflour as well as whisk until smooth.

Heat a 1/2 cm layer of stone oil inwards a frying pan until it's prissy as well as hot. Then, dip your tofu inwards the cornflour/tamari/lemon mix as well as coat it inwards the crumbing mixture earlier dropping it inwards the frying pan.

Do this for a pan-load of tofu pieces - past times the fourth dimension y'all instruct all the pieces inwards (about four minutes I'd guess) it'll hold upwards fourth dimension to flip the starting fourth dimension pieces y'all pose in. The crumbs instruct prissy as well as difficult as well as y'all goal upwards amongst something real reminiscent of a fish finger.

We've got a large frying pan as well as this nevertheless took us 3 batches to instruct done - nosotros kept our cooked tofu inwards a covered container to retain some warmth piece nosotros finished the job. I intend these are best eaten immediately - ours had turned a petty dry out past times the fourth dimension they'd cooled down.

Wasabi pea sauce

(again, via Veggie num num)

Note: because I doubled Trudy's quantities for the tofu, I did the same for the pea puree. This is non necessary! Below are the quantities I used, but beware that this makes to a greater extent than pea puree than y'all could perchance use.

5 cups frozen peas
1 loving cup water
3 teaspoons wasabi

Combine the peas as well as the H2O inwards a large fry-pan over medium heat. Get things simmering as well as allow them bubble along, stirring occasionally, for nearly 8 minutes. The peas should hold upwards vivid light-green as well as prissy as well as soft.

Pour the pea/water mix into a blender as well as whizz to a thick, vivid mush.

Stir through the wasabi (add to a greater extent than or less depending on your tastes - it was definitely noticeable at these quantities, but I mightiness boot it upwards a notch side past times side time).