Sesame Grilled Tofu Recipes

Steps:

• Arrange sliced tofu in a single layer on a paper towel-lined plate. Press top with more paper towels to remove excess water. Arrange tofu in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, or any shallow dish that can hold the tofu in one layer.
• In a small saucepan, combine oil, garlic and ginger over medium; bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring frequently, until softened and fragrant, 2 minutes. Add soy sauce, sugar, pepper and 1/4 cup water, and cook, stirring to dissolve the sugar, about 2 minutes.
• Pour hot marinade over tofu. Gently turn tofu slices to evenly coat, then cover dish tightly with plastic wrap to seal in heat. Refrigerate for 6 hours (or up to 8 hours), flipping tofu slices halfway through.
• Heat grill to medium and grease grates well (or heat a cast-iron grill pan over medium and lightly grease). Grill tofu over direct heat until golden and caramelized, about 3 minutes per side.
• Meanwhile, transfer marinade to a small saucepan over medium and warm through, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in scallions.
• Transfer tofu to a serving plate and spoon over the sauce. Serve warm.

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.

Steps:

• Drain tofu; slice each block horizontally in half, arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet or tray lined with several thicknesses of paper toweling.
• Cover with more paper toweling and a second baking sheet or cutting board; top with a heavy weight (such as bricks or canned foods); let stand 1-2 hours to remove excess moisture.
• Combine soy sauce, wine, vinegar, sesame oil, olive oil, chili oil, garlic and salt to taste in a non-reactive bowl; mix well and set aside.
• Cut each piece of drained tofu into 4 rectangles; arrange in a shallow non-reactive container, pour marinade over tofu.
• Cover; refrigerate, turning occasionally, for at least 24 hours or up to 6 days.
• Return to room temperature before cooking.
• Prepare grill for moderate direct-heat cooking.
• Place 8 bamboo skewers in a shallow container and cover with water; set aside to soak, about 30 minutes.
• Place sesame seeds over medium heat in a small skillet; toast, shaking pan or stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 5 minutes, and pour onto a plate to cool.
• Remove tofu from marinade, reserving marinade.
• Cut each onion into 3 pieces of equal length; working with one onion at a time, beginning with root end, thread 3 onion pieces lengthwise onto soaked skewers, alternating them with 2 pieces of tofu; thread onion pieces in order to simulate look of a whole onion.
• Or, you can just skip the onions and thread tofu onto skewers.
• Lightly brush grill rack with oil.
• Place skewered tofu on rack; cook, turning frequently and brushing with marinade, until lightly browned on all sides, 12-15 minutes.
• To serve, sprinkle tofu with toasted sesame seeds; arrange on warmed plates.

Steps:

• 1. Wrap tofu in paper towels and squeeze gently to remove excess water. Pat dry 2. Combine sesame oil, canola oil, mirin, soy sauce, chili paste, garlic, and ginger, and mix well. 3. Cut each block of tofu lengthwise into 4 slices and brush on marinade. Let marinate for at least 1 hour at room temperature or up to 8 hours in the refrigerator. 4. Prepare a medium-hot fire in the grill. Lightly oil grill grate or a vegetable grill rack. 5. Grill tofu until browned and crusty, about 5 minutes per side. Serve hot, passing sesame dipping sauce at the table.

Steps:

• Prepare the dressing: In a medium bowl, whisk together coconut milk, lime zest and juice, sambal oelek and brown sugar until sugar dissolves completely. Slowly stream in the sesame oil and whisk until the mixture is emulsified and creamy. Taste and season with salt as needed; set aside. (You'll have 3/4 cup dressing. Save any extra in an airtight container in the refrigerator.)
• Prepare the tofu: Pat the tofu dry with a clean kitchen towel or paper towel. In a medium bowl, whisk together panko, sesame seeds and black pepper. Season the mixture generously with salt. In a second medium bowl, lightly whisk the egg whites. Using a pair of kitchen tongs, dip the tofu slices one at a time in the egg whites and coat well. Transfer to the bowl with the panko mixture, coating well on all sides, then move to a clean plate. Repeat with remaining tofu slices.
• Line a large plate with paper towels. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a medium (10-inch) cast-iron or stainless-steel skillet over medium-low. Working in batches to avoid crowding, pan-fry the tofu until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. (Don't overcook, or the sesame seeds will turn bitter.) Transfer the fried tofu slices to the prepared plate. Repeat with the remaining tofu, adding oil and wiping out the pan as needed.
• Prepare the spinach: Wipe out the skillet, and heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium. Add the shallot and sauté until translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 45 seconds, taking care not to scorch the garlic. Add the spinach by the handful, increasing the heat after the first handful and allowing the greens to wilt before adding more. Sauté until wilted and most of the liquid evaporates, about 10 minutes. Add the soy sauce and black pepper, and fold to coat well. Taste and add salt as needed. Remove the skillet from the heat.
• Place spinach in a serving bowl. Add fried tofu on top, and drizzle with half of the coconut-lime dressing. Sprinkle the chives over the tofu, and serve immediately, with more dressing on the side.