Thai Garlic Tofu And Spinach Recipes

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. As the oven heats, press the tofu (you can do this by sandwiching the block in paper towels and placing a cutting board, plus a heavy pot, can or book on top).
• Cut the tofu into 1/2-inch cubes and place in a medium bowl. Add the salt and oils, and toss to combine.
• Sprinkle the cornstarch, panko and sesame seeds, if using, and toss gently so the tofu cubes are coated.
• Spread on the prepared sheet and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, flipping once, until golden-brown and crisp.
• While the tofu bakes, start the noodles: Put the dry rice noodles in a big, wide bowl. Fill a kettle, bring the water to a boil, and pour the boiling water over the noodles to cover. Set aside for 6 to 10 minutes, until the noodles are fully rehydrated and soft. (Time may vary by brand.) Then drain, rinse with cold water, and drain again. Transfer noodles to a large bowl.
• As the noodles soak, prepare the spicy sesame oil: In a small pot, combine sesame oil, peanut oil, garlic, ginger, red-pepper flakes and sesame seeds. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook on the lowest heat for 10 to 12 minutes, until the garlic slices turn golden.
• Meanwhile, on your cutting board, make a small mound with the teaspoon of salt. Place the basil and the scallions on top, and use your knife to furiously chop and smash until you have a rough paste.
• Mix the basil paste into the bowl of rice noodles. Pile the baby spinach on top. Pour at least half of the hot oil immediately over the spinach, tossing so that the heat wilts the leaves slightly. Then add the juice of the 1/2 lime and toss to combine. Taste for salt and lime juice, and add more oil as you see fit.
• Arrange the tofu on top of the noodles, or mix them in so that the cubes hide like little treasures. For extra flair, garnish with additional sesame seeds and a drizzle of toasted sesame oil.

Steps:

• Heat the canola oil over medium-high heat in a large nonstick skillet or wok, and add the tofu. Stir-fry until the tofu is lightly colored, three to five minutes, and add the garlic, ginger and chili flakes. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about one minute, and add soy sauce to taste. Add the spinach and stir-fry until the spinach wilts, about one minute. Stir in the sesame seeds, and add more soy sauce to taste. Remove from the heat.
• Using tongs, transfer the spinach and tofu mixture to a serving bowl, leaving the liquid behind in the pan or wok. Drizzle with the sesame oil, and add more soy sauce as desired. Serve with rice or other grains, or noodles. You may also use it as a filling for whole wheat pita bread.

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.

Steps:

• Heat oil in wok over high heat. Add bell peppers, ginger, and garlic; sauté until peppers just begin to soften, about 2 minutes. Add tofu and green onions; toss 2 minutes. Add next 3 ingredients. Toss to blend, about 1 minute. Add spinach in 3 additions, tossing until beginning to wilt, about 1 minute for each addition. Mix in basil. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle peanuts over.

Steps:

• Rinse the bok choy and cut off the bottom stem part at the base of each head. Separate into individual leaves. If the white sections of these leaves are very wide or large, you can slice them in half lengthwise, or into thirds. Tip: If stir-frying larger bok choy, slice off the green leaf tips. Add the thicker white sections to the wok first, then throw in the leaves at the end (these will cook very fast).
• Mix all the stir-fry sauce ingredients together in a bowl or cup. Stir well to dissolve the sugar.
• Heat a wok or large frying pan over medium-high to high heat for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add oil and swirl around.
• Now add the bok choy plus 2-3 tablespoons stir-fry sauce. Stir-fry 1-2 minutes, or until pan/wok starts to become dry.
• Now add another 2-3 tablespoons sauce and continue stir-frying another 2-3 minutes, or until the bok choy is bright green and the white stems are softened but still crunchy.
• Taste-test the bok choy with the sauce. Add more sugar if too sour for your taste, or more lime juice if too salty. Also, fresh minced chili or dried chili can be added if you prefer it spicier. If you prefer more sauce, add a little more, as desired.
• To serve, lift out the bok choy and place on a serving platter or in a serving bowl, then pour the sauce (from the bottom of the wok or pan) over. Serve immediately with plenty of Thai jasmine-scented rice. ENJOY!

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Cut the eggplant in half lengthwise and score down to but not through the skin. Line a baking sheet with parchment or foil, lightly oil the foil and place the eggplant on it cut side down. Roast for 15 minutes, until the skin begins to shrivel. Remove from the oven, transfer to a colander and let the eggplant drain, cut-side down, while you prepare the other ingredients. Then cut the eggplant in half down the middle and into 3/4-inch pieces.
• Meanwhile, drain and dry the tofu slices on paper towels and prepare the water spinach. Cut or break away the bottom 2 inches of the stalks. Break off the thicker, bottom part of the stems and wash thoroughly in 2 changes of water. Cut into 2-inch pieces. Spin in a salad spinner, then place on several thicknesses of paper towels to dry. Wash the leafy top part of the greens in 2 changes of water, spin dry twice, and chop coarsely. Place separately on paper towels to drain.
• In a small bowl or measuring cup combine the soy sauce, rice wine or sherry, and stock or water. Add the salt and sugar and stir until dissolved. Combine the garlic, ginger and chiles in another bowl. Have all the ingredients within arm's length of your pan.
• Heat a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok or 12-inch steel skillet over high heat until a drop of water evaporates within a second or two when added to the pan. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil by pouring it down the sides of the pan and swirling the pan, then add the tofu and stir-fry until lightly colored, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove to a plate.
• Swirl in the remaining oil, add the garlic, ginger and chiles and stir-fry for no more than 10 seconds. Add the red onion and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the eggplant and stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes, until all of it is tender. Add the water spinach stems and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the spinach leaves, stir-fry for about 30 seconds and add the soy sauce mixture. Stir-fry for 1 minute, until the spinach has wilted, return the tofu to the wok along with cilantro. Stir together for a few seconds to amalgamate and remove from the heat. Serve with rice or noodles.