It’s a new week but I’m starting it the same way I started last week – with a tofu recipe! I wouldn’t normally eat this much tofu in such a short time span but that’s because I am cooking through a cookbook and these recipes just come one after another. It’s a good thing I enjoy tofu and it is cool to see more and more ways to prepare it.

Today’s tofu is a very sweet and sticky one. It starts by pressing the tofu to release all the excess water and then cutting it into cubes. It marinates in a little mixture of soy sauce, mirin and chili-garlic sauce. It is also supposed to have a little Maggi seasoning but I just substituted with extra soy. I let it sit for about 30 minutes but the recipe says it can sit for up to 2 hours.

Next comes the cooking. The cubes get tossed in cornstarch (or rice flour) and then pan-fried in a little neutral oil. The cornstarch gets them a bit crispy so they have more texture in the final product. Ginger and shallot are then added as a flavour base before the best part – the sauce. It’s a mixture of sesame oil, garlic, rice vinegar, maple syrup, soy sauce and a little more cornstarch. All that gets added to the pan and it cooks down with the tofu until it thickens up. The final touches are some green onion, cilantro and sesame seeds for garnish and then it’s ready to eat.

This was some super good tofu. It was so saucy, gooey and packed with flavour. I served this with steamed rice and broccoli and it was the perfect meal. I would not suggest this for a weeknight because it takes over 1 hour which not many people may have during the week. As long as you organize your time to let the tofu press out and marinade, then you will have a great dinner.