Braised Tofu with Firecracker Sauce
This recipe is dedicated to Angela. Before I even sent out the survey asking my former customers what recipes they most want from the restaurant, Angela took the initiative to email me requesting this tofu recipe. Here is Angela’s polite plea:
“Your power bowls with tofu were delightful, and I have not stopped thinking about them since the store's closure. Your tofu was truly the best tofu I've ever had. I've made many attempts to replicate this dish but have failed miserably. I would greatly appreciate you sharing your recipe. Thank you.”
Bento Picnic’s Braised Tofu
Gluten-Free, Vegan
Yield: 12 pieces (400g)
Serving Size: 3 pieces, quartered = 12 triangles
Servings: 4
SOURCING/STORING SUGGESTIONS: To make this recipe, I recommend sourcing the Fried Tofu from Garden Star Sprouts, a local tofu producer based in Dallas. In Austin, the most reliable place to find their products is at the Ranch 99 at Airport & N Lamar. You’ll notice Garden Star Sprout sells several types of Fried Tofu — they’re all good, so get them all and experiment to find out which texture you prefer. Oftentimes I freeze the tofu as soon as I buy it, since Garden Star Sprouts’ tofu is made without preservatives and thus has a short shelf life in the refrigerator. Conveniently, you can start cooking from frozen without any compromise to the final result.
Ingredients
12 oz container Fried Tofu (370g)
1/4 cup tamari (60g)
2 Tbsp mirin (30g)
1 1/2 cups water (350ml)
Instructions
Combine water, tamari and mirin in a wide-bottomed pot to cover tofu.
Simmer over medium heat, until liquid has mostly evaporated, about 15 minutes. Stir once halfway through to make sure tofu gets evenly braised. Turn off heat and let tofu cool down in the reduced braising liquid.
Once tofu is cool enough to work with, cut into quarters. Garnish with Firecracker Teriyaki Sauce (see sub recipe).
Firecracker Teriyaki Sauce
The idea for this Bento Picnic original was conceived of by Collin, one of our cooks, who was always combining our mustard seed vinaigrette and teriyaki sauce whenever he made family meal! The reddish hue comes from the Aleppo pepper, which is about half as hot as other crushed red chile flakes, and twice as flavorful! We dubbed it firecracker sauce because of the way the hydrated mustard seeds burst with flavor.
Yield: 1 1/2 cups (440g)
Serving Size: 1 oz (30g)
Servings: ~15
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp yellow mustard seed (10g)
1 Tbsp aleppo pepper (6g)
1/4 tsp kosher salt (2g)
1/8 tsp ground black pepper (1g)
2 Tbsp water (30ml)
——
1/2 cup tamari (120g)
1/2 cup mirin (120g)
1/2 cup unseasoned rice vinegar (120g)
——
2 Tbsp cornstarch (18g)
2 Tbsp water (30ml)
5 Tbsp agave (100g)
Instructions:
BLOOM SPICES
Toast dry ingredients (mustard seeds, aleppo pepper, salt & pepper until it smells golden. Then add 1st amount of water to bloom the spices. Continue cooking until au sec*.
*The term au sec (pronounced "oh-SECK") refers to a liquid that has been reduced until it is nearly dry.
SIMMER LIQUIDS
Add tamari, mirin, rice vinegar to the pot, and bring to a simmer.
MAKE SLURRY
In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and the 2nd amount of water to make a slurry. once cornstarch is dissolved into the water, whisk agave into the slurry as well.
FINISH SAUCE
Add the sweetened slurry to the pot of simmering liquid, and whisk continuously until the sauce begins to thicken and there's no sign of cloudiness. Cut heat and let cool. The sauce will continue to thicken as it cools.
SERVING/STORING
Serve immediately or store in a glass jar in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.
NOTE: The sauce may gel up during refrigeration. To loosen the sauce back up, simply place the glass jar in a pot of warm water and whisk until tempered.