Javanese Tofu
| October 6, 2012 | Posted by Koalaborg under Food, recipes, Vegan, Vegan Mofo 2012 |
I like simple one-pot (or one wok) meals – my family generates a lot of dirty dishes and the last thing I need is a pile of pots and skillets to deal with as well.
I first tried Javanese tofu in Florida – it was a standard cold noodle salad available at my local (at the time) natural foods co-op. I loved buying it but it was so much cheaper to just make it myself.
I press out a block of extra firm tofu. I’m sure everyone has their own technique for how they do this. I wrap my tofu in a couple of paper towels and then a clean kitchen towel and press firmly. I let sit wrapped with something sitting on it for a few minutes to press out some of the excess water.
I lightly saute the tofu in a little bit of oil (canola or olive oil). I wait until it is starting to brown in spots before I add my veggies. I like to add 4-5 sliced carrots and 4 celery ribs sliced. I cover my wok and let cook at medium heat (stirring occasionally) until carrots begin to soften. Once the carrots have softened I add broccoli spears and let cook a few minutes longer. Remove from heat and let the tofu and veggies start to cool.
While my tofu and veggies are cooking, I cook a box of whole wheat spaghetti (thin or regular) noodles. Since this is a cold salad, after the noodles are ready, I drain the noodles and rinse in cold water to refresh them.
While everything is cooking, I prepare my sauce. This is the simpest of sauces – you could always add in extra spices to taste, but with kids, I try to keep the spiciness to a minimum. I don’t use any hard measurements when preparing the sauce, so I don’t have an exact recipe to share. I tend to eyeball and adjust to taste.
I add 1 – 1/2 cups of creamy natural peanut butter to a mixing bowl. I then add in approximately 1 -1/2 Tbsp lemon juice and start to mix with a whisk. I slowly add water while mixing. The peanut butter will go from a clumpy stage to a creamy stage as water is added. I’ve added a picture of my final sauce to show the consistency I strive for. As I am mixing, I sprinkle in some garlic granules to taste.
After the pasta has been rinsed and drained, I add it to the wok. I pour the sauce over the contents and stir until everything is evenly coated. I usually transfer to a baking dish and let chill for a bit in the fridge before serving. This is an awesome, filling dish!
- You want the sauce thin enough to spoon over the noodles, tofu and veggies, but thick enough to coat the food and not be runny.
This is not my best food picture. But you can see how well everything is coated with the peanut sauce, without the sauce being runny. This is such a simple and yummy dish!
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