Tag Archives: smoked tofu

Smoked Tofu part deux

Last summer I wrote about smoking tofu. I’ve learned a few thing since. I actually read on the package of mesquite chips what I am supposed to do.

Fire up the grill following the instructions in Smoked Tofu. Then follow these directions: Make a foil pack of mesquite chips (0r other smoking chips you are using), poke holes in the package. Put the foil pack on the coals. The pack will start smoking. When doing this, move the charcoal briquettes to one side of the grill. Put the block of tofu, that has been pressed right onto the grill. Cover and let smoke. Flip the tofu after about half an hour. Smoke until the there is no more smoke on the grill.

I’ve used this method several times now to roaring success. The other nifty thing about smoked tofu, add smoked salt to it. It is wildly delicious.

Smokey Tofu and Veggies with “Magic” sauce

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The other night I came home from work and was really tired. Still, I had to get dinner on the table. We have pared down the cupboards from pre-packaged food, so there aren’t many options for dinner unless I cook.

I had one can of coconut milk left on the shelf. In the refrigerator there were some left-over diced veggies, smoked tofu, and rice. This dish was the perfect way to use up the food in my frig, without having to do a lot of work. I have a well stocked pantry, so I gathered up some spices, and went to work. And I came up with Smokey Tofu and Veggies, with Magic Coconut Sauce.

The Partner started eating, and about half way through she thoroughly relaxed, looked at me and said “you made magic sauce!” I started in with my general litany about how I just opened a can of coconut milk and added some spices. She didn’t let me get away with it. I don’t just make food, and she knows it, after all, she’s the one who named me Kitchen Shaman.

So, in all it’s glory, here is the recipe fo Magic Sauce that relaxes even the insides of your body.

Tools:

Saute Pan
Wok
Knife
Cutting board
Micro plane

Ingredients

1 tbsp Coriander
1 tbsp Cumin
1/2 tbsp Fennel Seed
2 tbsp sunflower oil
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 green pepper, diced
1/2 red pepper, diced
1/2 Poblano pepper, diced
1 Zucchini, diced
1 Squash, diced
1 tbsp ginger paste
Smoked Tofu, cubed
1 can (15 oz) Coconut Milk
2 tbsp paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp amchur (mango) powder
Brown Basmati Rice

Process:

Dice up all the vegetables, and cube tofu. To make the ginger paste, grate about a quarter inch of ginger on the micro plane.

Heat up sauce pan. On low heat toast coriander, cumin and fennel seed.

Heat up wok. Add sunflower oil. When oil is hot, add peppers and onion. Saute until they start softening. Add zucchini, squash, ginger paste, and toasted spices. Saute until the squash start to soften, add the smoked tofu. Cook until the tofu is heated through.

While the veggies are cooking, open a can of coconut milk, stir it up and pour into same saute pan used for toasting spices. Add paprika, cayenne, and amchur powder. Bring to a boil, then simmer while the veggies are cooking.

Cook the basmati rice according to instructions. Place in pasta bowls. Layer in the coconut sauce. Add the veggies and smoked tofu. Serve with your favorite flatbreads, naan, tortillas, or steamed mushi buns.

This is a recipe that is versatile. Try out different veggies. The ones listed were the ones I had available in my frig. The spices, however, are fixed. You can try deviations, but I won’t guarantee the “magic” part of the recipe.

I really don’t know why the coconut became “magic” sauce. It was simple and easy to make. Maybe it’s all the love I put into the food I make, even when I am tired. Maybe it was the combination of spices. Whatever worked, I hope you can produce the same effect on your diners. Try this recipe out, and please let me know how it turns out.

Summer Vegan Porch Party

Tofu Bacon!

Smoked Tofu

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I had a bad experience attempting to smoke vegetables and tofu. I am a determined chef, therefore, I tried again.

I searched the internet for some kind of information on how to set up a charcoal grill for smoking, especially smoking chiles. The results were depressing, and I found loads of information on how to use an electric smoker, how to smoke pork meat, and other topics that I wasn’t looking for.

The most useful information I could find was what temperature to smoke at. I realized that the mistake I made on my first attempt was that my grill was too hot. I needed to make sure that the grill was at a low temperature.

I set just a few briquettes on the grill. I am using hardwood briquettes from either Trader Joe’s or Whole foods. They have no harmful chemicals and can be thrown into the compost pile. If you have neither of these stores in your area, look for natural hardwood briquettes that say things like “can be composted” and “no harmful chemicals”. I use a fire starter brick. It’s called A-OK fire liters, and it is specifically for starting charcoal and wood fires. There are some products out there that say they are not to be used for starting these kinds of fires.

I use mesquite chips, but you can use any hardwood of your choice; hickory, apple, maple, oak, pecan, cherry, as long as it is hard wood. Soak the chips at least half an hour to an hour. Fire up the briquettes and wait until they turn white. This is very important. You want your smoker to be about 200-225 degrees otherwise you will burn your food. Add the chips to the charcoal, and let them start smoking. Have your tofu pressed, seasoned or marinated, and ready to go. Use a sheet pan, or some other kind of shallow barrier between the tofu and the heat. I oiled mine with a little olive oil and seasoned it with salt and pepper.

I closed the lid, periodically checking to see if I needed to add more chips. At the same time, I decided to make chipolte (smoked jalapeños). The tofu was finished a long time before the jalapenos. But the trick to smoking vegetables is that you need to pull all the moisture out. I ran out of chips before the chipolte was finished. I let them sit overnight on top of the stove, and this morning fired the oven up to an extremely low heat and finished drying the chiles. I’ll leave them out for a couple more days before sealing them in a jar and using them every so often for a Smoked Coconut Curry sauce. Eventually I’ll be able to purchase a dehydrator.

Back to The tofu. It was done in an hour or so. I was pretty impressed. Took it off the grill, and let it cool for awhile before putting it away.

My partner came around for a sample. Yummy was the response. It was so very good. I believe next time I’ll try a spice rub on it…that should be heaven.