Week 2 – 2021

This is another post from the series “I tried something new this week”.

I like to do very simple recipes for lunch, mostly something fresh and light. The recipe I am writing about this week makes a really good lunch and it was also an opportunity for me to try a new way to cook tofu. This is the first time I used both silken tofu and mirin. Mirin is a sweet Japanese rice wine that makes a great marinade for tofu.

Here is what I tried and what I would improve for the next time.

Ingredients (2 portions)

• 150 basmati rice
• 1 lime
• 250g silken tofu
• 4 tbs mirin
• 4 tbs soy sauce
• 4 tbs honey
• salt
• pepper
• cooking oil
• a knob of butter
• radishes
• cucumbers
• sweet red peppers

Method

Wash the rice and cook it with a pinch of salt and a knob of butter for 10 minutes. When cooked, let it stand for 10 minutes.

In the mean time cut the tofu in 2cm cubes and gently fry it for a few minutes in a splash of oil. Prepare the marinade with the mirin, honey, soy sauce and 1 tbs of oil. Marinate the fried tofu for about 5 minutes and then fry again for a few minutes. Season with a bit of salt and set aside. Save the marinade, take it through a sieve and keep as extra seasoning for the dish.

Thinly slice the radishes, cucumbers and peppers. Zest the lime and stir it through the rice.

Plate the rice with the fresh vegetables and tofu, add salt and pepper and some marinade. Serve with a lime wedge.

Tips

• The marinade is quite sweet so next time I will try with just half of the honey quantity and something spicy instead, chilly flakes or a bit of chilly powder.
• The silky tofu is delicious but I think is amazing when you use it in soups. In a rice dish the consistency is slightly too soft, crispy cooked tofu would be better for this recipe.