Black Garlic Tofu
Anthony wanted a Tofu dish. I remembered this one from a while back. I have made it 2 or 3 times with a little change each time. Mainly the vegetables and the peanuts. You can use diagonal-cut green onions instead of the chives if you wish. You can also add some peanuts and toss them in the sauce with the tofu if you wish. The key is the black garlic and getting the tofu crisp.
You can eat it as is or place it over Jasmine Rice (this is what I do)
Ingredients
12 oz block of extra firm tofu
5-6 cloves of black fermented garlic
3 tablespoons peanut oil for the sauce and a bit more for frying
3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar or brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste
1/8 cup chives and chive blossoms (if you can find them)
Preparation
Press tofu with paper towels to remove water. Cut into ¾ to 1-inch cubes. Blot with a paper towel again.
Blend the black garlic cloves, oil, water, soy sauce, and sugar until combined using a blender.
Heat 1-2 tablespoons of oil in a wok or skillet on high heat. Add a generous pinch of salt and cracked pepper to the heating oil. When it begins to smoke, turn the heat down to medium high, and carefully slide the tofu in; you don’t want it to splash.
Turn over the tofu, every minute or so, letting it caramelize and crisp up on all sides. This will take about 10 minutes on medium-high heat. Once tofu is crispy and golden, scoop it onto a plate and set aside.
Carefully pour black garlic sauce into the wok and stir constantly over medium-high heat for one minute, and it will turn shiny and dark.
Place tofu back in the wok with the sauce, stir to coat each piece well, about 30 seconds, and serve immediately. If you cook the tofu too long in the sauce, you will lose the nice crisp you created.
Top with fresh chopped chives and chive blossoms. Serve right away as is or over Jasmine Rice.
Keywords: Asian Main
