Tea roasted tofu with apricot-chili jam
Folks, before I get on to the next recipe here, I should say why posts have been rather scares here recently. I’m not considering quitting blogging in any capacity nor have I been away, but typing hasn’t been as easy as usual the last days.
You see I don’t really know who coined the term that sport is health, but I’m quite sure they never really suffered post sportive pains. You see, after a session of playing squash this weekend I’ve been feeling pain in muscles I had no idea I’ve possessed. Anyway, as by now my left arm stopped shaking and I can finally lift it to type… or try at least…
Today’s topic is tofu, which isn’t usually the no. 1 ingredient on my list, but I’m working on getting it higher. I still remember the first time I’ve cooked tofu and way overdid with soy sauce, which eventually turned out completely inedible. I think that put me off tofu for some time, but for the last year I’ve been trying it in different combinations and it really started growing on me, hey I’ve even made chocolate mousse with tofu which was a major success (I still can’t believe it… as tofu in dessert is still sounds a little weird).
In the cookbook “Culinary tea” I’ve reviewed a couple of weeks ago there was a recipe of tea roasted tofu in peanut sauce, which sounded very interesting, but as I’m not a big fan of peanut butter (please don’t judge) I had to swapped it for a little homemade apricot chili jam. Well, I’ve actually made it while roasting tofu as an experiment and it worked brilliantly!
A little note on roasting tofu though, be sure to coat it in soy-tea sauce very well before roasting, so it would absorb all the flavors, and if you’ve never roasted tofu before, you should know that tofu puffs up a bit like marshmallows - resulting in incredible texture, which if you don’t east fast will deflate just as quickly.
- 60 ml light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon loose leaf Pu-erh tea leaves
- 300 grams extra firm tofu
- 5 ripe apricots, peeled and diced
- 1-2 chilies, chopped
- 1-3 teaspoons brown sugar
- 50 ml water
- salt
- few pistachios, crushed
- chopped coriander (cilantro)
- Preheat the oven to 220C.
- Line a baking sheet baking paper. Place soy sauce and tea in bowl and microwave on high for 25 seconds, then let it steep covered for 5 minutes. Strain and discard the leaves.
- Cut the tofu into cubes and dip well in soy-tea sauce covering all sides (very important) and place on a baking sheet at least 1 cm apart (they will puff). Make 2 shallow incisions on each piece of tofu. Bake the tofu for 15 minutes then flip over and bake for additional 10-15 minutes until browned.
- While roasting tofu prepare the apricot chili jam: place the diced apricots in deep sauce pan with 50 ml water and chopped chili, bring to boil and let it simmer for 10-20 minutes stirring occasionally till it turns to jam like consistency, you may need to add a little more water. Add sugar according to taste and let it simmer a few minutes more. Taste and add salt if needed.
- To plate up serve a little jam with roasted tofu pieces, sprinkle some crushed pistachios and fresh coriander. Enjoy!
What an original combination! I’d love to taste that refined dish.
Cheers,
Rosa
I’ve never worked with tofu but your presentation is beautiful. The apricot-chili jam sounds scrumptious!
tea plus tofu sounds delicious and with that apricot flavor added in the mix this dish is phenomenal
I hope you recover quickly, it sounds painful and frustrating!
Roasted tofu? I’ve never even thought about cooking tofu in the oven before, then there’s the tea/soy sauce combo, which I’ve only used when it comes to cooking tea eggs. Wow, I bet the flavor is amazing! Thank you for sharing.
That is such a delicious combination
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
I used to love squash – I played it all the time in school. I’m no stranger to the massive amount of pain it can inflict!
Love the sound of this tofu – I can only imagine the delicate flavouring of the tofu with the lovely spicy jam!
This sounds and looks delish! Have tofu on hand and am definitely trying this tonight! Thanks for sharing despite your pain – feel better soon!
This recipe is really tempting and your pictures are amazing!
Wonderful post. Love your pictures.
Love this recipe! I’m also a huge fan of the Culinary Tea cookbook. My blog is about cooking with tea, and I’ve been through a lot of cooking with tea cookbooks. Culinary Tea is my favorite so far. I find myself trying not to always go back to to it every week, simply so I provide some variety with the recipes sources I use. I found your beautiful blog through a David’s Tea Facebook post. I love David’s Tea and just recently posted a tea-braised tofu recipe using David’s Tea Milk Oolong if you want to check it out: http://wp.me/p2qKOq-dc. I also don’t cook a lot of tofu. Thanks for sharing this gorgeous recipe!