Spicy Smoked Maple Tofu with Garlic Maple Kale and Rice
I’ve been eating out far too much lately, so last night I decided I’d try to compensate by staying in and cooking at home on a Saturday night. I didn’t want to make a pre-Sunday- Trader-Joe’s-trip grocery run though, so I did an inventory of the fridge and found everything I needed to make this little number. Except liquid smoke that is… where does one even come across liquid smoke? Luckily, earlier in the day I picked up a bottle of smoked olive oil in Sapore, the new specialty oil and vinegar shop just up the street so I decided to use that as the oil and hope it had the same effect.
Although we had an enjoyable meal, this wasn’t the most flavorful tofu dish I’ve ever made. I liked the flavor combination, but it didn’t come through quite as strongly as I’d have liked. Although I generally post recipes to reflect my modifications, this time I posted the original version with my changes noted.
Spicy Smoked Maple Tofu with Garlic Maple Kale and Rice
From the Edible Perspective
Spicy Smoked Maple Tofu:
- 1 package extra firm tofu
- 1.5T smoked olive oil (or 1/2t liquid smoke)
- 1.5T maple syrup
- 1T rice vinegar
- 1/2t crushed garlic
- 1/4-1/2t cayenne pepper
- Preheat oven to broil with a rack on the top slats. Drain your tofu and cut into 8 equal slices. Lay the slices out flat on a doubled over kitchen towel with another doubled over towel on top. Lay a large cutting board on top and place a few heavy books on top. [tofu pressing how-to]. Press for 25-35min. *Alternatively you can press your tofu how I do, with my hands and a paper towel.
- Whisk remaining ingredients together in a large bowl.
- Slice tofu into 1/4” wide strips or small squares. Place in the large bowl with the wet ingredients and stir very gently until well coated.
- Lay tofu out on a parchment lined pan and broil for 4-8min, until golden brown with slightly darker edges. Time varies depending on your oven. Flip and broil for another 4-8min until golden brown. Typically, the second side browns a bit faster. *Alternatively, pan fry your tofu in a large skillet. I generally have better luck getting my tofu crispy this way.
Rice + Garlic Maple Kale
- 1c uncooked rice
- 8c chopped kale
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 2T smoked olive oil
- 2T maple syrup
- 2T rice vinegar
- 1.5t garlic, crushed
- salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste
- Cook rice according to package directions. You want 4 cups cooked.
- In a large pan, heat the 1T oil over medium. Add the onion and cook until it starts to brown, stirring frequently. Add the garlic and cook until just starting to brown, stirring constantly to avoid burning.
- Add the kale, 1T maple syrup, rice vinegar, 1/2t salt and black pepper, stirring frequently until the kale starts to wilt.
- Add in the rice and stir to combine. Gently mix in the tofu. Because I thought the dish lacked flavor, I added an additional tablespoon each of maple syrup and smoked olive oil at the end.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
Serves 4
