Sesame Tofu and Kale
I love this simple pan fried method of cooking tofu. And I love this flavor profile, where tahini — peanut butter’s sophisticated older sibling — is the star of the show. It’s hard to go wrong when the ingredients you’re using pair so naturally with one another, and in this Sesame Tofu and Kale, each ingredient seamlessly builds flavor and balance.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 2 14-oz blocks Extra-Firm Tofu
- 5 Scallions
- 1¼ cups Vegetable Broth
- ½ cup Tahini
- 3 tablespoons Soy Sauce
- 2 tablespoons Peanut Butter
- 2 tablespoons Brown Sugar
- ½ teaspoon Cumin
- pinch Cayenne Pepper
- 4 teaspoons Apple Cider Vinegar
- ¼ cup Vegetable Oil
- 2 teaspoons minced Garlic
- 2 teaspoons grated Fresh Ginger
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ½ pound Kale, stemmed, chopped 1-inch wide
- ¼ cup roasted Peanuts, coarsely chopped
- 1 tablespoon toasted Sesame Seeds
Instructions
- On a large plate or rimmed baking sheet, set tofu between triple layers of paper towel. Place a heavy pot on top of tofu, and set aside. Rinse and dry scallions; remove any bruised or limp layers. Thinly slice scallions; reserve white and light green sections separately from dark green sections.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together broth, tahini, soy sauce, peanut butter, brown sugar, cumin, cayenne, and 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar until fully combined.
- In a high-sided non-stick sauté pan, heat oil over medium heat until shimmering. Tear tofu into rough 3-inch chunks and add to pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tofu begins to brown, about 5 minutes. With edge of spatula, break tofu into rough 1-inch chunks. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tofu is golden brown, about 10 minutes.
- Add garlic, ginger, white and light green parts of scallion; and salt to tofu. Cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tahini sauce to tofu, and bring to a simmer. Add kale on top of tofu, cover pan, and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook for 5 minutes, swirling pan occasionally. Stir kale and tofu to combine; kale should be wilted and easy to stir. Cover pan and cook for another 5 minutes, swirling pan occasionally.
- Add sesame seeds, peanuts, and remaining 1 teaspoon vinegar to tofu; stir to combine. Adjust seasoning to taste. Serve with rice; garnish with scallion greens and additional sesame seeds.
Notes
- Pressing the tofu removes excess moisture so that it pan fries rather than stews. You can use any heavy pot, or a sheet pan weighed down with cans.
- Make sure to thoroughly shake or stir your tahini so that it has a homogeneous consistency.
- Any type of kale will work for this recipe. I most often use curly kale.
- Salted or unsalted peanuts are fine, it will just affect how you adjust the seasoning to taste at the end of the recipe.