Resources

A simple yet unusually elegant way to prepare tofu! This dish pairs well with most vegetables and grains and is also very tasty served cold if there are leftovers.

Yields – 4 Servings

Prep Time – 20 Minutes

Resting Time – 30 Minutes

Cook Time – 20 Minutes

Ingredients

• 1 pound medium texture tofu
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 tablespoons rice syrup
• 6 scallions, shredded
• 2 tablespoons shredded ginger
• ¼ cup dry white wine (optional)
• ¼ cup low sodium tamari
• 2 teaspoons raspberry vinegar (or use apple cider vinegar)
• ½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 4 sprigs cilantro

Instructions

Step 1

Drain the tofu and cut into 4-5 thick slabs. Place on a clean kitchen towel, folding the towel over the top. Put a cutting board on top of the tofu and press gently down to drain. Leave at room temperature for about 30 minutes.

Step 2

Meanwhile, prepare the other ingredients. Peel the garlic and thinly slice two cloves. With a garlic press, press the remaining clove into a small mixing bowl. Shred the scallions and ginger then add them half of them to the bowl, saving the other half to use later. Stir into the bowl the wine, rice syrup, tamari, and vinegar. Combine well and set aside.

Step 3

Transfer the drained tofu to a heatproof serving plate. Using the tip of a paring knife, make shallow slices in each piece of tofu and gently insert sliced garlic into the slits.

Step 4

Pour the ginger-scallion-tamari mixture over the tofu, covering thoroughly. Set the dish aside to marinate for at least 30 minutes, basting occasionally. (May be prepared up to 24 hours in advance to this point if refrigerated).

Step 5

Place the dish in the top of a flat steamer basket over rapidly boiling water. (Or use a wok make-shift steamer as described in the note below). Steam the tofu covered and basting occasionally. After about 10 minutes of cooking add the reserved shredded ginger and scallions, then cook another 10 minutes.

Step 6

Remove dish from steamer. Sprinkle the toasted sesame oil over the tofu and add cilantro as a garnish. Serve immediately.

If you don’t have a Chinese Bamboo steamer for cooking the dish, you can set up a wok placing two chopsticks parallel to each other in the bottom of the wok, then filling the wok with about 4 inches of water, placing the heat-proof dish containing the tofu on top of the chopsticks and then covering the wok to create a steamer.