Silken Tofu

I know tofu is all the rage these days with plant-based dishes becoming more popular, but I still feel like silken tofu is slept on. Tofu is common in Asian cuisine and there are so many types; soft, silken, firm, fried etc. There a lot of ways to serve silken tofu and this is one way I like to eat it. It takes 10-15 minutes to cook and I usually have it over rice as a quick lunch or dinner. The delicate flavour of the tofu marries well with the punchy dressing and I like to have my tofu swimming in it so I can spoon it over rice and devour it.

The first step of draining the tofu is less to do with getting rid of the moisture (because steaming it makes it wet again anyway) and more to help it come out of the packaging. Silken tofu is made by being set in the package it comes in and is quite difficult to get out of the pack unscathed. I find draining makes it easier to remove but honestly, it doesn’t matter if bits break off because you’re going to cover it with the dressing and some gorgeous herbs anyway so no one will notice.

Also, if don’t have a steamer, you can totally still enjoy this dish. Silken tofu is often served cold and you can do the same here. Just drain and place in a serving bowl and top with the dressing.

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Silken Tofu

Yield: 2-3

Ingredients

• 300g silken tofu
• ½ cup coriander, separated, whole leaves picked and stems finely chopped
• 2 medium stalks spring onion, thinly sliced, greens and whites separated
• 2 tablespoons neutral oil
• 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon raw sesame seeds
• 1 tablespoon Chinese back vinegar
• 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons chilli oil

Instructions

1. Place a large pot of water on the stove with a bamboo steamer on top and bring the pot of water to a boil*.
2. Remove top wrapper from the tofu and drain moisture from the pack (keep the tofu in its packaging). Place a thick paper town on top of the tofu, invert it and place it to one side to drain further.
3. Turn the tofu right side up, discard the paper town and invert it onto a serving bowl. Place the serving bowl into the steamer and allow the tofu to steam for 10 minutes.
4. In a small bowl add vinegar, soy, white parts of the spring onions and coriander stalks.
5. Meanwhile, place oil into a small saucepan with garlic and sesame seed over medium heat. Toast the garlic and sesame seeds in the oil until fragrant and golden brown. Add this to the soy mixture while still hot and stir to combine.
6. When the tofu has finished steaming, carefully remove the bowl from the steamer and top with the soy and oil dressing, as well as chilli oil. Garnish with coriander leaves and green parts of the spring onion.
7. Serve on top of rice as a main dish or on as a side with other dishes.

Notes

*If you do not have a steaming set up, you do not need to steam the tofu. It can also be eaten cold and is very commonly served this way. Skip the steaming and just top with the dressing and herbs.

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