Soy, Ginger and Sake Marinated Tofu Steaks

Give tofu a try, with this flavour-packed recipe... ramp up the spice with a good shake of schichimi togarashi!

If you've never tried tofu, or you have tried it but been left unimpressed by its delicate flavour and texture, this is a great recipe to showcase it's versatility and lend it flavour and texture from a umami-rich marinade, with zing from the ginger, and nuttiness from the toasted sesame oil, together with texture from being browned in a pan and crunchy spring onions.

Serves 3, 142 calories per serving.

Serve it with your choice of rice or noodles, together with something like pak choi, wilted with garlic and light soy sauce in a pan and finished with a drizzle of sesame oil, or with my delicious wakame and shaved vegetable salad with a ginger soy dressing and toasted seeds (pictured). [Calories in square brackets, if you're counting].


Ingredients
1 pack fresh tofu (e.g. cauldron), 300g drained weight  [228]
1 tsp oil (e.g. sunflower, or use Fry Light to reduce calories) [41]
2 spring onions, finely sliced on the diagonal [6]
Schichimi togarashi to taste (Japanese 7 spice, optional)

For the marinade
3 tbsp sake [63]
2 tbsp dark soy sauce (use tamari if cooking gluten free) [24]
1 tsp toasted sesame oil [40]
2 garlic cloves, crushed [8]
2 inches of peeled ginger root, grated [12]
1 spring onion, finely chopped [3]

Method
Handling with great care (as it is very easy to break), drain the tofu, and place on a chopping board (or plate) on clean muslin (or a few sheets of kitchen towel), and loosely fold the muslin (or more kitchen towel) over the top. Put a large plate on top, and weight it down with a tin or kitchen weights. Leave for half an hour to remove any excess fluid.

Cut the tofu into two equal pieces, and then slice each piece into three, horizontally, to give you six small ‘steaks’.

Mix the ingredients for the marinade in a dish large enough to just fit all of the tofu steaks in a single layer. Put the tofu steaks into the marinade, cover, and leave for 30 minutes to an hour, turning once.

Carefully remove the tofu from the marinade and pat dry. Pour the marinade into a small pan, and reduce until thickened, to serve as a sauce on top of the tofu. Heat up a good quality, heavy bottomed pan, turn the heat down to medium, add the oil, swirl around, then add the tofu steaks. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, until golden, turning carefully (you may find it easiest to get your spatula/fish slice underneath the tofu steaks by using a fork or knife to gently lift the corner of the steak).

Plate up the tofu steaks, pour the reduced marinade over the top, and sprinkle with spring onions, and a shake of shichimi if you want a kick to it!