Monday 2 February 2009

Apricot and Orange Glazed Tofu

After I made my apricot chutney, I was so happy with it, that it wasn’t enough to have it for breakfast with toast and cheese each morning. I wanted to eat it all the time, any way I could.

Firstly I found a recipe for a Potatoes in Mango Chutney Sauce from What’s For Lunch Honey? But when I tried it with apricot chutney, the result was a little bland. It may be that the mango chutney, Meeta used was far more spicy than my chutney. This is one of the reasons it can be frustrating to cook with processed foods. Unless I know the brand/recipe, it is hard to know if my version is the same as someone else’s. However, Meeta's version looks so good that I may try again some time.

But then I happened across a recipe that had taken my fancy almost a year ago. Apricot and Orange Glazed Tofu from Veggie Meal Plans. Cassie used apricot jam in hers but I reasoned that I could substitute my chutney, and I scaled down the other ingredients to take the extra chutney flavours into account. I don’t often make pan fried tofu but this recipe has made me think I should. It was absolutely delicious and quite easy (apart from the scary bubbling up when I poured the glaze in the frypan). It was a spicy fruity sauce that elevated the tofu into a heavenly delicacy.

I had firm tofu but decided to press it before I fried it. You can see from the photo that I did it out of the fridge (before our heat wave last week) with a colander, a dessert bowl and some margarine and tinned tomatoes. It wasn't terribly professional but an hour of this pressing helped remove a little extra moisture from the tofu.

E was equally impressed. I served it with the last of my potatoes in chutney and a simple salad of vegies and lemon juice. Cassie served hers with rice and cucumber salad. I also noticed when we had finished dinner that she had suggested it served 3-4 but it was eagerly devoured by the two of us because it was so good and not that heavy. I think this is a recipe that tastes great, however you choose to eat it.

Apricot and Orange Glazed Tofu
(adapted from Veggie Meal Plans)
Serves 2-4

For the Glaze:
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tsp chilli paste
juice of 1 small orange
3 tablespoons apricot chutney
1 tsp white miso
small pinch of black pepper

For the Tofu:
350 grams extra-firm or pressed tofu, sliced 5-7mm thick
2 teaspoons oil for sautéing

Combine all ingredients for glaze and set aside. Heat oil in a large non-stick frypan over medium heat. Saute sliced tofu in a single layer until golden brown on both sides: about 10-12 minutes total. Reduce heat to low (I found the liquid bubbled and splattered when it hit the hot pan). Pour glaze over tofu and allow the liquid to thicken which only takes a few minutes and then remove from heat while thick but still liquid. Make sure you flip the tofu so the glaze coats both sides.

Apricot Jam Variation 
(April 2016): I made a variation on this tonight with apricot jam that I enjoyed.  Here is the ingredient list for the glaze:

3 tbsp apricot jam
1 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tsp white miso
1 tsp sriracha - quite a lot for me
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp agave
1/4 tsp ginger powder

On the stereo:
The fabric of folk: The Owl Service and Alison O’Donnell

9 comments:

  1. Hi there Johanna! Loving the sound of your apricot chutney, and what a delicious idea to use some in the glazed tofu. Very nice. And the pictures are just gorgeous too!

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  2. OMG, Johanna, does that ever look fantastic! And your new camera is taking very fetching photos, I must say (well, actually, YOU are taking them!). Always looking for new ways with tofu. . . must try this one.

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  3. thanks Cassie - the chutney was lovely with the glazed tofu - thanks for the great recipe

    thanks Ricki - not my new camera quite yet but glad you liked the photos - didn't feel they quite showed how good it looked - but I agree you must try it!

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  4. This looks divine - all fruity and sticky!

    I remember bookmarking Cassie's recipe a little while back but never got round to trying it - your variant and Cassie's both sound just great for an easy dinner.

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  5. This sounds really good. I would never have thought to use either jam or chutney like this but I love citrus marinated tofu so I'm going to give this a go!

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  6. mmm the tofu looks so delicious!

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  7. Thanks Sophie - sticky indeed but in a very good way! hope you get to try it

    Thanks Lysy - I think I liked this because I like apricot so much more than citrus - but I can see citrus is easier to find

    thanks Jodye

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  8. I'm always looking for a new way to make tofu more interesting and exciting and your recipe looks amazing. Now I just need to find some white miso so I can try it.

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  9. love your taste in music too!

    Alison has a new single out - you might enjoy it - it features songs by Nico and Nick Drake.

    You can hear it at www.myspace.com/fdmer

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