Tamarind and Shiitake Tofu with Sesame ‘Seaweed’

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I hadn’t meant to hit you with tofu straight after the excesses of Christmas. Truly. It smacks of detox and diet, and other depressing ‘d’ words. If you know me, or read me regularly, you’ll know that’s not what I’m about. I’d rather rub chillies in my eyes, or grate my knuckles on a Microplane ® grater than go on a diet. And as for detox, that’s what our livers are for; we don’t need to go on juice fasts, just stop eating rubbish and drinking alcohol (I know, easier said than done). But also if you know me you’ll know that I love tofu. Or rather, I love what you can do with tofu. Bland beyond belief on its own, I grant you, but when even briefly introduced to things with flavour – I’m thinking miso, soy, chillies, citrus, garlic – it transforms from a simpering slab of blah to a delightful dish of mmm. Perhaps I’m overselling the old beancurd, but I really think this simple, straightforward recipe may change your mind.




I actually came up with this recipe ages ago, probably influenced by some long forgotten recipe, or photo torn from a magazine. I remember, when I first made it, the Cinderella-like makeover from pale tasteless cubes to mouth-watering umami silky softness (although back then no-one but the Japanese knew about umami). But for some reason I rarely make it now, preferring to try and develop tricksy and cunning recipes to convince tofu-haters of the folly of their ways. Well, this is neither of those. But it is particularly delicious – and very simple to make. Now that I’ve rediscovered this recipe, I will be making it much more often. Especially because once you have all the ingredients out, it takes all of 10 minutes to prepare.

I have blathered on in previous posts about the nutritional virtues of tofu, so if you want the detail of what it is and why it’s good for most of us, see one of my very first posts – Tofu and Aubergine Lime-Basil Stir Fry. The photos are well-dodgy, but the recipe and information are sound. If you can’t be bothered to wade through that post, I can tell you briefly that tofu is cooked and pressed soy beans, made up into little pale blocks. Sounds yummy so far, I’m sure. In those little blocks, which you can find in long-life UHT cartons (these may be the most tasteless), in open containers of brine at Chinese markets (not keen on the germ potential) and in refrigerated packs (favoured option),  is one of only two plant-based complete proteins. That should be enough to have most vegetarians hooked, but it is also low GI/GL, low-fat, cholesterol-free, a good source of iron, magnesium and some B vitamins, and a terrific source of calcium, owing to the way in which it is made. It may also help with menopausal symptoms, and reduce the risk of colon and prostate cancer. I mostly use tofu in its unadorned form because I like to flavour it myself, but you can get all manner of titivations – bbq, marinated, smoked, herby, etc – just watch out for too much added fat and salt.




Back to the recipe. If tamarind paste is a bit tricky to come by, head to your closest Asian grocer. There you will either get a nice big tub of paste for the price of a dinky one at a supermarket, or – what I have – get a bag of squashy, black tamarind pods to soak in water, squidge between your fingers and push through a sieve. The latter does sound a faff, but it’s weirdly pleasing (yes, I’m easily pleased) and no added ingredients. Both the paste and pods keep for a long time. Oh, and if you think you have never had tamarind, think again: it’s a main flavouring in Worcestershire and HP sauces.

tamarind pods for mashing

making tamarind paste is messy business - buy it pre-made!

And as for the shiitake, fresh shiitake are commonly available but dried shiitake are fine when re-hydrated (various makes available; I use Merchant Gourmet). Although you can really taste the ‘shiitake-ness’ in this recipe, try chestnut mushrooms if you fancy this recipe but can’t immediately find the shiitake. But, please try it with earthy, chewy shiitake if possible.

Tamarind and Shiitake Tofu with Sesame ‘Seaweed’

You could make this with chicken breast pieces but it is a super way to give flavour to plain tofu. And it is quick too. Serve with baked brown basmati rice or buckwheat noodles, and steamed pak choi or broccoli.

350-400g firm tofu – squeezed between paper towels, halved horizontally then cubed
oil spray or rapeseed oil
2 rounded tbsp tamarind paste (find in large supermarkets with oriental ingredients or in Asian stores)
¼  tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 ½ tbsp dark muscovado sugar (or any sugar you have)
150 ml organic chicken or vegetable stock
2 tbsp soy sauce (shoyu for preference)
150g shiitake mushrooms, sliced (or one handful of dried shiitake, rehydrated as directed, plus a box of chestnut/brown mushrooms)
1 medium carrot, cut into matchsticks
a sprinkle of chilli flakes (entirely optional)


Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Spray a baking tray with the oilspray or slick with a little oil; add the cubed tofu. Bake the tofu for about 15 minutes, or until the tofu starts to turn golden but still has plenty of ‘springiness’ when prodded gently. Remove from oven.

In a medium saucepan or wok heat the tamarind paste, pepper, sugar, stock and soy sauce.  Let the sauce bubble up and thicken for 2-3 minutes. When the sugar has dissolved, add the baked tofu, mushrooms and carrots and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Serve over rice or buckwheat noodles and sprinkle with sesame seeds or the sesame ‘seaweed’ (see below).

buckwheat noodles - gorgeous and gluten-free


Sesame ‘Seaweed’: Take 4 large leaves of kale (cavolo nero for preference) and rub with a small amount of oil. Remove the ribs from each, stack and cut the leaves into thirds, then take these thirds and slice thinly into matchsticks. Pop these onto a baking tray, sprinkle lightly with sesame seeds, and bake at 180C/350F for 5-6 minutes. Watch the shreds like a hawk as, depending on the type of kale, it may bake more or less quickly. I do this while the tofu is baking.

More calories: Gently sauté the tofu cubes sand shiitake mushrooms in 2 tablespoons of rapeseed oil. 

Nutrition notes: The undisputed star of this dish from a cancer point of view is the mushroom. Shiitake mushrooms contain a fantastic compound called lentinan. This compound is used as a licensed cancer-fighting drug in Japan because of its ability to stimulate the immune system and ‘turn off’ cancer cells. Lentinan also triggers the production of powerful anti-viral, interferon. Use shiitake mushrooms in omelettes, stir-fries, casseroles, stews and risottos.

Serves 3-4 (although no harm in two people sharing!)

135 thoughts on “Tamarind and Shiitake Tofu with Sesame ‘Seaweed’”

    • EA, Karen, Heather, Lizzy & Kristi: Thanks for the lovely comments. I know that tofu is a bit of a hard sell but I am so glad you all can see the merit in it. Let me know if you make it, and any tweaks that you do to it. This one is made for customising. Cheers!

      Reply

  23. I’ve eaten all kinds of tofu plain – In my opinion it does
    have a subtle flavor I would describe as wooden – not
    something most people like but I’m wierd. Most people
    see tofu as a fake food. Some illligitmate child of science
    and Hippies – In fact it is no less natural then cheese,
    having been produced in some form or another for at
    least a thousand years. Oatmeal may not be impressive
    either but it’s considered a staple by many of us – and
    is dressed up and flavored accordingly. Mushrooms are
    a fasicnateing life form – nearly every chemical that can
    exist can be found in one or another species, another
    asian edidle – the tree ear, is also said to be an anti-
    carchenigen, but is yet to be sold in the us.

    Reply

  28. It’s not just meat eaters that fear tofu. Soybeans have been receiving a lot of bad rap from the health industry and nutrition experts–the high plant estrogen levels. And of course you want to eat only organic tofu. But me, I still love the stuff and your recipe looks scrumptious.

    Reply

    • You certainly don’t want to live on a diet of soy as your main protein or calcium source, and those with oestrogen-receptor positive cancer should ideally not have soy more than a few time a week, if at all, but for cancer prevention (and for those with active prostate cancer and with colon cancer) it is something to include regularly. It goes without saying that GMO-free/organic is best, and safest. Thanks for commenting.

      Reply

  29. I tasted tamarind in Calabria, Italy when I was 10 years old. It was used to make “granita”, a dessert consisting of fruit puree on crushed ice. The tamarind “granita” has been my favorite since then. Later on, I discovered that this ingredient is used in some Thai recipes. However, I have to say that the tamarind is a bit tricky. You need to use the right dose or you are going to mess up the recipe.

    Angelo

    Reply

    • I hope I used the right dose. No complaints so far! I have a tamarind in a few recipes on my blog as I am a huge fan of southeast Asian food. Thanks for the tip about the granita – that sounds scrummy! I love the sweet-sour taste if tamarind and find that making the puree yourself from the pods is the best way to control the depth of flavour and eliminate any fillers. Thanks for stopping by.

      Reply

    • It is so easy too! I am a real kale fiend and whack it anything vaguely suitable (even smoothies – recipe on blog), but I think this subtle use really finishes this dish with a lovely flavour and texture contrast. Glad you approve of the idea :D

      Reply

  38. This looks and sounds amazing. I am going to have to try this. I absolutely agree with you about tofu too, it is so great at picking up whatever flavors you put with it. Thanks for the new recipe!

    Reply

  41. absolutely love the way you write the build up to the recipe :) Photos are lovely too! I’ve never cooked with Tamarind paste before but Id like to try it. Was good to know the health aspects of each ingredient too! x

    Reply

    • I’ve heard that ingredients such as tamarind are tricky to get on the Continent. My German friend who lives in France has the same problem. For this recipe you might try lemon juice with a a little more sugar but it won’t quite be the same thing. Maybe I should start smuggling it over! Seriously though, I hope you will see that most of my recipes have ingredients you might find in any halfway decent supermarket, but definitely in health food shops (for condiments) and farm shops and markets. I try to keep things vaguely seasonal without being restrictive but I do like to mess about with umami & tweak ‘normal’ recipes. My most recent one (sage and walnut cauliflower cheese)is one such example. Thanks so much for commenting. I hope to hear from you again. :D

      Reply

    • I’m kind of part-time too! Hubby is making his awesome lamb (maybe even mutton!) curry this weekend for his meat-loving Dad, but otherwise we eat veggie with a few weekly servings of oily fish. Love this balance – so energising for my family. Thanks for finding me.

      Reply

  56. Mmmm. Would like to try this – how does it hold up as leftovers? Will try with my family of 5 but would also like to bring some to a friend who needs a hand once in a while…

    Reply

    • Thanks so much for commenting. I would love to think my blog might encourage even one person to be a bit more adventurous with their eating. And I hope my recipes show that ‘plant-centred’ eating doesn’t need to be boring & worthy. Any recipe ideas you have are more than welcome.

      Reply

  63. This looks fantastic! One of the simplest tofu recipes for a snack was served to me by a Japanese woman in Hawaii. It was just a block of firm, with chopped green onions of top and soy sauce poured on top served on a small platter with rather plain crackers. I kept raving about this and to the Japanese I was dining with it was like us eating peanut butter and crackers, they didn’t see what the big deal was. Great post.

    Reply

    • Thanks for commenting. A similar tofu snack (that looks weird when I type it – a snack? Really?) is as you describe but with the addition of a quick bath in toasted sesame oil, which is a north China thing, I think. I could eat an unfeasibly large pile of this if left to my own devices!

      Reply

    • Thank you! The “freshly pressed” promotion gave me the incentive to quickly put up a blogroll. As you are high on my list of favourite blogs I am very happy that you are getting a wee boost. I’ve just been booted off the front page :( but it was nice while it lasted :)

      Reply

  70. mouth-watering! I’m an avid fan of shitake mushroom and tofu! and oh! the tamarind twist makes me drool :) Being a vegetarian is rewarding! I’ll definitely try this recipe!

    Congrats for being Freshly Pressed! ^_^

    Reply

  73. When I eat Tofu I suffer from bloating and gas why is this happening . I love Tamarind but can not get it in Norfolk. I ate loads of fresh tamarinds in Thailand which was great .

    Reply

    • Hi Eva. It sounds like you have an intolerance of soy and should avoid it if your symptoms increase, as constant bombardment of the immune system by poorly tolerated/assimiliated foods is not good in the long-term. But if you enjoy tofu (some of us do!) perhaps get properly checked out to make sure it isn’t something else that you typically eat/drink alongside tofu. But I think this recipe would be nice with organic chicken, although I don’t eat it myself. As for sourcing tamarind, I found this http://www.theasiancookshop.co.uk/tamarind-paste-concentrate-1957-p.asp.

      Reply

  78. WOW! I love this recipe so much and cannot wait to try it. Soba noodles and sesame are two of my absolute favourite ingredients. YUMMO! I have just discovered your blog and I love it. I’m new to blogging and yours is just so impressive. Gorgeous and chock full of info. I think I’ll be browsing around for hours on here. It’s rainy and humid here on the Gold Coast, Queensland so what better way to pass the time? Cheers!

    Reply

    • I wish I could frame your wonderful comments & look at them whenever I feel uninspired or wondering if this blogging lark is at all worthwhile. Thank you so much, & best wishes at the beginning of your blogging adventure. :D

      Reply

  84. Thanks for sharing the tip about the cancer-fighting goodness of shiitake mushrooms. Will have to try this out as it contains a lot of my fave ingredients & would be a great variation on something I already make frequently! Thanks again!

    Reply

  96. Now I have something to make with the tamarind paste I have deposited in an obscure shelf of the pantry. Tamarind rice is yummy-dum-doo. It is not difficult to find tamarind paste, (I live in Omaha, Nebraska). I found jars in one of the local indian groceries. Also, in the chain supermarkets are carrying the tamarind pods in the mexican food section.
    II

    Reply

  100. This is funny and sounds delicious; being a veggie I am always looking for new ways to cook tofu besides my old standard of sesame oil and chili power (also mmmmm, but this looks a little more sophisticated). Great post!

    Reply

  103. Funny – I was thinking of tofu for dinner tonight! Have decided to implement a meatless Monday protocol at home, followed by tuber Tuesdays!!! Your recipe has me convinced that i should run back out to the shops to collect the missing ingredients!

    Reply

  104. This looks delicious! It has everything I love in a dish; kale, soba noodles, sesame seeds and shiitake mushrooms are some my all time favorite foods. I know I will be saving this for one of next weeks meals. I’ll come back and share how it goes with my kids.

    Reply

  105. Omigosh that looks good! I’m always ready for a good tofu recipe, as I don’t know much about actually using it as itself in a recipe; generally I just use tofu as a substitute for cheese, eggs, etc to make my recipes a little healthier.

    Reply

  107. I loved the kale seaweed. Such a lovely idea and beautiful pictures.. You could also add an asian chilli sauce to enhance the taste. Tamarind paste is used extensively in Indian food especially in sambhars, chutneys and also with rice.

    Reply

    • Yes, an Asian chilli paste would be good. I use a lot of chilli in my cooking & recipes but for this one I wanted to keep it mild and sweet-sour. No harm in sloshing on some Sriracha or suchlike. I’m sure my husband did :D

      Reply

  108. That’s an easy one, I’ve got virtually all those in apart from sugar which I never use, and the shiitakes. I’ve probably done a variation on your recipe, apart from using those specific mushrooms and the cavalo nero. Best I go to the shops (and see if they have those two goodies) and come back and browse later.

    Reply

  110. looks delicious! i love all kinds of tofu….the deep-fried kind that soaks up whatever sauce you cook it in…..the soft and silky kind. speaking of which, i’m having mapo tofu for lunch today. :)

    Reply

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