food to glow

Sichuan Tomatoes and Tofu is a quick and easy vegan lunch or dinner recipe with some classic Sichuan flavours, like shallots, ginger and pepper. The taste is a touch sweet, but mostly tangy! Serve with extra vegetables and cooked brown rice noodles or rice. If on a low-carb diet, serve with shirataki noodles/rice. This vegan supper is perfect for solo dining or sharing, and comes together in a trice.

Tofu not your thing? Read on for other ways to use the tangy tomato sauce. 

Now is the time to really enjoy fresh tomatoes. The sprawling vines of this beloved sweet-savoury fruit have had all summer to soak up the sun, and now is their time to shine. I’ve got a couple of tomato-centric recipes to share with you while the pickings are good; and the lure of autumn vegetables has yet to set in.

Tomatoes + Sichuan Pepper = a great flavour combination

In this first recipe we are giving tomatoes a pseudo-Sichuan treatment. Although the flavours are ones used in Sichuan cooking, I claim no authenticity. I have however seen numerous recipes – often involving eggs – where Sichuan peppers and tomatoes are partnered. This one from the New York Times looks intriguing. As does this fried tomatoes in Sichuan oil from Abel and Cole. The combination of these two ingredients is really quite magical.

The stand out in this tomato sauce is of course the Sichuan peppers, meaning “flower pepper”. When we buy them they are always dried and look very much like black peppercorns, but lighter in colour and weight, and with little tails. Some of you may only be able to get ground Sichuan (sometimes spelled Szechuan or Szechwan) pepper, and that’s fine.

With regards to their impact in this recipe, I’ve taken my pedal off the accelerator so that this simple supper recipe is appealing to most of you. But by all means double the amount of these slightly citrusy, fragrant, tongue-tingling peppers if you wish, and break the taste barrier. I definitely enjoy the pop and interest of Sichuan peppers, so more is better for me. I would say to nibble one before adding more to the dish. Apparently there are different types of these peppers, some more bitter and less tingly than others. And if you only have ground Sichuan, don’t worry. It will still taste great although you might need to increase the amount.

What’s in Sichuan Tomatoes and Tofu?

A short, sweet ingredients list for you today. Hopefully these are easily accessible for you. If you can’t get the Sichuan pepper, just leave it out. But do please include it if you can.

 

Sustainable palm fruit oil (I use Carotino brand – amazingly high in beta-carotene) or olive oil

Smoked or plain extra-firm tofu (or fish or cooked giant white beans)

1 shallot

Gingerroot

Sun-dried tomato paste or normal tomato paste

Chinese 5-spice blend

Sichuan pepper – whole or ground

Apple cider vinegar

Low-carb liquid sweetener or honey

Cherry tomatoes

What you do

It’s so, so easy. Here is how easy.

Cut the tofu – no need to press first – into 8 or so slices. Peel and slice the shallot; peel and finely mince the gingerroot. Slice the tomatoes in half.

Sauté the tofu slices in half of the oil until golden on both sides. Set aside and keep warm.

Add the remaining oil to the pan and heat over a low-medium flame. Scrape in the chopped shallot, ginger, 5-spice powder and Sichuan pepper, and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Finally add the tomato paste, sweetener and apple cider vinegar. Let this bubble up then add the tomatoes. Cook for a further 4-5 minutes, until the tomatoes start to break down and get soft and juicy.

Taste the sauce and adjust as needed. Some of you might want a splash of soy sauce or dash of salt. Or maybe a squeeze of lime. I like a grind of fresh black pepper. Then you add cooked noodles and vegetables to each plate and top with the cooked tofu and half of the sauce. Mix lightly to coat.

Do I have to use tofu?

Of course not! If you are wanting to cook fish instead, fry this up after you’ve made the sauce – salmon, sea bass or whatever you wish. Even sautéd prawns. If you would like this as kind of a beany stew, add a bit of water and a little more of all of the flavourings and tomatoes, tipping in the cooked beans to heat through.

What should I serve with Sichuan Tomatoes and Tofu?

I think a great complement to this dish are “nippy” or “minerally” steamed or stir-fried greens – young kale, mustard greens, chard, bok choi or choi sum. As well as steamed courgettes/zucchini and a side of rice, noodles or low-carb shirataki noodles/rice. You will see that this isn’t a very calorific dish, so make up the calories in the side dishes. Perhaps add a handful of crushed, roasted peanuts to the top. Or just some ice cream afterwards!

A wee selection of tomato-laden recipes on Food To Glow:

Roasted Tomato Galette with a Fennel-Cornmeal Crust

A Simple, Intense Tomato Soup

Smoky Tomato and Aubergine (Eggplant) Relish – you must make this!

Easy Tomato and Eggplant Risotto with Crispy Herb Topping – in the oven!

Will you be giving my Sichuan Tomatoes and Tofu a try? Do let me know in the comments. And if you make it, please be sure to rate it, using the little stars below the image in the recipe card below. Thanks so much! This helps search engines to steer others to my recipes. :-)