gluten-free baked tofu with sweet potato curry
April 11, 2011
That right there? That’s lunch! This was a surprise hit born out of starving necessity last night…a quick throw-together Sunday evening meal that did NOT lack in flavor and produced just enough leftovers to make it to the office for lunch. It’s 4 o’clock. Is that too soon to be hungry for more tofu & curry?
. . .
Gluten-free baked tofu with sweet potato & shiitake mushroom curry
Serves 2 with a bonus serving for lunch the next day!
FOR TOFU
1 1-lb block extra-firm tofu
1/4 cup gluten-free tamari
1 tablespoon orange juice concentrate (or 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed OJ)
juice from 1/2 lime
1 teaspoon hot chili garlic sauce (optional)
FOR CURRY
1 large leek, white & light green parts only, cut in half lengthwise and sliced thinly
1 large shallot, halved lengthwise & sliced
1 tablespoon ginger, minced
1 large sweet potato, peeled & diced
2 teaspoons gluten-free fish sauce (vegans substitute Bragg’s Liquid Aminos)
1/2 teaspoon red curry paste (or more to taste)
1 1/4 cups coconut milk
15 shiitake mushrooms, stemmed & sliced
1/2 cup frozen petite peas
juice from 1/2 lime
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Remove tofu from packaging and remove excess liquid by wrapping in a kitchen towel, and weighing down with a cutting board and a few cans of tomatoes. Let stand 15 minutes. Meanwhile, mix remaining ingredients for tofu in an 8-inch glass baking dish spritzed lightly with non-stick cooking spray, tamari through hot chili garlic sauce. Unwrap tofu from kitchen towel and cut crosswise into 8 slices. Place in tamari mixture, turn to coat, and bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed.
While tofu bakes, start making curry: In a small bowl, combine coconut milk, fish sauce and red curry paste, stirring to combine. Set aside. Place the sliced leek in a fine sieve and rinse under tepid water to remove all grit. Set aside. Heat a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and swirl to coat. Add leek, shallot and ginger, stirring occasionally until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add sweet potato; stir to incorporate. Add coconut milk mixture and shiitake mushrooms. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook until potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Uncover curry and stir in frozen peas and lime juice. Adjust seasoning to taste.
To serve, place a heaping spoonful of curry in a bowl and top with two slices of baked tofu.
