Monday, March 21, 2011

Sesame Tofu and Steamed Cabbage with Peanut Sauce

It was the week of St. Patrick’s Day, last week, and I had a great, big, gorgeous head of green cabbage from Farmhouse Delivery, and oh yeah, I’m mostly Irish. Still, I sat there with that cabbage wondering what to do with it. Somehow, the obvious solution of Irish cooking with cabbage wasn’t clicking for me, so I did a quick recipe search for something different. I found just the right dish in Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. As usual, when looking for ideas for cooking a particular vegetable, you can find several from Deborah Madison. This was a dish built around steamed cabbage, and the flavors are Asian-influenced. The recipe actually calls for savoy or napa cabbage, but I proceeded with a head of round, green cabbage instead. And, I know, we’re talking about tofu and steamed cabbage here, but trust me, even Kurt liked it. In the book, the dish is presented with options. The tofu could have been left plain and simply steamed with the cabbage, but there were suggestions to try a sesame marinade on the tofu or to fry the tofu rather than steam it. I did marinate the tofu, and then I roasted it in the oven while the cabbage steamed. Most importantly, both the cabbage and the tofu were topped with a quick peanut sauce and garnishes of cilantro and chopped peanuts. So, simple cabbage and tofu became vehicles for big flavor.

The tofu should sit in the marinade for at least an hour but the longer the better. The sesame marinade was a mix of sesame oil, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, a pinch of sugar, chili oil, and finely chopped green onion and cilantro. The tofu was cut into slabs, placed in a wide, shallow dish, covered with the marinade, and placed in the refrigerator. I turned the tofu pieces after a few hours. I decided to roast the tofu in the oven to make it more hands-off than frying. So, while it roasted, I cooked rice and steamed the sliced cabbage. The peanut sauce was a quick version from the front of the book, and it included natural peanut butter, rice wine vinegar, chopped cilantro, minced garlic, soy sauce, light brown sugar, and chile oil. It seemed a little thick when mixed, so I added a tablespoon or two of water to make it drizzleable. The steamed cabbage was spooned onto a base of cooked rice, and it was topped with chunks of tofu, drizzled with peanut sauce, and sprinkled with cilantro, sliced green onion, chopped peanuts, and sliced dried chiles.

The flavors here literally built up from the base going from simple rice to cabbage, then from marinated tofu to peanut sauce. It was fresh, healthy, simple and savory, bold, and spicy all at the same time. I love finding a different way to use a vegetable, especially when it turns into something this good.



24 comments:

  1. That looks really scrummy and tasty! A wonderful Asian-style dish.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  2. O that looks like a mean peanutsauce!! The dish sounds wonderful!

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  3. tofu and peanut sauce!!! love that combination!

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  4. That cookbook never ceases to amaze me. So many treasures in there. I think Deborah Madison is a genius in so many ways, but she really is magical with tofu. Looks terrific Lisa! Glad to know we are on the same page!

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  5. wow The sesame tofu looks so mouthwatering! The sauce sounds so good.

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  6. I love the peanut butter sauce! This dish looks both healthy and delicious, I think I will need second rounds of rice to go with it :))

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  7. I just picked up this cookbook at a Borders close-out sale and if every dish is as amazing as this one, then I know it was a worthwhile purchase. I am SO making this soon! Swooning over the peanut sauce.

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  8. One of these days, I really need to experiment with tofu. It is completely alien to me. The peanut butter sauce sounds like it would be amazing. I love peanut anything.
    *kisses* HH

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  9. This sounds so great! Thanks for showing that steamed veggies and tofu don't have to be boring!

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  10. Oh my goodness this looks mouthwatering! I have some tofu in the fridge that I keep meaning to do something with and a cabbage that is so big the farmer who does our CSA actually cut it in half to distribute it. I think i know what we're having for dinner!

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  11. It sounds so flavorful. Definitely a satisfying replacement for meat.

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  12. No matter how I try I can never have enough Tofu and Cabbage recipes. This dish sounds like something I can actually do. I am so saving it, Lisa!

    Thank you so much for sharing...

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  13. I never would have thought to pair cabbage with peanut sauce. But it looks so delicious I'm going to have to make this one.

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  14. So that's what you did with the cabbage. Looks like it was quite the success! I really like the sound of that marinade and tofu is the perfect vehicle for spicy flavors.

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  15. So fun to find you are "mostly Irish"! I married an Irishman so I am always on the lookout for great ways to serve cabbage, among other things... Afraid it showed up in the usual way over at our house, but I will tuck this away for the next head of cabbage that comes our way!

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  16. I never would have thought to pair cabbage with peanut sauce but it looks amazing!!! Don't know if I can get the "crew" to eat tofu but I'm definitely going to have to try this - maybe when the "crew" isn't around!

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  17. This looks delicious! I've been eating a lot of meat-free meals lately, plus I have a ton of cabbage from the garden! Perfect :)

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  18. Marinade sounds good and with peanuts everyting looks much better :)

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  19. I've only had tofu once...that I liked anyway....it was in the Caribbean, surprisingly. But I may change my mind after seeing this recipe. I like the marinade and am in love with the peanut sauce. Fascinating to find cabbage in this dish as well, Lisa.
    Looks like a super cookbook!

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  20. Looks very good and I will admit I don't usually go for tofu.

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  21. Tofu and peanut sauce exudes just enough to call it healthy and yummy :) Excellent dish! Can't wait to try it out!

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  22. Unfortunately, tofu is one ingredient my beloved refuses to warm up to. I've got hope, but for the moment will have to just look at your blog and dream... ;-)

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  23. This sounds so great! gorgeous pics too!

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  24. A great addition to my collection. Thanks for sharing. I can't wait ti try this especially for my family.

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