Nori-Wrapped Tofu in a Spicy Sauce
Ingredients
- two 200g blocks extra firm tofu 400g total
- 2 nori sheets
- neutral oil for cooking
- pinch of salt to taste
- sauce:
- 1 cup water
- 2 tbsp soy sauce or to taste
- 1/2 to 1 tbsp sugar i used coconut sugar (adjust according to desired sweetness)
- 1 tbsp chili garlic sauce homemade recipe here (adjust according to desired spice)
- 1/4 tsp ground szechuan pepper crushed from 1/2 tsp whole szechuan peppercorns
- 1 tsp doubanjiang or spicy broad bean paste or sub with other chili sauce
- 1 tsp roasted sesame seeds
- 1 tsp rice vinegar
- cornstarch slurry
- 1 tbsp corn starch
- 2 tbsp room temperature water
Preparation
Press tofu for at least 10 minutes to drain excess liquid
Slice the tofu into rectangular pieces
Sprinkle some salt over the tofu
Mix all the sauce ingredients together in a bowl
Feel free to adjust according to your desired taste
Cut the nori sheets into 1” thick pieces
If they’re long, you can always just overlap them when wrapping around the tofu
Carefully wrap each piece of tofu with the nori
You may need to rub the ends with some water if your tofu is really dry for the nori to stick together
Heat a large non-stick pan over medium high heat
Add some oil to cover the surface
Once hot, place the tofu
Pan fry on each side until golden brown
Remove from the oil and drain any excess oil
Remove the oil from the pan
Mix the cornstarch slurry together
Over medium heat, add the sauce to the pan
Stir and leave to simmer over medium heat until the sauce boils
While stirring, mix in the cornstarch slurry
Leave to simmer over medium heat until the sauce thickens
Add in the fried tofu pieces
Leave to cook for 2-3 more minutes until the sauce thickens more and the tofu absorbs some sauce
Season with some more salt or soy sauce, if needed
Turn off heat then serve hot over some rice or noodles
Enjoy!
