Recipe for Spicy Asian Tofu Sandwich with Asian Sriracha Coleslaw

A few years ago Kerby Lane Café (Austin) offered on their summer menu an exquisite vegan sandwich. It was scrumptious. I was disappointed to see it taken off the fall menu, so I worked on copying it, and came up with a version that my husband liked even better.  So, I waited for the next round of summer offerings, sure that I would see the sandwich again at Kerby Lane Café It had been extremely popular, even with the non-vegan customers as well as the servers. Finally, this last summer, it reappeared on their seasonal menu.  They had changed the recipe, and I was devastated. The sandwich was flavorless, the bun had been changed to a boringly bland submarine sandwich bun, and the tofu and coleslaw were tasteless. I ordered it once, and that was enough! Thank goodness I had already worked up a recipe that we enjoy -- I'm tempted to offer it to the person who designs the menus, and to the chef at the restaurant. If you make your own ciabatta rolls, you can make them whole wheat, which is even better, but if you're in a hurry, you have to stick with a white flour ciabatta roll. (I'm lazy about making ciabatta -- you have to make the "sponge" a day or two before you make the bread, and I'm always in a hurry to make (and eat) this sandwich!) The preparation of the tofu is a useful recipe for baking tofu for any recipe. The recipe calls for mirin, which is available in the Oriental Foods section of your supermarket.  For Lake Chapala, you can find it at Superlake .If you don't have it at the moment, you can use a substitute (See below recipe.) Sriracha sauce is an Asian Hot Sauce sold everywhere in the U.S. and In Mexico.  Just look for the red sauce with the rooster on the clear plastic bottle in the Asian section.  It's pretty spicy, so if you've never tried it, you may want to taste it before making this recipe. I am not a fan of horribly spicy food, but I love the flavor of a little sriracha.  It really makes this dish! For ciabatta at Lake Chapala, both SuperLake and WalMart sell them.  If you are in Guadalajara, you can find them at Mega, next to Costco across from the Galerias Mall. Unfortunately I haven't found a ready-made whole wheat ciabatta ...yet!

Spicy Asian Tofu Sriracha Slaw Sandwich

Serves 4

Slaw:

·                     1/3 cup mayonnaise

·                     1 – 2 teaspoons sriracha (2 tsp. makes it very spicy, ½ tsp. makes it mild)

·                     1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

·                     fresh ginger, grated

·                     1 tablespoon rice vinegar

·                     2 cups cabbage

Sandwich:

·                     slices of pan-fried or baked soy sauce tofu

·                     4 ciabatta rolls

·                     Slaw (See recipe above.)

Tofu:     (See “Marinated Asian Tofu Recipe” below.)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1.                   In a bowl whisk together mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon sriracha, salt, ground ginger and rice vinegar. Taste. If you would like it spicier add more sriracha. Stir in cabbage slaw. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

2.                   Cook tofu – pan fry with ¼ cup soy and ¼ cup water, or bake (Preferred method: For an even tastier tofu, see Marinated Asian Tofu recipe below.)

3.                   Slice the ciabatta rolls in half and grill/toast. (I use a Panini grill.) Put tofu slices onto the bottom half of a roll, spoon sriracha slaw on top. Top with remaining half of bun. If desired, add extra sriracha sauce.

4.                   For ease of preparing, cut the buns diagonally in half before you add the tofu.  Then place tofu and cut again, matching the diagonal cuts on the ciabatta.  After placing the slaw, and top bun, gently “saw” through the sandwich so everything in the sandwich  separates easily into two pieces.  Place a toothpick or two to hold it nicely together. 

5.                   Serve immediately.

Marinated Asian Tofu

ä       1 pound extra-firm tofu, drained and pressed

ä       ½ cup mirin (see possible substitutes below)

ä       3 Tablespoons tamari/soy

ä       2 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar

ä       1 Tablespoon sesame oil

ä       1 - 2 teaspoons Asian Chili sauce (Sriracha) (2 tsp. makes it pretty spicy!)

ä       1 or 2-inch chunk of ginger, peeled and minced

ä       2 large cloves of garlic, smashed, or very finely minced

Prepare marinade.  Combine all marinade ingredients in a wide shallow bowl.

For Grilled tofu: Cut the tofu widthwise into four equal slices.  Marinate for an hour, flipping over after 30 minutes. Grease a stove-top grill pan (preferably cast-iron) with vegetable oil.  Preheat over a high flame for about 3 minutes.  Use tongs to distribute the tofu slabs evenly onto the grill.  Gently use the tongs to press the tofu into the grill ridges, to get nice dark lines.  Cook for 3 minutes on one side without lifting, then turn the slabs 90 degrees to create a crosshatched pattern on the bottom of the tofu.  Cook for 2 minutes, then flip over and cook for another 2 minutes. 

For baked tofu:  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Cut the tofu widthwise into eight equal parts.  Marinate for one hour, flipping after 30 minutes.  Place the tofu on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.  Flip over and bake for another 10 minutes.  Place in the broiler for about 3 more minutes for extra chewiness.

In a Hurry? – If you have no time to wait for the one-hour marinade, place the tofu slices and marinade mixture in a frying pan.  Fry at  low - medium temperature until it begins to brown a little bit. (The marinade will have evaporated and carmelized/browned  the tofu a bit.)

Subsitute for mirin:

1 tbsp of vinegar and one of sugar (dissolved in the vinegar) for 2 cups of sushi rice.

OR: White grape juice mixed with lemon juice or lemon zest

OR: Try plain rice vinegar, add a bit of sugar, and a bit of apple juice to taste. It should come close to mirin.

Recipe for Carrot Soup with African Spices.

Carrot Soup with North African Spices

This carrot soup recipe from the cookbook, Field of Greens, has the aromatic spices of the East.  It’s a favorite. Use a food processor to slice the carrots and the sweet potato. It is important for the flavor of the soup to toast the cumin and coriander seeds and then grind them.

Ingredients:

5 cups               Vegetable Broth prepared with 10 thin coins of ginger root

1 TBSP              Olive oil

1                      Onion, medium sized, thinly sliced (about 1-1/2 cups)

1-1/2 tsp          Salt (divided into 1 tsp. and 1/2 tsp.)

2 cloves             Garlic

1-1/2 tsp          Cumin seed, toasted and ground

1 tsp                 Coriander seed, toasted and ground

2 tsp.                Grated fresh ginger

                        Cayenne pepper

2 lbs.                Carrots, thinly sliced, about 7 cups

1                      Sweet potato, peeled and thinly sliced, about 1 cup 

1/2 cup            Fresh orange juice

1/2 cup            Crème fraîche (Vegan) (See below.)

2 TBSP             Coarsely chopped cilantro

 

·         Make stock and keep it warm.

·         Heat the olive oil in a soup pot and add the onion and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Sauté over medium heat until it begins to release its juices, about 5 minutes, then add garlic cumin, coriander, ginger, and a few pinches of cayenne.  Cook until the onion is very soft, about 10 minutes, adding a little stock if it sticks to the pan.

·         Add carrots, sweet potato, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 quart stock.

·         Bring to a gentle boil., then reduce the heat, cover and simmer until the carrots are very tender, about 15 minutes. 

·         Puree the soup in a blender or food processor until smooth, using a little extra stock if needed.

·         Return to the pot, add the orange juice, and thin with stock to the desired consistency. 

·         Season with salt to taste and, for additional heat, a pinch or two of cayenne. 

·         Garnish each serving with a swirl of crème fraîche and sprinkle with cilantro.

 

Makes 9 to 10 cups

From: Field of Greens, by Annie Somerville

Crème Fraîche (Vegan)

There are two parts to making vegan crème fraîche. Make the Crème Cheeze, then liquify it a bit more to make the crème fraîche.

Incredible Almond Crème Cheeze

From Vegan Vittles

¼ cup raw (unroasted) whole almonds, blanched and peeled

1 cup water

2 TBSP. fresh lemon juice

2 TBSP. cornstarch

1-1/2 TBSP oil  (olive, avocado, etc.)

1/2 tsp. Nutritional yeast flakes

1/2 tsp. salt

Directions:

• Grind almonds to a fine powder in an electric seed mill or coffee grinder.
• Place ground almonds in a blender with ½ cup water.
• Process the mixture on medium speed to create a smooth, thick cream.
• Add remaining water along with the lemon juice, cornstarch, oil, yeast flakes, and salt, and blend on high until smooth and creamy.
• Pour the blended mixture into a 1-quart saucepan. Place saucepan over medium-high heat, and bring mixture to a boil, stirring constantly, for 1 minute longer. Remove saucepan from the heat, and let the mixture cool.
• Beat the Crème Cheeze well with a fork, wire whisk, or electric beater. Transfer it to a storage container, and chill in refrigerator. The Crème Cheeze will continue to thicken as it chills and will become very firm.  It will keep in the refrigerator for about a week.
• Important: if you are using the Crème Cheeze, as Crème Cheeze, prior to serving, mash and beat the crème cheese again with a fork, wire whisk, or electric beater until it is smooth and creamy.

Yields: about 1 cup

Note: If you are blanching the almonds, make sure they are dry before you grind them.

 

Crème Fraîche

1 cup Almond Cream Cheese

2 1/2 TBSP almond, rice or soymilk

1 tsp of lemon or lime juice

 

Directions:

• Mash and beat the crème cheese again with a fork, wire whisk, or electric beater until it is smooth and creamy.
• Mix together Almond Crème Cheeze, non-dairy milk, and lemon/lime juice. and enjoy over your favorite recipes.

 

This healthy alternative to dairy can be used for sweet and savory dishes.