Tomato and Onion Smothered Tofu: A Childhood Favorite

I'm friends with a lot of people who are all about the meat and potatoes which is all fine and dandy, but I get REALLY bored of that old regiment.  As a kid, I was always the one to reach for the plate of steamed veggies first or scoop up more pineapple and tomatoes than fish from my mother's sweet and sour seafood soup (ooookay, I'll blog that one... some time).  But, many years later, I married one of my meat and potatoes friends and have had three kids with him, one of which practically abhors anything green just like his father.  Much to my chagrin.  I've pureed and hidden veggies in the various cookies and cakes I've made for my kids, but the amount of sugar and fat in those recipes doesn't do much to boost their fiberous counter parts.

  Enter tofu, one of my all time favorite proteins.  I love it almost any way you can dish it up, from the gorgeous desert of silken tofu steeped in amber ginger sugar syrup found at Vietnamese fast food establishments to deep fried cubes stuffed with black fungus mushroom and onions (don't knock it til you try it!).  I'd take a plate of tofu over a hunk of chicken or steak almost any day!  The dish I'll be "preparing" for you today is one my Mummy dearest taught me to LOVE.  It's the vegan answer to spaghetti, best served over a bed of freshly steamed Jasmine rice with a generous drizzling of Sriracha hot sauce over top.  And for all you mamas out there, this is a great way to get your tykes to eat their veg and love them too; each serving packs a mega dose of lycopene rich tomatoes, antioxidant mega star onion and creamy, nourishing tofu.  Ah yes, be prepared to dazzle 'em with this goody goody gum drop!

Ingredients:

2 c vegetable (or your favorite) oil, for deep frying

8 ounce firm tofu, sliced half an inch thick
1/2 c corn starch
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp garlic, finely chopped
1/2 tbsp white sugar
3-4 medium Roma tomatoes (or about 1.5 lbs of your favorite tomatoes), roughly chopped*

1/4 c ketchup

1/4 c chicken broth 

1 tbsp fish sauce
1-2 tsp of Sriracha hot sauce

1. Drain tofu, slice 1 inch thick along length and layer between paper towels on a cutting board or some kind of flat dish.  Place another flat dish on top and weight down with something heavy (a couple cans of soup, for instance); set aside.

2. Heat oil in medium sized high sided frying pan or deep fryer over medium heat.  Pour corn starch onto a large flat plate; dredge slices of tofu, front and back, alternately until all slices are lightly dusted.  When oil has begun to bubble**, carefully slide tofu in and fry, 3 or 4 at a time (or as many as can fit without touching), stirring and flipping occasionally, until golden and crisp, about 4 minutes.  Process all tofu in the same manner and drain on paper towels.

3. In a medium sized heavy bottomed pot, heat olive oil.  Saute onions until translucent and slightly golden.  Stir in garlic, sugar and tomatoes; continue to saute until tomatoes are falling apart.  Stir in ketchup, chicken broth, fish sauce and Sriracha (if using).  Bring to a slow boil.

4. Quarter fried tofu slices and nestle into tomato onion sauce.  Cover and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes or until tofu has absorbed some of the sauce.

Serving suggestions: Dose a couple strips of tofu and the juicy tomato sauce over a bed of freshly steamed Jasmine rice.  Garnish generously with chopped cilantro and scallions and have a bottle of Sriracha hot sauce and a some fresh ground pepper on the ready for a spicy kick!


*Can also use canned diced or whole tomatoes.  Drain from juices before adding them in step three.  Remaining juice can be added as alternative to chicken broth for an extra saucy end product.  I've done this when tomato prices are too-much-and-thirty-cents a pound.  
**There are several methods of checking the oil for the correct temperature for deep frying: 1. Use a thermometer (350 F), 2. When small bubbles begin to break the surface of the oil, toss in a chunk of bread.  If it immediately floats to the top and bubbles collect around it, the oil's ready for frying, or 3. Insert tip of wooden chopstick into oil in center of the pan (where the heat is the highest).  When bubbles collect, oil is ready for frying.