Teriyaki Tofu with Sticky Rice Cakes

October 24, 2013

Teriyakii Tofu with Sticky Rice Cakes

In “Allegory of the Cave”,  Plato has Socrates describe a gathering of people who have lived chained to a wall of a cave all of their lives, facing a blank wall. The people watch shadows projected on the wall by things passing in front of a fire behind them.

According to Plato's Socrates, the shadows are as close as the prisoners get to viewing reality. He then explains how the philosopher is like a prisoner who is freed from the cave and comes to realize that the shadows on the wall do not make up reality at all.

In other words, you can only view things in the relationship of how you live.

I think about this analogy when discussing veganism to people who eat meat and dairy. It is so easy to understand their resistance.

Their whole life has been about keeping their body healthy with protein and their bones strong with milk. Carrots make them see better. Massive doses of vitamin C can cure a cold. It goes on and on and on.

Whatever the myth is, it is much easier to make decisions about food by believing the myth.

Talking about food touches something deep inside of people because they think you are telling them that they have been living their entire life wrong. They are attached to a reality they have created. Like everything in life, when you are so attached to something, you can only see what you have created for yourself, and nothing else.

When you live in that place for so long all your beliefs become founded upon particular philosophies. It isn't until you step outside those myths, and challenge yourself to new philosophies do you see the light.

Maybe some of you are saying – “hey, its just food”, but it is not. It is how your body exists and sees the world. Switching to a plant-based way of life touches something deep inside of you. You are no longer limited to the to the allegory you created for yourself.  This new luminous light will shine on everything you set out to do.

Now on to food.

I don't eat a lot of tofu but when I do, I really like to make it special.

This teriyaki tofu with sticky rice cakes is just that. You start with a delicious homemade teriyaki sauce of orange juice, ginger and soy sauce. Serve it with sticky rice cakes and top with sesame seeds. It's that easy but very impressive. This is the kind of dish even the non-tofu crowd would like. Hope you enjoy this teriyaki tofu as much as I did.

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Teriyaki Tofu with Sticky Rice Cakes

Teriyaki Black Tofu with Sticky Rice Cakes
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Serve this dish with some steamed baby bok choy. I like to steam my bok choy for less than a minute to keep it green and crisp. Place your favorite oil in a spray bottle so you use less.
Author:
Recipe type: Main
Serves: 2-3
Ingredients
Sticky Rice Cakes
  • ¾ cup sushi rice
  • Grapeseed or organic canola oil spray
  • 2 tablespoons sliced scallions (white and green parts)
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
  • 1 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar
  • 1½ teaspoons mirin
  • pinch of salt and fresh ground black pepper
Teriyaki Black Tofu
  • ½ cup low-sodium soy sauce
  • ¾ cup fresh orange juice (from 3 oranges)
  • ¼ cup mirin
  • 1 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger
  • ½ teaspoon cornstarch plus 4 tbsp to coat tofu
  • 2 (6 ounce) chunks approximately 1 inch thick of extra-firm organic tofu
  • ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
  • Grapeseed or your favorite oil spray
  • ½ cup thinly sliced scallions (white and light green parts) for serving
  • 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted
Instructions
  1. Prepare the sticky rice cakes
  2. Put the rice in a large bowl and cover with cold water. Use your hand to swish the rice around a few times. Drain and repeat until the water in the bowl is clear.
  3. Put the rice in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan and add water to cover by 1 inch. Cover the pan; for best results, do not uncover the pan at any time during cooking. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
  4. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered for 10 minutes or until all water absorbed. Remove the pan from the heat and let stand, covered, for 15 minutes.
  5. Spray a small saute pan with oil and heat over medium heat. Add the scallions, garlic and ginger and cook, stirring. until just softened and fragrant. About a minute. Fold the scallion mixture into the warm, cooked rice along with the vinegar, mirin, salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the soy sauce, orange juice, mirin, and ginger. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to low. Simmer just until reduced by half, 20-30 minutes being careful not to burn. In a small dish, mix the ½ teaspoon cornstarch and 1 teaspoon water and stir into the simmering sauce. Simmer 30 seconds and remove the pan from the heat.
Toss the tofu with the 4 tablespoons of cornstarch. I like to do this in a plastic bag. Make sure the tofu is covered in the cornstarch. This makes for a crispy texture.
  1. Spray a saute pan with oil and heat over medium-high heat until hot. Saute the tofu on both sides until crispy. Add the prepared teriyaki sauce and cook until hot and bubbly. It should thicken a little more but make sure you don't burn it. Remove from heat and top with roasted sesame seeds and sliced scallions.
To finish the rice cakes, spray a nonstick skillet with oil and heat over medium heat until hot. Form a rice cake with wet hands with cooled rice. Add the rice cakes and cook until heated through and golden on both sides. 2 to 3 minutes per side. Serve with teriyaki tofu.

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