I’m pretty sure one of my first experiences with tofu, if not my first, was through trying it at Chipotle via their sofritas, and amidst the limey rice, the perfectly cooked beans and the spicy salsa I thought this was as good as tofu could get. The sofritas bowl became a regular lunch option for me, due to the fact that a new Chipotle had opened 5 minutes down the road from my first workplace right out of college, and my other options were limited as a picky pescatarian. Little did I know, tofu could be so much better.
I think a large part of why I thought those Chipotle bowls utilized the tofu so well was because 1. I had never tried it before, but also 2. Chipotle bowls are the epitome of the sum is greater than the parts. If you ever try a Chipotle bowl’s ingredients individually you’ll find that while each ingredient is cooked and seasoned well, they’re just okay. And that’s fine – none of us go into a fast food place looking for a life-changing culinary experience, most of us go into a fast food place to get food, fast. I’ve also always been a mixer – 90% of the time, if I’m putting different foods onto a place (curry, rice and yogurt, burrito bowl ingredients, soups with toppings, etc.) I’m mixing them up to make sure I get a little bit of everything in every bite. (The exception to this rule is potluck style meals – in these cases, mix at your own discretion). When you do that however, it’s far easier to forgive lapses in flavour amongst the individual pieces.
If you have ever tried the Chipotle sofritas on your own, the primary flavour you’ll get is peppers – of both the chipotle and bell variety. Each bring their own kind of sweetness, and beyond those peppery notes you get a hint of chili, a touch of onion, a whisper of cilantro. None of those key background flavours seemed to really stand out to me, and a lot of the time I would find large chunks of poorly cooked down onion or pepper in my sofrita mixed, which made for an unpleasant eating experience. I found myself wanting more spice, more freshness, and less of that blandness from the tofu and sweetness from the peppers.
When I started cooking tofu, I learned a few lessons very quickly. I learned that when you season tofu, you need to really season it. Not only do you have to include a generous amount of seasoning to the tofu, but you also need to include the right type of seasonings and ensure they soak into the tofu properly and you get the flavour throughout. I found that working with liquid seasoning tends to soak into the tofu much better than a dry rub would, and when applying the marinade you need to not only cover it on the outside but make sure it gets on the inside by deeply scoring the tofu, and then giving it a few pokes with a fork or chopstick once the marinade is applied to make doubly sure the flavours make it all the way through to the center.
Then comes the cooking – although tofu is safe to consume raw and does not need to be thoroughly cooked, I find that cooking it first slowly on a medium to low heat and then finishing it on a higher heat allows for the flavours to appropriately soak into the tofu and gives it an excellent texture, adding lots of little crispy bits into the mixture that add to the illusion that the tofu isn’t tofu, which in this dish is something you want. Overall the cooking process takes about 30 minutes to get to the ideal texture – the first 20 minutes cook over a medium low heat to evaporate all the moisture off and crumble into small pieces, and the final 10 minutes to crisp the tofu over a medium high heat to perfect the texture.
These delicious, golden brown crumbles are delicious in many applications; delicious in burrito bowls, great in tacos, perfect for topping nachos, and absolutely mouthwatering in my favourite application – cheesy sofritas taquitos!
Ingredients:
For the marinade:
1 bunch of cilantro, just the stems
1 jalapeno
1 small white onion
4-5 large cloves garlic
2 tbsp chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1 tsp powdered ginger
1 tbsp chilli powder
1 tbsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
2 bay leafs
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp orange juice
Additional ingredients:
1 block firm tofu
The leaves from the bunch of cilantro
Oil
Method:
- To prepare the marinade, blend the cilantro stems, jalapeno, onion, garlic, chipotle peppers, spices (except the bay leaves), soy sauce and orange juice until liquid.
- Press the tofu for a minimum of 30 minutes, or up to two hours. You can use a tofu press, or wrap the tofu in paper towels and weigh it down with a heavy pot or other weights. Once pressed, remove the paper towels and score deeply by first cutting diagonally one way and then across again the other way.
- Place the tofu in a bowl or container slightly larger than the tofu. Pour the marinade over, ensuring it covers every surface of the tofu, and add the bay leaves. Using a fork or chopstick, poke additional holes all over the tofu to make sure the marinade gets all the way through.
- Cover and leave in the fridge for a minimum of two hours or overnight. The longer the better!
- Once the tofu has marinated, heat a pan over medium heat and add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan.
- Add the tofu and the marinade to the oil once heated, carefully, to avoid splatter. Using your spatula, break the tofu up into very small crumbles, until it resembles the texture of ground meat. Cook for approximately 20 minutes over medium to medium-low heat until all of the liquid is evaporated, stirring occasionally. Remove the bay leaves once the liquid is evaporated.
- Once the pan is dry, increase the heat to medium heat and let the tofu sit undisturbed for about five minutes before breaking it up and moving it around to further brown. The tofu may stick to the pan, if so add a little more oil.
- Once the tofu is browned and some crispy parts have developed, remove from heat and add in the tops of the cilantro leaves.
- Enjoy by itself, in burrito bowls, on nachos, or in taquitos – the possibilities are endless!
Notes:
- While the sofritas are not exceptionally spicy, there is a slight kick from the jalapeños. If you want them to be less spicy, you can remove the seeds and pith of the jalapeños to take the spice out.
- The orange juice is really there to balance the savouriness and spice of the other ingredients – it can be substituted for a tablespoon of honey or sugar and the juice of a lemon or lime.
- You can add vegetables to the tofu mixture when cooking if you prefer to have them in the mix – like sliced peppers, onions, spinach, or corn. Add them once the tofu is crumbled into little bits to avoid mashing them up too much.
- The mixture will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days, or in the freezer for up to 6 months – it freezes exceptionally well, and can be re-heated either in the microwave or in a pan on the stove.
xx,
girlwhocooks
