Sticky Sesame Tofu

Smitten Kitchen is probably my favorite food blog. Deb is funny, fun, irreverent, and always makes food that I want to try. Although I am not easily seduced by food porn, she manages to make her posts look both appealing and doable, a real feat when some of the photos in the blogspere look like they took hours to photograph!

When her Sticky Sesame Chicken Wings made an appearance, I knew tofu was a perfect veggie version of this Asian treat. And my diners heartily agreed!

If you're really looking carefully, you will recognize those noodles as Mei Fun Noodles from this post. Yup, they're so good and fun! that they make a fairly regular appearance at our dinner table!

Sticky Sesame Tofu (inspired by Smitten Kitchen)

1 lb firm tofu, drained
1 large clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
pinch cayenne
sesame seeds for garnish
1 scallion, sliced thin, for garnish

Wrap the tofu in a clean dishcloth or paper towels and press with a weight on top to remove as much liquid as possible. Cut into 1/2 inch slices lengthwise and then cut into triangles. Mix all ingredients except sesame seeds and scallion and pour over tofu to marinate at least 2 hours and up to 4.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Shake off excess marinade and bake tofu for 15 minutes, flip slices and bake another 15 minutes, browning sides evenly. Pour leftover marinade into small sauce pan and heat up to reduce for 2-3 minutes. Pour sauce over slices and garnish with sesame seeds and sliced scallions.

Hugs!