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Char Siu Tofu - Chinese BBQ

Whenever I am craving take out, this recipe hits the spot!

But what is 'Char Siu'? Literally translated it means 'fork roasted'. The name comes from the traditional cooking method, of where long strips of seasoned boneless pork are skewered with long forks and placed in a covered oven or over a fire. Most of us know it as Chinese BBQ. But this is not your traditional Char Siu recipe. This recipe is for a vegan Char Siu. I am using grilled tofu and instead of honey I use agave. No food coloring either, you could use beet powder to create the beautiful red color. But I left that out since I did not have any at hand. The tofu is marinated in the Char Siu mix and the marinade mix is cooked afterwards, making it the best sauce ever! Serve the tofu with rice and some pickled cucumber on the side, or make a kick-*ss Bahn Mi sandwich.

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Living on a Caribbean island means that sometimes ingredients are not available, so just in case - I added the possible substitutions so you can enjoy this dish whenever!

Ingredients Servings: 4

Char Siu Tofu 1 19 oz Packet of Firm Tofu, pat dry

Marinade: 2 TBL Hoisin Sauce 2 TBL Tamari Soy Sauce (I used Tamari to keep it GF, dark soy sauce is also prefect to use) 2 TBL Vegan Oyster Sauce if Vegan Oyster Sauce is not available, substitute this by adding: 1 additional TBL of Hoisin Sauce & 1 additional TBL of Tamari Sauce 2 TBL of Rice Cooking Wine (to substitute, use1 TBL of water & 1 TBL of Mirin)* 2 TBL Brown Sugar 2 TBL Agave (maple syrup is also an option) 2 Gloves of Garlic, finely chopped 1/2 TSP of 5-Spice 1/4 TSP Salt

Pickled Cucumbers 1 Cucumber, chopped into either slices or cubes

Pickling Mixture 1/2 Cup of Water 1/4 Cup Rice Vinegar 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar 1 TBL Vegetable Oil 1 TSP Ginger, freshly grated 1/2 TSP of Salt 1/4 TSP Red Pepper Flakes

*Rice Cooking Wine and Mirin can be found in the Asian or Ethnic section of a supermarket. Here on Aruba I buy these at Ling & Sons Supercenter, they can be found in the Ethnic aisle (6B). This same aisle where you find tamari, nori sheets, miso etc.

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Method

• Remove the tofu from the packaging and pat dry. Cut the tofu into the into smaller rectangles and place the tofu in a dish large enough to marinade the tofu in. Set aside.

• In a bowl, mix all the marinade ingredients. Pour the marinade over the tofu and allow it to marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes up to 2 hours.

• While the tofu is marinating, chop the cucumber into to smaller pieces. I like to cube the cucumber, but slicing works just as good. Place in a clean bowl.

• In a separate bowl, mix all the ingredients for the pickling mixture. Mix until the sugar has dissolved. Now add the pickling mixture to the cucumbers.

• Combine well, cover the bowl and store the cucumbers in the refrigerator for later.

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• Once the tofu is marinated, heat a grill pan. If you have no grill pan, just use a regular frying pan - no biggie! Grill (or fry) each piece of tofu. Do not throw away the remainder of the marinade, this will become the sauce. To make the sauce, transfer the marinade to a saucepan and simmer for no more than 1 minute and the sauce is done - easy peasy!

• Plating time! Serve the tofu on a bed of rice, layer a good spoonful of sauce on top of the tofu add some chopped spring onion as a garnish and serve with the pickled cucumbers.

• Instead of topping the tofu with the sauce, you can also just place the tofu in the sauce as soon as the sauce has reached that desired sauce consistency. This way all the tofu pieces will have an extra coating of sauce - this is the way to go when making the Char Siu Tofu for a Bahn Mi sandwich :)

Enjoy your meal 慢慢吃

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