Thai Honey Peanut Tofu

You can snack on it or make a wholesome meal out of it, in less than 30 minutes !

Ingredients :

1 Block of extra firm Tofu - cut in cubes  

2 Tablespoons olive oil 

1/4 cups Soy Sauce* (use naturally fermented soy sauce)

3 Tablespoons Honey

1 Tablespoon heaping Peanut Butter (I used the crunchy PB because I love its texture)

2 Teaspoon Sriracha (add more if you like your food hot)

1 Teaspoon lemon juice

1 Teaspoon cornstarch 

2-3 Tablespoon water

1/2 Tablespoon of toasted sesame seeds

Directions :

1. In a non-stick pan heat oil. Keep it on medium heat. Add tofu. Let it sit for about 2-3 minutes before and tossing the pan. Repeat this until tofu is crisp and brown on all sides. (It shouldn't take more than 10 minutes)
2. Meanwhile in a medium bowl, add the peanut butter, honey, soy sauce, Sriracha, lemon and juice. Whisk until well combined. 
3. Make a paste of the cornstarch and water. Keep it aside. 
4. Once tofu is done add the peanut sauce prepared in the step 2. Mix well. Add cornstarch paste. Stir till the sauce thickens.  Turn off the heat.
5. Serve topped with sesame seeds.

*I used Kikkoman's All-Purpose Naturally Brewed Soy Sauce. This is Japanese soy sauce, it has a less harsh flavor and it tends to be thinner and sweeter compared to the Chinese soy sauce. Therefore, if you are using a Chinese soy sauce, you might want to reduce the quantity a little. And you must absolutely avoid using the chemically made soy sauces. They are cheap but the taste is awful. Switch to naturally brewed soy sauce and you'll see a huge difference in the taste.  

Tips :

1)  Press Tofu to remove excess water. Pat dry with paper tower or dish cloth.
2) Sriracha can be replaced by red chili sauce

3) Instead of honey you can use brown sugar. (3 teaspoons of brown sugar + 3 teaspoons of water.)

I often pair this tofu in thai peanut sauce with rice and steamed broccoli. It make a perfect meal -sumptuous and health. As you can see in the picture below, the peanut sauce is a little more opaque than that in the pictures above. This is because I absolutely love peanut butter and end up putting more (almost double) in the recipe especially when I am pairing the tofu with rice. The texture of this tofu-rice combo is mind-blowing :D.