- Course: Appetizer, Hot Appetizer
- Skill Level: Moderate
- Cost: Inexpensive
- Favorited: 20 Times
This is a quick, tasty, and nutritious way to start a meal and one of my favorite ways to serve tofu. The top stays crispy, yet the rest absorbs the pungent citrus sauce.
Excellent with a chilled, bone-dry sake like a daiginjo (and, even better, one from Niigata Prefecture, Japan, where it tends to be citrusy and clean-tasting), it’s equally good with a glass of well-chilled Champagne.
Ingredients
- Zest and juice (about ¼ cup) of 1 large lemon, preferably Meyer
- Zest and juice of 1 orange
- 2 tablespoons carrot juice
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- Pinch of cayenne
- 3 scant tablespoons rice flakes or fine dry bread crumbs
- Pinch of kosher salt
- Pinch of freshly crushed black pepper
- 1 block silken tofu, drained, then wrapped in paper towels to absorb moisture
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 generous tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh chives (optional)
Directions
Put the citrus juices into a small saucepan, add the carrot juice, honey, soy sauce, and cayenne, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer while you prepare the tofu.
Put the rice flakes (or bread crumbs), salt, and pepper in a coffee or spice grinder and pulse a few times. Be sure the paper towels have absorbed as much water as possible from the tofu, then slice the tofu along its “equator,” creating 2 large flattish slabs. Cut each of those in half, giving you 4 pieces. Spoon the egg yolk on one side of each piece and evenly spread the rice-flake crust over them. Heat the butter in a small nonstick skillet over medium heat and sauté the tofu, crust side down, for about 5 minutes, until nicely browned. Carefully flip the pieces over with a spatula and briefly cook the other side, about 2 minutes. Pour some of the reduced sauce into a warm plate or shallow bowl and slide the tofu into the center of the sauce, crispy side up. Top with the orange and lemon zest and the chives if desired.
© 2007 Eric Gower
Nutritional Information
Nutritional information is based on 1/8 teaspoon added salt per serving.




