It’s really hard to get good gluten-free vegetarian food at most Asian restaurants. Whenever I do find it, it’s usually in the form of fried tofu. Don’t get me wrong—I do love getting golden and greasy tofu now and again, especially when someone else is making it. But it’s a heavy thing to eat again and again.
This tofu has a texture closure to fried tofu than any baked tofu I’ve ever had thanks to the corn starch while still not being overly salty or heavy. You can cook a big pot of brown rice and stir fry some vegetables and have your own take-out meal at home without the take-out.
To make this gluten-free, make sure to use a gluten-free tamari in place of the soy sauce. You can also substitute tapioca starch in place of the corn starch and agave for the honey.
Baked Sesame Tofu
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes
Ingredients(Makes 2 servings):
- 1 block extra firm tofu
- 3 Tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- 1 Tablespoon sesame seeds
- 1/2 Tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1/2 Tablespoon corn starch
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
Method:
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Slice the tofu into even segments
- Mix the rest of the ingredients together in a small bowl.
- One at a time, dip the pieces of tofu in the sauce and lay them out on a non-stick baking surface. Pour any remaining sauce on top of the tofu.
- Bake for 40 minutes until the outside is golden and the edges brown. Turn once halfway through baking.
- Serve hot with rice and vegetables and extra soy sauce.
I never really liked rice. Growing up we would have Chinese takeout at least once a week—usually Friday nights—and the last thing I would touch would be the rice. It always tasted so plain. I even bought a rice cooker and for a year never made rice in it; why would I?
That’s probably because all the rice I had tried was just rice—nothing added to it—and that’s just not good. Add a little seasoning, however, and rice goes from a side dish to a star on the plate.
Seasoning rice is so easy and just requires a few pantry staples. The flavor is similar to the seasoned rice in sushi rolls. And because the sugar makes the rice sticky, it’s easier to eat with chopsticks! I used brown basmati rice because that’s what was on hand, but you can use brown or rice, long or short grain.
How To Season Rice
You’ll need:
- 2 cups cooked rice
- 2 Tablespoons sugar
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar*
- 1/2 Tablespoon Sesame oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
*Can use white vinegar in a pinch
Method:
- Heat up the rice in a pot or microwave if it’s not already hot.
- Add in the sugar, vinegar, sesame oil, and salt and mix thoroughly.
- Scoop onto plates and serve hot.
Once you’ve mastered making delicious rice, everything else on the plate instantly tastes better, too. You can mix in whole sesame seeds or chili powder for a stronger flavor if you’d like.
Or really fried quinoa. But what’s the difference?
I love mushrooms but don’t buy them much since they’re not much to eat on their own. I had some leftover this week and thought I’d add them to a stir fry to lend a “meatiness” to it. I don’t think mushrooms remind me all that much of meat; I think they remind me a whole lot of mushrooms. But that’s OK because I like mushrooms.
Mushrooms are prized in Asian dishes because they’re high in umami, or what I’d probably butcher by calling savoriness. Sautéing the mushrooms in oil helps to bring out this flavor and spread it through the whole dish which elevates the flavor. I like mine best with some red chili flakes to add a level of spiciness.
Fried Rice With Mushrooms
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Ingredients(For 2 people):
- 2 large portabella mushroom caps, sliced
- 1 Pepper, diced
- 2 Tablespoons sesame oil, divided
- 3 Tablespoons soy sauce, divided
- 1 cup cooked rice(or quinoa)
- 2/3 cup bean sprouts
- 1 Tablespoon vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- 4 eggs(optional)
Method:
- Heat up 1 Tablespoon of sesame oil and 1 1/2 Tablespoons of soy sauce in a large pan over medium-high heat. Once heated, toss in the mushroom slices and diced pepper and sauté until golden, about 5 minutes.
- Add in the rice, bean sprouts, vinegar, sugar, and the rest of the sesame oil and soy sauce and mix all of the ingredients together.
- Continue cooking until most of the liquid has been absorbed or evaporated away, also about 5 minutes.
- Crack in the eggs if using and mix them in with the rice. Cook until the egg has cooked through.
- Plate and serve hot.
I served this with some steamed kale to bring color to the dish. You can leave the eggs out and make this vegan, adding in tempeh for extra protein or not. I like adding eggs because it’s a cheap way to add bulk to a meal.
The downside(or benefit depending on how you look at it) of making things like quinoa in big batches is that you have the same old food meal after meal. Luckily, quinoa is one grain that’s easy to dress up. You can eat it in the morning in place of oatmeal, or later on in place of rice. Here I used it to make a tasty, higher protein version of fried rice.
I’ve never really found rice interesting, even as fried rice from a halfway decent Chinese takeout restaurant. This, however, I could eat meal after meal. The vegetables and egg add a play of textures and the quinoa has a nice nutty flavor to it to compliment the sesame oil. Add some stir-fried tofu or chicken and you’re good to go.
Of course, if you have leftover rice you could make the same recipe subbing in rice for quinoa and have a more traditional dish.
Fried Quinoa
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Ingredients(makes 2 servings)
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- 2 Tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 3 Tablespoons soy sauce(use wheat-free tamari for a gluten-free meal)
- 1/2 an onion, diced
- 1 bell pepper, chopped into bite-sized chunks
- 1/2 cup bean sprouts
- 4 eggs
Method:
- Heat the oil and soy sauce in a large frying pan over medium-high heat until the oil starts to bubble.
- Add in the onion and sauté until translucent.
- Add in the quinoa, pepper, and bean sprouts. Toss the pan to mix. Cook until all the liquid has been absorbed and the quinoa on the bottom of the pan begins to pop.
- Crack the eggs directly into the pan. Lightly mix them in with the other ingredients. Continue mixing until the all the whites and yolks have cooked through.
- Plate and serve hot. Can be kept in the refrigerator and reheated as leftovers for up to 3 days.
I ate this as leftovers and it was most definitely better the next day, with a strong, nutty sesame flavor and crunchy bean sprouts.
Last week a reader asked me to post about how I cook kale and specifically a mushroom/kale side dish I photographed. You don’t have to ask me twice to cook this dish; kale and mushrooms are two of my favorite foods when prepared properly.
This recipe cooks kale by steaming it, which gets it to that soft and tender point without removing many nutrients. Properly steamed kale should be bright green, stiff, and still have a crunch in its stalk.
As for the mushrooms, I’m a big believer in that you don’t need to buy the expensive mushrooms to bring out an expensive flavor. Mushrooms do a great job of soaking up whatever you give them, so I use oil and seasonings to make the cheapest mushrooms taste like a 5 star dish.
I’m crazy for this sesame seasoning I got in a swag bag from a conference last month.
They do not hold back on the ginger, which I love. You can either use a seasoning like this or make the recipe with just sesame seeds and salt for a milder flavor.
Sesame Mushroom And Kale
Prep time: 0 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Ingredients(makes 2 servings):
- 2 Tablespoons sesame oil
- 2/3 cup sliced mushrooms
- 2 cups kale
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon sesame seeds
Method:
- Heat the oil in a pan that has a lid over medium heat.
- Sauté the mushrooms until they’ve browned on both sides.
- Add the kale and cover the pan. Let it stand still for about a minute while the kale steams.
- When all of the kale has turned a vibrant green color, remove the pan from the heat. Add the salt and sesame seeds and toss all of the ingredients together.
- Serve hot.
I like to eat mine with seared tempeh, another favorite. Just toss the tempeh in the pan and cook it until it’s browned on both side. It’s delicious and one of the healthiest soy products for you. If you know anyone who refuses to eat healthy because they think healthy eating is bland, this is the dish that will change their mind.
My favorite thing about Japanese food is how little is actually done to it. It might be cut and plated fancily but with hardly any cooking or ingredients they manage to fit in a ton of flavor.
These cucumbers have hardly any ingredients—sesame oil, vinegar, and seasoning—,but they taste better than any cucumbers I’ve ever had. It doesn’t hurt that it’s the Summer and any form of cooking sounds off-putting. All you need to make this refreshing side dish is a sharp knife and a bowl.
Japanese Sesame Cucumber Salad
Ingredients(Makes 4 servings):
- 2 cucumbers
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 Tablespoons sesame seeds
Method:
- With a mandolin or sharp knife, slice the cucumbers into circles about 2mm thick.
- Combine the cucumbers with the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl and toss together until completely incorporated and the sugar has dissolved.
- Serve immediately at room temperature.
