COOKING WITH TOFU

I’m not one for recipes and cooking, so don’t expect this to become a regular feature on this blog.

Still, this is a good one. You don’t have to be a vegetarian to enjoy a tofu dish now and again. Tofu has a very subtle flavor and perfectly soaks up the aroma of the other ingredients.

My tofu salad is ridiculously healthy. “Ridiculous” because eating it actually makes me happy. When I’m writing and nothing works out, I need a boost. This salad does the trick.

“Wha-at? Are you putting chocolate in it?”

Nope. Try it out, and you’ll see what I mean. It’s quick to make, too.

The quantities don’t matter, as long as the ingredients are fresh.

Ingredients:
Tofu, reasonably firm
Fresh asparagus (white or green)
Red or orange peppers
Lettuce of some sort. (I like rocket or lamb’s lettuce, but I’ve tried iceberg lettuce and it worked.)
Ginger
Soy sauce
Lemon juice (doesn’t have to be freshly squeezed)
Garlic (optional, can be powder)

Preparation:
Cut the tofu into chunks. Peel a piece of fresh ginger and grate it (and the garlic, if you wish to include it). Do not use ginger powder. Cut the asparagus stems into thirds or quarters. With a little oil or water, fry the tofu, the asparagus and half the ginger (and garlic).

Meanwhile, combine one quantity of soy sauce (say, one spoonful), the same quantity of lemon juice (another spoonful) with two parts water (in this case two spoonfuls) in a glass. Add in the rest of the ginger (and garlic) and give it a good stir with a fork.

Arrange your chosen type of lettuce on a plate or in a bowl, cut the pepper(s) into chunks and arrange them on top of the lettuce. When the asparagus is cooked (so you can easily stick a fork in, about 5-7 minutes), deposit the contents of the frying pan on top and add the dressing.

Put on some happy music (consider Shakira’s Waka Waka) and tuck in.

Then get your butt back behind that keyboard and write.