Crispy Tofu and Broccoli with Sesame-Peanut Pesto
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Five years ago, I published a post just after the New Year titled: Detox: Sesame-Crusted Tofu with Nuoc Cham. The sesame crust for this tofu included panko, which led one commenter to note it “wouldn’t actually be part of a detox because of the panko. Detoxing excludes gluten or wheat products.”
News to me. I am a hopeless detoxer. I will never give up bread or legumes or grains or any other vilified foods this time of year. I cannot imagine a January without thick slices of quinoa-flax bread toasted for breakfast and lentil soup for lunch and Marcella’s stewy white beans or Cal Peternell’s Moroccan chickpea soup for dinner with a hunk of bread on the side.
All of this said, this time of year, I do find myself, like many, wanting to eat more healthily. I’ve been craving vegetables and making a ton of them: roasted carrots with honey and almonds, the kale salad that started it all, roasted mushrooms with gremolata bread crumbs. (All of these, by the way, are from Joshua McFadden’s Six Seasons — can’t wait to share more!).
More than any other time of year, too, I find myself reaching for the tofu. This recipe from Deb Perelman’s latest, Smitten Kitchen Every Day, satisfies all of my January proclivities: crispy tofu and broccoli with sesame-peanut pesto, a super-flavorful sauce modeled after the sauces dressing Deb’s favorite “deliciously inauthentic” take-out noodles.
As you know, I don’t have a kitchen (update below!), but even so, this recipe came together incredibly easily: in sum, you roast broccoli and tofu on separate sheet pans, the broccoli tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper, the tofu with oil, soy sauce, and cornstarch (which makes for an especially crispy crust); while the broccoli and tofu cook, you make a sauce with peanuts, sesame oil, ginger, garlic and a few other ingredients; to finish, you dress the roasted broccoli and tofu with the creamy-but-textured pesto and drizzle it all with hot sauce if you wish.
That’s it! It’s incredibly delicious and satisfying, friendly enough to make any day of the week, but perhaps best suited for curling up with on the couch on a Friday night, your latest, favorite series ready to be devoured just as quickly.
PS: More tofu: Sesame-Crusted Tofu with Nuoc Cham; Baked Tofu with Kale and Coconut; Warm Tofu with Spicy Garlic Sauce
Here’s a play-by-play: Set something heavy over a block of tofu to drain out the liquid:
Cut the broccoli into florets; peel away the rough exterior of the stems, then cut into rounds:
Place broccoli on one sheet pan:
Place tofu on another:
Roast at 400ºF:
Meanwhile, make the pesto:
I used my extra coffee/spice grinder—a food processor is a pain to clean without a sink—which worked moderately well:
When the tofu and broccoli are crispy…
combine them, then drizzle with the sauce, and …
serve!
Cabinets!
Sink!
Crispy Tofu and Broccoli with Sesame-Peanut Pesto
- Yield: 2
Description
From Deb Perelman’s new book: Smitten Kitchen Every Day
Though I haven’t tried, I imagine this would double easily. With my kitchen under renovation, I am using quarter sheet pans that fit into my portable oven. One of these sheet pans fit the entire pound of broccoli and another fit the entire block of tofu. If you want to feed more than 2 people, I think you could easily roast 2 pounds of broccoli and 2 blocks of cubed tofu. Double the sauce, of course, too.
Ingredients
For the tofu and broccoli:
- 1 block (12- to 15-oz) firm or extra-firm tofu
- 1 pound broccoli
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
for the pesto:
- 1 tablespoon toasted (or not) sesame seeds
- 1/4 cup peanuts, roasted (salted are fine)
- 1.5 tsp minced fresh ginger
- 1 small garlic clove
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar or other sweetener
to finish:
- 3 scallions, thinly sliced
- chili-garlic or other hot sauce
Instructions
- Prepare the tofu: Drain the tofu, and place it on a few paper towels; place a few more towels over it. Place a heavy object—like a big frying pan—over the tofu, and let it rest for 10 minutes (and up to 30 , if you have the time) to press out the excess liquid. (I like to do this on a cooling rack set over a pan, see photos below).
- Heat the oven to 400ºF. Line one rimmed sheet pan with parchment (for the tofu); leave another one bare (for the broccoli).
- Prepare the broccoli: Trim and chop the broccoli into florets. Don’t discard the stems (they are so good!): peel off the tough outer skin and knots, then cut the stems into 1/2-inch rounds. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of the oil over the bare sheet pan, swirl it to coat, scatter the broccoli over top, drizzle with another tablespoon of oil, season generously with salt and pepper, and toss to coat with your hands. Spread into an even layer.
- Remove the tofu from the towels, and cut into 1-inch cubes. In a large bowl, gently toss the tofu with the remaining tablespoon of oil, the soy sauce, and the cornstarch until evenly coated. Spread out on the parchment-line sheet pan.
- Cook the tofu and broccoli: Place both sheet pans in the oven and roast for 20 minutes, then toss the pieces around for even coloring and roast another 10 minutes. At this point, the tofu is usually done, which is to say golden at the edges and lightly crisp. Remove the pan from the oven. If necessary, roast the broccoli for another 10 minutes to get an extra char on it.
- Meanwhile make the pesto: Pulse all of the ingredients together in a food processor until ground. Adjust the flavors to taste. If the sauce is super thick, you can thin it with some water.
- To finish: In a large bowl, combine the broccoli and tofu, and toss with some of the sauce. Garnish with the scallions. Serve extra sauce and hot sauce, if using, on the side.
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50 Comments on “Crispy Tofu and Broccoli with Sesame-Peanut Pesto”
Oh Ali! I’m so excited about your kitchen. I can’t imagine the upheaval. This looks delish! I have a lot of recipes earmarked in Deb’s and Joshua’s books. Including the kale salad. (Still can’t make it yet, must wait 2.5 more months)
Thanks, Dana!! I cannot wait either. Can’t wait for you to eat kale again too 🙂 🙂 🙂
PS I’m 100 million% impressed that you can cook and be creative like this with such a minimal kitchen. It truly speaks to your kitchen-y genius and resourcefulness.
Thank you Dana 🙂
Hi Alexandra, it all looks so yummy. Just 1 question. Do you mix together the oil, soy sauce and the cornstarch first and then coat the tofu with them? or just throw everything in the bowl at one time?
Thanks,
Lydia
I don’t but that might make for an easier/more even coat. I’ll try that next. The cornstarch might clump if you try to make a little mixture with it? Maybe not. This is what I’ve done: place the tofu in a large bowl, pour in the oil and soy, then sprinkle over the cornstarch. After a gentle toss with my hands, it all blends together pretty evenly. Hope this helps! Good luck. I find this whole dish so yummy.
I have made the tofu this way many times, always excellent! Can’t wait to try the pesto with it!
It’s so yummy, Joyce!
I’ve made a TON of things from Deb’s new cookbook, and this is one of my favorites. I preferred the peanuts and sesame seeds as a topping vs. in the pesto.
Cabinets are GORGEOUS! You’re a trooper!
Awwww, thanks! Love the idea of the sort-of deconstructed pesto. Yum! What else have you made?? I have my eye on the eggs baked in polenta.
this looks delicious!
It’s so yummy Ariane!!
Looks really nice. Do we really have to use seasame seeds?
No, you definitely can leave them out. It is for an allergy? You’ll want to replace the sesame oil as well, too, then.
Made this tonight – it’s now in the rotation! How did you know I was looking for a great tofu recipe? Delicious! I served this with a little quinoa but I think I a little rice would have been better. Although, it doesn’t really need anything else. I used cashews instead of peanuts b/c I had them on hand. I also had a lime on hand and squirted that all over everything. Next time, I add a little lime to the pesto to make it a little more liquid-y.
So happy to hear this, Jennifer! Love the idea of lime. I thinned my sauce out with a little water, but lime would be delicious.
thank you for this recipe, I’m eating a lot more legumes AND leafy vegetables like broccoli, slow carb thing, but also like detox-ic elements too as you emphasize! Nice cabinets, so far too!
You’ll love this one, Sabrina!
Thank you! I’m so glad you liked it. Hope you get your new kitchen done soon.
Thank you, Deb! I’m having friends over on Saturday … going to make a double batch of this because I know I can pull it off in my not-quite-there kitchen. Congrats on another beautiful book!
I made this tonight and it was great, a wonderful recipe to use up all of the broccoli that we get in our CSA box.I was lucky enough to meet Deb in San Francisco when she was here for a book signing in November, the first recipe that I made from the new book was the Caramelized Cabbage Risotto, I recommend that you try it when your kitchen is finished!
Oooohhhh, Amy, I love cabbage, so this is right up my alley. Thanks for the rec! Lucky you meeting Deb! I met her once a long time ago, and she was so nice.
That looks so good!
Have you been using toasted sesame oil or the neutral kind? 2 Tbsp toasted oil seems a lot to me … otherwise: do you think I could substitute it with something else? Maybe even just use water in place of the oil? Thank you already!
Where did you find that pan? I can’t seem to located it on Amazon… does it say 12 x 9?
It was just a cheap thing from my grocery store! I think it cost $3. It’s a quarter sheetpan, and I bought it to use with my kitchen, which was under renovation.
So good! I tried making the sauce in my cusinart miniprep but it was too lumpy and I switched to an immersion blender which was better. I did need water to thin it out a bit and was wondering if using peanut butter would be better? Served with brown rice. Definitely making again though I will tinker around with it.
Oh, and those roasted carrots—INSANE. I’ve made them three weeks in a row. I may have to break my “no new cookbooks” rule and buy it.
Made last night using frozen broccoli (near holiday season I’m working long hours and looking for any shortcut I can get!) and it turned out beautifully. Great blend of flavors and easy to put together. Will definitely make again!!! Thank you 🙂
KAT!! OMG it is so fun to see your name here. And yay, I’m so happy to hear this. So glad frozen broccoli worked well. Incidentally, I’ve been telling everyone I know about you and sending them youtube videos featuring you and just totally #fangirling all over the place. Loved meeting you so much 🙂
Delicious and easy – a winning combo! Thanks for sharing.
So happy to hear this, Alyssa!
Great! Easy. Healthy
Wonderful to hear this, Rebecca!
Made this this evening and I love it! The sauce turned out pretty thick so I’ll work on that the next time but overall will most certainly make again!
Also, I didn’t know how to prepare broccoli stalks before this so very excited 🙂 thank you!
Wonderful to hear this, Kristine! Broccoli stalks were a revelation for me as well 🙂
This hits all the delicious taste spots – chewy, crispy, salty, rich. When I mixed the cornstarch with the soy, it did indeed make a more granular coating. I prefer to toss the tofu separately with each.
So nice to hear this, Andrea. And great tip regarding tossing the two separately. Thanks!
Have made this a few times now and love it. Thanks for giving me a new tofu dish to add to our permanent rotation!
Great to hear this, Julie! Thanks so much for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
This is a cool weather staple for me, incorporating 2 of my faves – tofu and broccoli and is perfect for 2 people. Just a little note after making this for the umpteenth time: I used black sesame seeds this time (it was all I had) and the color of the pesto was less than appealing. And the seeds didn’t quite grind completely. It was still delicious. The only negative comment I can make about this recipe is that it stops me from trying other tofu recipes! Really. It is that good. I generally have all the ingredients in my pantry but next time I’ll make sure I have sesame seeds that aren’t black! Thank you for this fabulous recipe.
Jennifer, thank you so much for writing and sharing your notes! So interesting about the black sesame seeds — bummer about the color but I never would have thought the black seeds wouldn’t have ground as well, though now that I think about it, they are a bit firmer. I’m so happy to hear you like this one. It’s comforting having our staples to rely on … nothing wrong with not trying other tofu recipes 🙂 🙂 🙂
I was seeking a new recipe with tofu & this did not disappoint! The sauce is excellent— I used twice the amount of ginger called for & I found it needed a little extra rice vinegar as well for balance. I used cashews instead of peanuts bc that’s what I had on-hand 😉
Really satisfying!
So great to hear this! Love the idea of double ginger 🙂 🙂 🙂
We have this almost weekly. I quadruple the sauce and freeze so it’s even easier. And while I often make it with tofu and broccoli. I’ve used tempeh, chicken thighs, and an assortment of vegetables (carrots, bok choy, cabbage, peppers, fennel) and it is always a win. I’ve served it with rice, quinoa, a mixture of both, and even barley. It’s great during CSA season because it accepts everything.
So wonderful to hear this, Dawn! You are smart to 4x the sauce! Thanks for writing and sharing all of this.
Yummy and easy.
Any idea how long will the pesto keep in the fridge?
At least a week!
Easy to make and the most thumbs up ever on this type of recipe. So good there are no leftovers. E
Great to hear, Erika! Thanks so much for writing 🙂