Red Hot Chili Tofu

If you haven't noticed, I've had a lil' poll up on the side of the blog to determine which appetizer I should put up. Red Hot Chili Tofu is on of the options. Even though it's not in the lead, I made this for dinner last night for our friend, Autumn. Also, when I made it for our House Warming party, it was literally the first thing gone. I'm posting it because it's sooooo tasty! I have to give props to Robin Robertson...she has been a huge inspiration and I love her recipes!!!



Red Hot Chile Tofu
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes

3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoon water
2 tablespoon soy sauce
3 teaspoons sake or dry white wine (I'm a wino...I always have wine on hand!)
3/4 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 pound extra-firm tofu, drained and cut into 1/2-inch strips
3 tablespoons cold-pressed canola oil
1/4 cup minced scallions
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon hot chili paste (or more, to taste)

1. In a small bowl, combine the tomato paste, water, soy sauce, sake, and sugar. Mix well and set aside.

2. In a shallow bowl, combine the cornstarch and salt. Dredge the tofu strips in the cornstarch mixture, shaking off any excess. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the tofu in batches and cook until golden brown. Transfer to a platter.

3. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in the same skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the scallions, garlic, ginger, and chili paste, and cook, stirring for 15 seconds. Add the reserved tomato paste mixture and stir until well blended.
Add the reserved tofu and toss gently to coat with the sauce, cooking until heated through, about 2 minutes. Serve hot & enjoy!

I've definitely made tofu before and thought, "Seriously? People eat this stuff?!" However, I'm getting the hang of it now and I always have tofu in my fridge.





For those of you who don't know, Cody & our brother-in-law, Chuck, built a beer pong table a few weeks back for our party. For the past week, we have done nothing but work on it; from staining and painting to sanding and lacquering, it's been a lengthy process. Cody is sitting on the couch now, beer in hand, relaxing. I have been instructed to let everyone know that Cody finds this dish TASTY. The end.