Miso glazed tofu with bok choy
Thick slabs of tofu seared golden and turned in a sweet, salty miso glaze, with garlicky bok choy and rice, a quiet dinner that tastes like a restaurant.
- 45 min total
- 25 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 2
- About $2.70 a serving
- 780 calories
- Vegan
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: Read the steps once before you start. Everything goes smoother after that.
Ingredients
For 2 servings.
- 1 package extra-firm tofu, drained
- 1 cup long-grain white rice
- 2 tbsp miso paste
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 2 baby bok choy, halved lengthwise
- 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 2 stalks green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp sesame seeds (optional)
From your pantry
- 1¾ cups water, divided
- ½ tsp salt, divided
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
Each serving has about 780 calories, 34 g protein, 94 g carbs and 30 g fat, and costs about $2.70 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No extra-firm tofu? Firm tofu works.
- No long-grain white rice? Jasmine rice or basmati rice works.
- No green onions? Chives work.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Wrap the tofu in a clean towel and press it under something heavy for 15 minutes.
Timer: 15 min
Meanwhile, the rice and bring it in a small with 1½ cups water and ¼ teaspoon salt over high heat.
Rinse. Rinsing means running cold water over rice or canned beans in a strainer while you swish them around. It washes off loose starch and can liquid, so rice cooks up fluffy and beans taste clean.
How you’ll know: The water running out goes from cloudy to mostly clear; it doesn’t have to be perfect.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
High heat
Stir once, cover, and cook on low for 15 minutes. Take it off the heat and leave the lid on.
Low heatTimer: 15 min
the miso, brown sugar, vinegar, sesame oil and 2 tablespoons water in a small bowl until smooth.
Whisk. Whisking means beating quickly with a whisk or a fork to blend things together. It smooths out lumps and mixes eggs, oil or sauces evenly.
How you’ll know: It all looks one even color and texture, with no streaks or lumps.
Cut the tofu into 4 slabs about ¾ inch thick and them dry.
Lengthwise. Lengthwise means cutting along the long side, from stem to tip, which gives long pieces. Crosswise is the other way, straight across the middle, which gives short, round ones.
How you’ll know: Lengthwise halves of a zucchini look like two little canoes; crosswise pieces look like coins.
Pat dry. Patting dry means pressing paper towels onto food to soak up the moisture on its surface. Wet food steams instead of browning, so this is how you get a good sear and crisp skin.
How you’ll know: The surface feels tacky, not wet, and the last paper towel comes away barely damp.
Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large nonstick over medium-high heat. Cook the slabs about 4 minutes a side, until on both sides.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Medium-high heatTimer: 8 min
Dolly’s tip: Leave them alone until they release. A slab that sticks isn’t ready to flip.Food safety: Tofu is safe to eat straight from the package; cooking is only for texture and flavor.
Turn the heat to low, spoon the over the tofu, and turn the slabs in it for about 1 minute, until thick and shiny. Move them to plates.
Glaze. A glaze is a thin, glossy coating, often sweet, brushed or spooned over food near the end. It adds shine and flavor, and because it has sugar, it can burn quickly.
How you’ll know: The food looks shiny and evenly coated, sticky at the edges but not blackened.
Low heatTimer: 1 min
Dolly’s tip: Miso scorches fast. Low heat and one minute is all it needs.Wipe out the pan, heat the rest of the vegetable oil over medium-high heat, and lay in the bok choy cut side down with the garlic. Cook 2 minutes, until underneath.
Brown. Browning means cooking until the outside turns brown, which is where a lot of savory flavor comes from. Give food room and time without stirring, or it steams and stays gray.
How you’ll know: The food looks brown rather than gray, and the kitchen smells toasty and savory.
Medium-high heatTimer: 2 min
Add 2 tablespoons water and ¼ teaspoon salt, cover, and 2 minutes, until the stems are just tender.
Steam. Steaming means cooking food over or in a little simmering water with a lid on to trap the steam. It cooks gently and keeps vegetables bright and tender.
How you’ll know: The color turns vivid, and a fork goes in with just a little resistance.
Medium-high heatTimer: 2 min
Serve the tofu over the rice with the bok choy, and scatter the green onions and sesame seeds on top.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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