Miso-glazed tofu with bok choy and broccolini
40 min · 33 g protein · 365 cals / serving
Golden, crisp-edged tofu lacquered in a sweet-salty miso and ginger glaze, over garlicky bok choy, broccolini and edamame, with a cold, tangy cucumber salad on the side. Sticky, savoury and bright green, with toasted sesame and scallions on top.
Ingredients
Cucumber salad
- 1 large cucumber, very thinly sliced
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1/2 tsp maple syrup
- 2 blocks (14 oz each) prepared extra firm tofu, pressed, in 3/4-inch (2 cm) slabs
- 2 1/4 tsp cornstarch
- 1 3/4 tsp canola oil
Glaze
- 3 tbsp miso, white or yellow; check the label: some miso contains dashi (fish stock)
- 1 tbsp + 1 tsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
- 2 tsp grated ginger
- 2 tbsp water
Greens
- 3/4 tsp sesame oil
- 3 cloves garlic, sliced
- 1 1/2 bunches (12 oz) broccolini
- 1 2/3 lb (7–8 heads baby bok choy) bok choy, halved
- 1 cup edamame, shelled, frozen
To serve
- 2 tsp toasted sesame seeds
- 2 scallions green onions, thinly sliced
Steps
- Toss the cucumber with the salt and leave it for 10 minutes, then squeeze out the liquid with your hands and stir in the rice vinegar and maple syrup. Keep it cold.
- Pat the tofu slabs very dry and toss them in the cornstarch. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and fry the tofu for 4–5 minutes a side, until deep golden and crisp.
- Whisk the glaze ingredients together. Lower the heat, pour the glaze over the tofu and turn the slabs in it for 1–2 minutes, until it bubbles, thickens and coats them. Lift onto a plate.
- Wipe the pan, add the sesame oil and garlic over medium-high heat, then the broccolini, bok choy, edamame and 3 tablespoons of water. Cover and steam-fry for 3–4 minutes, until the stems are just tender and still bright green.
- Divide the greens between plates, lay the tofu on top and spoon over any glaze left in the pan. Finish with sesame seeds and scallions and serve the cucumber salad alongside.
Good to know
Rice with it?
A small scoop of steamed short-grain rice is lovely for soaking up the glaze; about 1/3 cup cooked per person keeps the plate greens-first.
How do I get the tofu crisp?
Press it first: wrap the blocks in a towel under a heavy pan for 15 minutes. Dry tofu plus a thin dusting of cornstarch is what makes the crust, and it holds onto the glaze.
Which miso?
White (shiro) miso is mild and sweet and makes the classic glaze. Red miso is saltier and deeper; use 2 tablespoons and add an extra teaspoon of maple.
Is it gluten-free?
Use tamari instead of soy sauce (it's about the same score) and check your miso label (most rice-based misos are). Everything else is naturally free of gluten.
Alternative
Per
- Calories
- 61
- Protein
- (35%)
- 6 g
- Fat
- (42%)
- 3 g
- Carbohydrates
- (23%)
- 5 g
- of which sugar
- 2 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
- Sodium
- 143 mg
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Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. How
As written, 1461 kcal goes into the pot and 2616 g of ingredients comes out as about 2380 g of food: 61 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.