Kirin starts his weekend study for the coming exams, so it's just me and 小雨 in the house. Feels like a weekday when she hasn't attended school.
Well, her first week in preschool flew umizoomi-fast. I was partially wrong, we both suffered from separation anxiety. Aside from that, I was pre-occupied with adjusting my habitual way of caretaking to the way teachers handle in school. And I forgot about my diary, totally.
Baked honey balsamic firm tofu today. This time I prepared a bowl of cornstarch and rolled the tofu strips in it (merely added a tiny sprinkle over each strip the previous time). Resulted in a cornstarch coating which I thought could be thinner, and the flavour wasn't as good as baked silken tofu.
Well, her first week in preschool flew umizoomi-fast. I was partially wrong, we both suffered from separation anxiety. Aside from that, I was pre-occupied with adjusting my habitual way of caretaking to the way teachers handle in school. And I forgot about my diary, totally.
Baked honey balsamic firm tofu today. This time I prepared a bowl of cornstarch and rolled the tofu strips in it (merely added a tiny sprinkle over each strip the previous time). Resulted in a cornstarch coating which I thought could be thinner, and the flavour wasn't as good as baked silken tofu.
So here's sharing my recipe for baked honey balsamic tofu (use silken tofu and just a sprinkle of cornstarch over each tofu strip k):
Baked Honey-Balsamic Tofu
150g of silken tofu, pat dry and sliced into long strips
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp light soy sauce
1 tsp honey
1/4 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 clove of garlic, crushed
3g of old ginger, minced
1 + 1/2 tsp cornstarch (or a sprinkle over each tofu strip for a light crispiness)
1. Drain off the liquid from the packaging and pat dry the tofu block using sheets of paper towel. Then wrapping up in two fresh sheets, lay one or two bowls/plates of some weight (see picture below, I use two small square saucers) on top of the tofu block.
2. Meanwhile, prepare the marinade and mix well in a bowl.
3. About half to an hour later, unwrap the pressed tofu and pat dry for a final time.
4. Slice the tofu into 12 long strips and drizzle the marinade over them in a shallow plate. Wrap with cling film, then store in fridge. (Best to marinade overnight.)
5. Preheat the oven to 190 degree celcius. Lay the tofu strips on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
6. Sprinkle the cornstarch over the tofu strips and leave it above the oven for about 20 mins as the oven heats up.
7. Bake the tofu strips for 40 mins, flipping and rotating the tray after the first 15 mins, next 15 mins, then the last 10 mins, drizzling with the remaining marinade.
Notes:
i. Silken tofu is very delicate. You've got to be gentle with it. Alternatively, you could substitute with medium soft or firm tofu, but I tried with the latter and thought the silken one still tastes better.
ii. You can skip rotating the tray in step (7) if your oven is fan-assisted. (Mine isn't.)
Baked Honey-Balsamic Tofu
150g of silken tofu, pat dry and sliced into long strips
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp light soy sauce
1 tsp honey
1/4 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 clove of garlic, crushed
3g of old ginger, minced
1 + 1/2 tsp cornstarch (or a sprinkle over each tofu strip for a light crispiness)
1. Drain off the liquid from the packaging and pat dry the tofu block using sheets of paper towel. Then wrapping up in two fresh sheets, lay one or two bowls/plates of some weight (see picture below, I use two small square saucers) on top of the tofu block.
2. Meanwhile, prepare the marinade and mix well in a bowl.
3. About half to an hour later, unwrap the pressed tofu and pat dry for a final time.
4. Slice the tofu into 12 long strips and drizzle the marinade over them in a shallow plate. Wrap with cling film, then store in fridge. (Best to marinade overnight.)
5. Preheat the oven to 190 degree celcius. Lay the tofu strips on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
6. Sprinkle the cornstarch over the tofu strips and leave it above the oven for about 20 mins as the oven heats up.
7. Bake the tofu strips for 40 mins, flipping and rotating the tray after the first 15 mins, next 15 mins, then the last 10 mins, drizzling with the remaining marinade.
Notes:
i. Silken tofu is very delicate. You've got to be gentle with it. Alternatively, you could substitute with medium soft or firm tofu, but I tried with the latter and thought the silken one still tastes better.
ii. You can skip rotating the tray in step (7) if your oven is fan-assisted. (Mine isn't.)