Lettuce Wraps with Hoison-Mustard Tofu

Tofu and I haven't always had the best relationship. In fact, I can't imagine a worse beginning to a relationship: I ended up in the ER about a half hour after our first rendezvous. The doctors deemed it a "bad case" of food poisoning, and while I'm not sure that was truly the problem or that the tofu was the culprit, I've since laid the blame with tofu. Since then, tofu has been begging for my forgiveness in the form of otherwise delicious sounding recipes, and I've continually given it the cold shoulder.

Until last week. I figured I'd persecuted tofu long enough, and god damn, it's in a lot of recipes. I searched a variety of sources looking for the ideal reintroduction, and found this recipe for lettuce wraps with hoison-mustard tofu from Appetite for Reduction. Given my recent discovery of hoison sauce, I picked this because I love its spicy-sweet flavor. And that's exactly what this dish is - sweet and spicy! The red pepper flakes add to the heat, but the cool crunch of the lettuce nicely complements the fire.


These were so insanely easy to make, and honestly, the tofu wasn't that bad. I'm still not convinced tofu and I will ever move beyond acquaintances, but this was a good first step. I was able to find an online version of the recipe!

Ingredients:

Tofu

• 1 (14 ounce) package extra firm tofu, 1/2 inch cubes
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce

Sauce

• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced small
• 1 small onion, diced small
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or 1/2 tsp if you want more spice)
• 3 tablespoons mirin
• 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 2 teaspoons prepared yellow mustard

To serve

• 12 lettuce leaves (iceberg makes a nice pocket for the filling)

Directions:

1
Tofu: Heat a cast iron or heavy bottomed nonstick skillet over medium heat. Spray with a little non stick cooking spray and add the tofu. "Dry fry" for about 10 minutes carefully flipping about halfway through. Add the soy sauce and toss to coat.

2
Sauce: Heat another pan over medium heat. Add the sesame oil and saute the red bell pepper, onion, garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes for about 10 minutes.

3
Once the veggies are soft and browned add the mirin and let cook for 3 minutes.

4
Add the hoison & mustard and cook for another minute.

5
Assemble: Add the tofu to the sauce and toss to coat. Spoon mixture into lettuce leaves and serve immediately. Enjoy!