Sweet Tofu, Braised Daikon & Beetroot Cream

This dish is full of earthy flavours, lifted by the sweetness of agave syrup. Even your most tofu-sceptic friends won’t be able to resist this!

Shopping tips
Kombu is a dried sea vegetable used in Japanese and other Oriental dishes. It’s often used as part of a stock. The most common brand in the UK is Clearspring but there are other brands available. Find kombu in a health food shop, an Oriental store or online, eg Ocado, Amazon etc. It will last a very long if kept in an airtight container. It can also be used up making miso or other broth type soups.

Recipe courtesy of the amazing Rootcandi restaurant in Brighton – sadly gone but fortunately, the owners retain their other business – the all veggie/vegan Iydea !

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Cuisine

Japanese

Meal

  • mains
  • lunches

Servings

2

Ingredients

Tofu

  • 450g firm or extra firm tofu
  • 250ml tamari
  • 100g sugar
  • 100ml rice vinegar
  • 2 red chillies (finely sliced) – remove seeds if you don’t like too much heat!
  • 4 cloves of garlic

Daikon/Mooli (Japanese radish)

  • 4 x 2cm/1 inch thick slices of mooli – score in a crisscross pattern after cutting to size (mooli is a long white radish – see picture above. Buy it from from Asian supermarkets, online or larger branches of some supermarkets, eg Waitrose, Tesco
  • 1L water
  • 2 strips of kombu – a dried sea vegetable (see above)
  • 5g/1 tsp salt

Beetroot Cream

  • 4 beetroot – cooked then peeled
  • 2cm/1 inch fresh horseradish
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Plus

  • 1 bunch chives, finely chopped with scissors
  • Sesame oil for frying tofu

Instructions

Tofu

  1. Wrap the tofu in several sheets of kitchen roll, place over a large sieve, place a plate on top and then place it with a heavy object to press out all of the water. Alternatively, use a tofu press with extra weights on the top.
  2. Bring all the marinade ingredients to the boil then pour over the tofu. Leave it to marinate for at least 3 hours.

Mooli

  1. Place all ingredients in a saucepan, bring to the boil and then reduce to a gentle simmer.
  2. Cover with a lid and continue simmering on a low heat for a couple of hours until very soft.

Beetroot Cream

  1. Blend all ingredients together until smooth.
  2. Strain the mixture through a sieve to make sure all lumps have been removed.

Assembly

  1. Gently fry the tofu on both sides in sesame oil until golden. Add 3 tbsp agave to the pan and leave a little to the side of the pan for the final glaze
  2. Coat the cooked tofu in finely chopped chives.
  3. Heat up the beetroot cream gently on the hob.
  4. Add sauce to the dish with the braised daikon placed centrally on top.
  5. Add the tofu and pour over the remaining agave from the heated pan.
  6. Assemble as shown in the picture above.
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