A few weeks ago, I had a craving for tofu in a hoisin-based sauce and have been playing around with this recipe since then. I liked this recipe by Simply Delicious, but decided to use sambal oelek rather than chili flakes. I also omitted the green onions and the corn starch (because the air-fried tofu has potato starch, which serves to thicken up the sauce enough). Finally, I changed the honey/sugar to maple syrup. Oh, and the result was a bit salty, so I cut the tamari/soy sauce in half and added water in its place. I also doubled the recipe because COME ON…it’s delicious!

Our very good friends, Bob and Susan, came up to Sideways Cottage for a couple of days with their lovely daughter, Greer, and adorable grandson, Alfie, so I was eager to try out my new bowl on them! Susan declared it the best bowl she’s ever had! I felt meself chuffed (as my mother would say)!!

This lush meal comes together surprisingly quickly– a little over half an hour–because you can make the tofu while the rice is cooking and the sauce while the tofu is airfrying. So here we go!

First off, start the coconut rice in the Instant Pot…

COCONUT YELLOW RICE

Place in Instant Pot:

• 1 cup basmati rice (white or brown, but white tastes a bit better)
• 1/3 cup shredded coconut
• 1 tsp sea salt

Blend in Vitamix:

• 1-inch chunk of fresh ginger
• 2-inch chunk of fresh turmeric
• 1 tsp Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Base
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 cup water

Pour into Instant Pot and stir. Set manually to 22 minutes. Do a quick release, fluff rice and cover for five minutes.

While the rice is cooking, make the tofu.

Hoisin Crispy Tofu

Press and cube:

• 1 lb. tofu

Toss the cubed tofu in:

• 2 TBS potato, tapioca, or corn starch
• 2 TBS soy sauce or tamari

Airfry coated tofu until slightly brown–about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, make the hoisin sauce:

Combine:

• 1/4 cup tamari or soy sauce
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1/2 cup hoisin sauce
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 TBS sambal oelek
• 1 TBS lemon juice
• 4 tsp maple syrup
• 1 large clove of garlic
• 1-inch chunk of fresh ginger

Blend all ingredients in the Magic Bullet or other small blender until super smooth. Pour contents of blender into a large saucepan and simmer until slightly thickened. Once the tofu is ready, removed from airfryer and toss into the hoisin sauce. Stir until all tofu is well coated with sauce and allow to simmer until sauce is thickened.

Serve the hoisin tofu and coconut rice with edamame, sliced avocado, a sprinkling of sesame seeds, and chopped cashews.

Bob is an encyclopedia of music and always has amazing suggestions for us. This time, he suggested Band of Horses, especially their newest album, Things are Great, so the song of the day is from that album: “Warning Signs”: