There’s nothing like crispy sesame tofu with wonderfully creamy tahini sauce served on a bed of rice! This Bianca Zapatka-inspired recipe is just that: Sesame Crusted Tofu with Broccoli and Tahini Sauce instantly became a favourite of ours! We are sure you’ll love it too!
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Recipe Inspiration
My best friend recommended a wonderful recipe for us to try, that she had found in a Vegan Food & Living Magazine. Bianca Zapatka’s recipe for Crispy Tofu with Tahini and Peanut Sauce sounded insanely good and we couldn’t resist trying it!
Over the months, we made it numerous times, and the crispy sesame tofu recipe somewhat evolved and flexed to suit our individual tastes and the ingredients that we always have in our cupboards!
We make our Tahini Tofu With Broccoli without peanut butter and added lime!
Tahini: A Wonderful Cupboard Ingredient
Tahini is one of my favourite ingredients to use in both savoury and sweet dishes. It is a wonderfully creamy sesame paste that tastes both bittersweet and savoury. Traditionally, heavily used in Persian and Middle Eastern cooking, Tahini has become popular around the world. Rightly so, it is extremely versatile and can be used in sauces for Asian Stir-fries, various grain bowls and salads, and delicious biscuits and milkshakes!
There are two main types of tahini widely available: made from hulled or unhulled sesame seeds. I personally prefer the unhulled type, it has a nuttier, slightly more bitter taste that lends itself better to savoury dishes. My favourite brand is the Organic Sunita Whole Tahini. However, light tahini paste features an extremely creamy and decadent texture, but a milder flavour. If you’re going for light tahini, we recommend Meridian Light Tahini Paste.
In this recipe, we paired tahini with lime, soy sauce, maple syrup and garlic to create a delectable tahini sauce for tofu. Sesame-crusted tofu with broccoli and tahini sauce is a winning combination!
How to Make Tofu Crispy?
First of all, choose firm or extra-firm tofu: it will have a denser texture and less moisture in it!
If you want your tofu crispy, you will need to press it first. Wrap in a clean tea towel and place something heavy on top: you can use a heavy pan, a chopping board with lots of cans on top or a bunch of books. Doing this ensures all extra liquid is pressed out. If you make tofu dishes a lot, there are lots of Tofu Presses out there that you may want to invest in!
We recommend pressing firm tofu for about 30 minutes before marinating or cooking.
Method: Sesame Tofu with Tahini Sauce
Step 1: Press and Marinade Tofu
Take your tofu out of the fridge and drain it long before you start cooking. We recommend pressing it for at least 30 minutes and then marinating it for at least 2 hours.
In the meantime, finely chop ginger and garlic. You may choose to grate it instead if you have one of these graters here.
Dice the tofu into cubes. Spread in a single layer in a large dish. In a small bowl, mix soy sauce, ginger and garlic. Pour the mixture over the tofu cubes, cover and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours (marinade for 8 hours for best results).
Step 2: Prepare the Tahini Sauce
Start by chopping or crushing the garlic clove. Then zest and juice the lime. Add tahini, maple syrup, soy sauce and water and mix well to combine. Add more water if your sauce is too thick.
Step 3: Cook the Tahini Tofu with Brocolli
Boil the rice following the instructions on the packet. We used simple basmati rice, but other types, including brown rice, work just as well.
Mix breadcrumbs and sesame seeds on a large plate. Then roll the tofu cubes in the mixture. Make sure you coat the tofu thoroughly. I like to lightly press the sesame crumbs down onto the cubes so they stay on better when being fried (lots will fall off though and will be used as a crumb for the top, so don’t worry if the mixture doesn’t stick too well).
Heat 3 tbs of vegetable oil in a large frying pan. When hot, add the sesame tofu cubes and turn them once in a while. Your tofu should be crispy and golden on all sides. It will take about 7-8 minutes.
Whilst your tofu is crisping up, break your broccoli into florets and add them to a large pan. Pour boiling water over and add a pinch of salt. Cook for 3-6 minutes (depending on the size of your florets). Your broccoli should start to soften but still retain some crunch.
Drain the broccoli. Heat 1 tablespoon of sesame oil in another frying pan. Tip the broccoli in and stir fry on high heat for 4-5 minutes to brown a little.
Divide rice between four bowls. Top with crispy sesame tofu and stir-fried broccoli. Drizzle the tahini sauce all over. Scatter some roasted peanuts, and crispy sesame crumbs left in the tofu pan and garnish with a wedge of lime!
Other Delicious Vegan Recipes
We hope you enjoyed our version of Tahini Tofu! For other vegan recipe ideas, have a look at our collection here, including:
Recipe Card
Sesame Tofu with Tahini Sauce
Ingredients
- 400 g firm tofu
- 3 tablespoon breadcrumbs
- 3 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 3 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 320 g rice
- 30 g roasted peanuts
For the Marinade:
- 2 garlic cloves
- 15 g ginger
- 4 tablespoon dark soy sauce
For Broccoli:
- 270 g broccoli
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
For Tahini Sauce:
- 1 lime
- 1 garlic clove
- 2 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 1½ tablespoon maple syrup or brown sugar
- 4 tablespoon tahini paste
- 4 tablespoon water
Instructions
Marinade Tofu:
- Take your tofu out of the fridge and drain it. Wrap it in a tea towel and put a heavy weight (we used a heavy pan) on top to remove any excess moisture. Leave it to drain for approx. 30 minutes.
- Dice the tofu into cubes. Spread in a single layer in a large dish. In a small bowl, mix soy sauce, ginger and garlic. Pour the mixture over the tofu cubes, cover and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours (marinade for 8 hours for best results).
Prepare the Sauce:
- Mix all the sauce ingredients together. Add more water if your sauce is too thick.
Make the Sesame Tofu with Rice & Brocolli:
- Boil the rice following instructions on the packet.
- Mix breadcrumbs and sesame seeds on a large plate. Then roll the tofu cubes in the mixture. Make sure you coat the tofu thoroughly.
- Heat 3 tbs of vegetable oil in a large frying pan. When hot, add the sesame tofu cubes and fry, turning them once in a while. Your tofu should be crispy and golden. It will take about 7-8 minutes.
- Whilst your tofu is crisping up, parboil broccoli. Pour boiling water over the broccoli florets and add a pinch of salt. Cook for 3-6 minutes (depending on the size of your florets). Your broccoli should start to soften but still retain some crunch.
- Drain the broccoli. Heat 1 tablespoon of sesame oil in another frying pan. Tip the broccoli in and stir fry on high heat for 4-5 minutes to brown a little.
- Divide rice between four bowls. Top with crispy sesame tofu and stir-fried broccoli. Drizzle the tahini sauce all over. Scatter some roasted peanuts, any crispy sesame crumbs left in the tofu pan and garnish with a wedge of lime!
Notes
Nutrition
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