I live in a small one bedroom apartment full of light and wood and a spacious living area and a dining room (like a real adult!) and a very tiny kitchen. Let me repeat: A very tiny kitchen. I am continually in need of counter space, stuff is always falling down (while I was making these bowls, a whole cutting board of roasted peanuts fell flat on its face on the floor), and I had to convert an entire closet into a kitchen storage annex just to have enough room for my few appliances.
This is also the meal I returned to again and again when I was starting to feel better after being sick for several weeks. I was ready to venture past the realm of liquid food, but still needed something simple. It’s deeply nourishing—all those greens and sesame seeds provide a mega dosage of calcium and other essential minerals—and immune boosting by virtue of generous servings of fresh ginger and garlic.
I fancied it up a bit with Japanese seven spice—shichimi togarashi—a spice mix made from dried chilis, black and white sesame seeds, dried citrus peel, ginger, and a few other Japanese spices. If you can’t find it at a grocery or spice store nearby, trying blending your own or just add some sesame seeds, chili flakes, and dried ginger. Not quite seven spices, but it’ll do just fine, I promise.
I share this recipe with you because its one I love, it’s totally relatable, and it’s truly easy. My hope is that the recipes here on Kale & Caramel feel like putting on a big, comfy, cozy sweater that is, yes, beautiful and elegant, but also, ultimately, just easy. Something you want to put on every day.
I hope this is a recipe you’ll live in for a while.
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat oven to 400º.
- Drain tofu and cut into 2-inch long x ½-inch thick slabs. Lay evenly on a timed baking sheet, with ½-inch space between each piece.In a small bowl, mix soy sauce, ume plum vinegar, toasted sesame oil, and grated ginger until well combined. Pour over tofu, coating evenly so that the bottom of each piece also gets some marinade. Sprinkle with black sesame seeds, allowing them to cover both the top and the sides of each piece of tofu.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, checking at 25 to assess level of crispy brownness. Remove when desired level of crispy brownness has been reached!
- Once tofu is complete, make shichimi togarashi greens.
- Wash cooking greens and trim stems. Separate leaves from stems, if desired, though I like to eat the stems, too. Fold leaves in half and chop into small strips.
- In a large skillet or frying pan, melt coconut oil over medium flame. Add thinly sliced garlic, soy sauce, and 1 teaspoon of shichimi togarashi. Stir to incorporate and let garlic sauté a minute or two.
- When garlic is fragrant, add the chopped greens and stir in quickly as they steam and cook. They’ll decrease in volume quickly as they cook, so continue stirring to ensure an even cook. Cook another 2-3 minutes, until greens are bright green and tender. Remove from heat, and toss with remaining teaspoon of togarashi.
- Serve with crispy tofu, and top with chopped peanuts.
