Espresso Tales: Sesame Crusted Tofu with Nick Sawle

RECIPE: SESAME CRUSTED TOFU

A few weeks back we met Nick Sawle the new Executive Chef at Servery and Spoon. This week Nick shares one of his recipes from the Servery and Spoon menu with us.

INTRODUCTION

This dish came from sitting at a Japanese restaurant one evening and having some agedashi tofu and thinking, “this could work as a breakfast dish”. So I came into the café one morning added the poached egg, some sesame spinach, and a few pickley bits to see if it worked. It did, and has proven to be a popular addition to out breakfast menu.

INGREDIENTS

Sesame Crust for Tofu

100gm rice flour

2tbsp black sesame seed
2tbsp sesame seed
1 tsp salt
1tsp pepper

Dashi Broth

750 mls water
1 sachets bonito flavoured stock powder
1 tbsp sweet white miso paste
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp dried wakame

Other ingredients

700gm block of firm tofu cut into approx 6 pieces
150gms spinach
50ml Goma sesame paste
2tsp white sesame seeds
2tsp black sesame seeds
Pickled ginger
Pickled daikon
3 Eggs

METHOD

Broth

Bring water to the boil, add bonito powder, miso paste and soy sauce, simmer for approxiamately 15 mins, then set aside.

Tofu flour

Mix rice flour with sesame seeds, salt and pepper, and set aside

Sesame spinach

Heat a medium sized pan over high heat, add a drizzle of peanut or vegetable oil (not olive) and when hot add spinach and sautee until just wilted. Drain well on a chux cloth or a tea towel and squeeze until almost all the moisture is gone. Place into a bowl and add sesame paste and sesame seeds. Toss well to combine

To serve

Bring broth back to the boil and add wakame.
Coat the tofu really well in rice flour mix and deep fry at 180 degrees until it is golden, crispy and rises to the surface.
Poach egg in simmering water until white is just cooked (approx 2min45secs)
Place tofu in the bottom of bowl, place sesame spinach on top, pour the broth around the bottom of the bowl to surround tofu. Place egg on top of sesame spinach then garnish with some julienned pickled ginger and daikon, some finely sliced spring onion, chilli and black and white sesame seeds.