Golden Sesame Tofu

Have you ever tried the golden sesame tofu from Whole Foods? Yum. Here is a copycat recipe that may even be better. The secret here is the cornstarch, it gives the tofu its chewy coating, but you have to sprinkle it over the tofu evenly and with a light hand; otherwise it’ll get gloppy(using a wire mesh works well). You’ll find toasted sesame oil and mirin(or you can sub rice wine vinegar) in the Asian sections of well-stocked supermarkets. Adapted from Dianacooks. Thanks Diana!

• Ready In: 30 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1⁄4 cup  raw sesame seeds
• 14  ounces extra firm tofu
• 1⁄4 cup cornstarch
•  canola oil or   peanut oil, for frying

• For sauce

• 2  tablespoons  agave nectar (for vegans) or 2  tablespoons honey
• 3  tablespoons soy sauce
• 2  teaspoons  minced  fresh gingerroot
• 2  teaspoons  toasted sesame oil
• 2  tablespoons mirin (Japanese sweet cooking wine-or use rice wine vinegar)
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 1 -2  tablespoon  chopped scallion
•  crushed red pepper flakes, to sprinkle over top

Directions

1. Heat a fry pan over medium-high heat. Add sesame seeds and toast until golden and fragrant, stirring frequently. Remove pan from heat and place sesame seeds in small bowl to cool.
2. Remove tofu from package and drain. Press the tofu gently between the palms of your hands to squeeze out water, then wrap the tofu in paper towels, place it on a plate, then put a another plate on top of it. Place a 28-oz. can of tomatoes or a cast iron fry pan on the plate. This will press out any remaining water from the tofu. Let sit for about 20 minutes.
3. Unwrap the tofu and slice into eight rectangular slices. To make even slices, slice the block of tofu in half, then half each half, and then half each quarter. Then dust the slices with tofu evenly with cornstarch on all sides.
4. Heat about 2 tablespoons of oil in fry pan over medium high heat. Add the tofu slices, but don’t crowd the pan. You might have to fry in batches. Fry until the tofu is a light golden color, approximately 2 minutes, then turn the tofu over to cook another 2 minutes on the other side. Remove to drain on paper towels. If frying in batches, add more oil to the pan. It's normal for the tofu to splatter, so wear an apron if you don’t want to ruin your clothes.
5. While the tofu is frying, stir together the agave nectar or honey, soy sauce, gingerroot, sesame oil, mirin(or rice wine vinegar) and garlic together in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook until slightly syrupy, about 5 minutes or so. Add chopped scallions and toss lightly. Remove from heat and set aside.
6. Place tofu in glass bowl to hold. Pour sauce over tofu and turn to coat. Sprinkle tofu with toasted sesame seeds and turn again to coat. Season with crushed red chili flakes.
7. Can be served warm or chilled. Will keep for about 5 days refrigerated.
8. Enjoy!
9. Note:
10. I had accidently bought cubed tofu, so used that, and it turned out great! This would be wonderful in a stir fry or used as "chicken" in a recipe. I couldn't get mirin, so used rice wine vinegar.