Miso-glazed roast tofu and sweet potato

Name: Miso-glazed roast tofu and sweet potato
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: world favourites
Ingredients: 300 g Plain firm tofu (1 × 300 g pack of plain firm tofu, kosher pareve); 10 g Cornflour (1 tbsp, to make the tofu crisp); 600 g Sweet potatoes (2 medium sweet potatoes, whole weight; keep the skin on to roast); 300 g Broccoli (1 small head, preferably certified insect-free (ללא חרקים), cut into 3 cm florets with the stalk peeled and cut into batons; otherwise, soak the florets for 3 minutes in cold water with a few drops of washing-up liquid, rinse and check each floret); 25 g Sunflower oil, for frying or as a neutral oil (about 2½ tbsp: 10 g for the sweet potato, 10 g for the tofu and 5 g for the broccoli; use a neutral oil for roasting, as olive oil would mask the miso); 2 g Fine salt (2 pinches: 1 g on the sweet potato and 1 g on the broccoli); 50 g Plain miso, kosher pareve (2½ level tbsp mild white miso, or half white and half red, kosher pareve and without fish extract); 15 g Soya sauce (1 tbsp); 15 g Honey (1 level tbsp); 20 g Unseasoned kosher rice vinegar (4 tsp: 2 in the glaze and 2 added uncooked to finish); 15 g Fresh ginger (1 × 3 cm piece); 10 g Garlic (2 cloves); 1 g Chilli flakes (peperoncino) (½ tsp); 15 g Water (1 tbsp, to loosen the glaze); 10 g Toasted sesame oil (1 tbsp, added uncooked to finish); 10 g Sesame seeds (1 heaped tbsp); 40 g Spring onions (3 spring onions, white and green parts)

pareve main dish · world favourites · 2/5 · easy · 45 min, including 20 hands-on

Pressed tofu and sweet potato roasted in a very hot oven until golden at the edges, then coated in a bubbling, sticky glaze of miso, honey, ginger and garlic, with roasted broccoli, toasted sesame seeds and a final splash of rice vinegar to brighten everything.

Ingredients for two

300 g	Plain firm tofu 1 × 300 g pack of plain firm tofu, kosher pareve
10 g	Cornflour 1 tbsp, to make the tofu crisp
600 g	Sweet potatoes 2 medium sweet potatoes, whole weight; keep the skin on to roast
300 g	Broccoli 1 small head, preferably certified insect-free (ללא חרקים), cut into 3 cm florets with the stalk peeled and cut into batons; otherwise, soak the florets for 3 minutes in cold water with a few drops of washing-up liquid, rinse and check each floret
25 g	Sunflower oil, for frying or as a neutral oil about 2½ tbsp: 10 g for the sweet potato, 10 g for the tofu and 5 g for the broccoli; use a neutral oil for roasting, as olive oil would mask the miso
2 g	Fine salt 2 pinches: 1 g on the sweet potato and 1 g on the broccoli
50 g	Plain miso, kosher pareve 2½ level tbsp mild white miso, or half white and half red, kosher pareve and without fish extract
15 g	Soya sauce 1 tbsp
15 g	Honey 1 level tbsp
20 g	Unseasoned kosher rice vinegar 4 tsp: 2 in the glaze and 2 added uncooked to finish
15 g	Fresh ginger 1 × 3 cm piece
10 g	Garlic 2 cloves
1 g	Chilli flakes (peperoncino) ½ tsp
15 g	Water 1 tbsp, to loosen the glaze
10 g	Toasted sesame oil 1 tbsp, added uncooked to finish
10 g	Sesame seeds 1 heaped tbsp
40 g	Spring onions 3 spring onions, white and green parts

Method

Set the oven to 220°C fan, with one shelf in the upper third and another in the lower third. Press the tofu: place it between two folded clean tea towels on a board, top with another board and weigh down with a cast-iron frying pan or two tins. Leave for 15 minutes: it will release a generous splash of water and become firmer. Do not skip this step: wet tofu will not brown or hold the glaze.
While the tofu is being pressed, scrub the sweet potatoes under running water without peeling and cut into 2 cm cubes. Put on a baking tray lined with baking paper, add 10 g sunflower oil and 1 g salt, toss by hand, then spread in a single layer with space between the cubes. Put on the upper shelf as soon as the oven is hot, around the 10-minute mark.
Cut the pressed tofu into 2 cm cubes. Gently toss in the cornflour in a mixing bowl until no white traces remain, then add 10 g oil and turn to coat. Spread on a second tray lined with baking paper, leaving space between the cubes, and put on the lower shelf. In the same bowl, toss the broccoli, thoroughly drained and dried in a tea towel if it has been soaked, with the remaining oil (5 g) and 1 g salt; set aside.
Make the glaze in a bowl: peel the ginger with the back of a spoon and finely grate it, grate the garlic cloves, then add the miso, honey, soya sauce, chilli flakes, 2 tsp rice vinegar, reserving the other 2 tsp for the end, and 1 tbsp water. Mix with a fork to make a smooth, thick paste with no lumps of miso. Finely slice the spring onions, both white and green parts, into 3 mm rounds. Toast the sesame seeds in a small dry frying pan over a medium heat for 2–3 minutes, shaking the pan, until pale golden and nutty-smelling. Immediately tip onto a plate.
Once the sweet potato has roasted for 15 minutes, take out both trays and turn the cubes with a spatula: the sweet potato should be golden underneath and the tofu pale gold and dry on the surface. Distribute the broccoli in the empty spaces on both trays. Return to the oven for 7 minutes, swapping the upper and lower trays: the sweet potato should brown at the edges, the tofu should be golden on two sides and the tips of the broccoli should begin to char.
Spoon the glaze over the sweet potato and tofu, spread the remainder over the broccoli and toss on the trays to coat thoroughly. Return to the oven for 6–8 minutes, watching during the last 2 minutes as honey and miso burn quickly. It is ready when the glaze bubbles, shines and catches lightly at the edges without blackening, and the tip of a knife slides into the sweet potato without resistance. Out of the oven, drizzle with the sesame oil and remaining rice vinegar, stir while scraping any glaze stuck to the paper, divide between two plates, sprinkle with sesame seeds and spring onions and serve immediately: the tofu loses its crispness as it stands.

Variants and their steps remain below the recipe.

Lighter version

Sunflower oil, for frying or as a neutral oil : 15 g
Sesame seeds : 5 g
Sweet potatoes : 450 g
Broccoli : 450 g

In step 2, use only 5 g oil on the sweet potato; in step 3, use 5 g on the tofu and 5 g on the broccoli, rubbing it in well so every piece glistens.

In step 5, spread the broccoli over both trays in a single layer. If there is not enough space, put some on a separate small tray.

The same glaze, less oil on the trays and more broccoli in place of some of the sweet potato; the baking paper prevents sticking.

On your plate

Recipe

812 kcal · protein 36 g · carbs 79 g · fat 36 g

Quantities per person

150 g Plain firm tofu
5 g Cornflour
300 g Sweet potatoes
150 g Broccoli
12.5 g Sunflower oil, for frying or as a neutral oil
1 g Fine salt
25 g Plain miso, kosher pareve
7.5 g Soya sauce
7.5 g Honey
10 g Unseasoned kosher rice vinegar
7.5 g Fresh ginger
5 g Garlic
0.5 g Chilli flakes (peperoncino)
7.5 g Water
5 g Toasted sesame oil
5 g Sesame seeds
20 g Spring onions

Cooking tips

Pressing and cornflour are what make the tofu crisp: do not skip them. Leave space between the cubes on the trays; crowded together, they steam rather than brown. Taste a glazed cube as it comes out of the oven: if it needs salt, add a few drops of soya sauce, never fine salt. If using only red miso, which is saltier, omit the soya sauce. The sweet potato provides the starchy part of the meal. Eat leftovers cold for lunch the next day, over a bowl of rice with sliced cucumber.

Equipment : oven, 2 oven trays and baking paper, 2 tea towels, 2 boards and a weight (cast-iron frying pan or tins), knife and chopping board, mixing bowl, small bowl and fork, fine grater, spatula, small frying pan

A plant-based house recipe inspired by the miso glazes of Japanese home cooking, with miso, ginger and sesame, served with tray-roasted vegetables.

Miso-glazed roast tofu and sweet potato

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On your plate

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