Vegan Persian To-Fish

Vegan Persian To-Fish

Recipe credit: https://www.theiranianvegan.com/recipes/vegan-persian-to-fish-the-best-tofu-fish-recipe

Fair warnings

__From the ingredients: “450g extra firm tofu”.

From the instructions: “Slice the block of tofu into 4 pieces lengthways. Each piece should be at least an inch thick.”

I do not believe that this is possible, because the 450g block of tofu would have to be at least 4 inch (10.1 cm) thick after pressing.

So make sure that you end up with 4 x 1 inch thick tofu cuts. My block of 500g tofu (see photos) went from 6cm thick to 3cm thick after pressing. 3cm === 1.18 inch.

I wish that I had started with half the vinegar and half the lemon in the marinade. And then tasted. I found the acidity of the marinade to be quite high. It mellowed out over the 24 hours though.

The amount of sesame oil seems high. But this marinade needs it. And do fry it in sesame oil. I even sprayed some sesame oil on the fried tofu while eating.

Watch the temp when frying. And I fried all sides of the block of tofu.

I marinated the tofu (cut side down) for 24+ hours in the fridge. Basting every few hours.__

Course: Main Course
Prep Time: 24 hours
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 24 hours
Servings: 4 pieces (for 3-4 people)

INGREDIENTS

Marinade:
– 6 garlic cloves, minced
– 5 tbsp white wine vinegar
– 2 tbsp soy sauce
– 2 tsp of salt
– 1 tsp black pepper
– The juice of 1 lemon
– 1 tbsp grated ginger
– 1 full tbsp miso paste
– 2 sushi nori seaweed sheets, ripped into small pieces
– 1/2 cup of hot water
– 6 tbsp toasted sesame oil
Other:
– Sesame oil for frying
– 450g extra firm tofu (for 4 pieces)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Press your tofu beforehand if the tofu is unpressed. This will allow it to absorb more flavour.2. Slice the block of tofu into 4 pieces lengthways. Each piece should be at least an inch thick.3. Now, with a sharp knife slice diagonally across the piece of tofu, slice most of the way down but do not cut down all the way to the bottom. Leave around a centimetre space between your incision and the bottom. Make the incisions as close together as possible. Repeat for all the pieces.4. In a food processor, add all of the marinade ingredients together and blitz. You should be left with a liquid, green marinade.5. Place the tofu pieces in a container/tupperware with the sliced side facing up (you may also use a plastic bag but I prefer a container as these pieces are delicate due to the way they have been cut). Fill the container/s with the marinade evenly.6. Leave to rest for at least 24 hours in the fridge. Leaving it for longer is even better – I like to leave mine for up to 48 hours as tofu takes longer to truly absorb flavour.7. 15 minutes before you are ready to serve, heat some sesame oil into a non-stick saucepan to reach around 1cm in height. When the oil is hot, add the tofu pieces. Don't scrape off all of the marinade – fry it with the tofu. Fry the sliced side first, as this will cause it to harden and be less delicate. 8. Fry for 5-10 minutes on either side on medium heat until well browned, golden, and crispy on each side.9. Serve by squeezing over it the juice of a lemon wedge, accompanied by sabzi polo (green garlic herb rice) or any other side your heart desires.10. Enjoy!

NOTES

• Flipping these delicate pieces when frying is difficult, try using two flat cooking spoons to manoeuvre them gently.
• This recipe makes 4 pieces, although I would say one individual could eat 2 pieces for themselves.