Sesame Tofu

I'm starting to see a pattern with how I prepare tofu. Tofu + sauce = dinner. However, there is a little more work involved with this once since I wanted to create a crispy coating around the tofu. I ate this dish at a restaurant recently and I wanted to see if I could mimic it. In my humble opinion, it turned out really well. And yeah, I'm a bad Asian since I used ketchup in the sauce again. Heh. I served it with some steamed veggies (green beans and baby corn) and brown rice.

1/2 cup cornstarch

1/2 cup wheat germ

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 15 ounce package extra-firm tofu, drained and pressed and cut into 1-inch cubes

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 green onions, trimmed and thinly sliced

1/3 cup ketchup

1/3 cup plum sauce

1/4 cup soy paste

1/2 tablespoon sesame oil

2 teaspoons sesame seeds

2 tablespoons water

In a food processor, pulse the cornstarch, wheat germ, 2 tablespoons of sesame seeds and salt together until smooth. Put this into a large Ziploc bag. Add the tofu cubes, close bag and shake until cubes are well coated. On medium-high heat, add enough oil in a large non-stick pan to cover the bottom. Fry the tofu until the sides are brown and crispy. Drain on a paper towel. In a medium bowl, whisk together the ketchup, plum sauce, soy paste, sesame oil, sesame seeds and water. Heat 1 tablespoon of fresh oil in the same pan (removing the old oil since it probably has chunks of burnt batter) on medium-high heat. Add the garlic and green onions and sauté until fragrant (about 2 minutes). Pour in the sauce and heat through until bubbling. Pour this prepared sauce over the fried tofu. Yield: 3-4 servings