Brasserie Blanc

Vegan Tofu with apple puree, watercress and fennel salad recipe

For the dressing/marinade:
60ml reduced salt soy sauce
½ small onion, peeled and roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and grated
Knob of ginger, peeled and grated
1-2 red chillis, stalk and seeds removed
1 Kiwi, peeled and cored
1 Conference pear, peeled and cored
2 tbsp dark muscovado sugar
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
Pinch of chilli flakes
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
½ tsp salt
1 x 280g pack extra firm tofu
For the braised fennel :
2 fennel bulbs, trimmed and halved lengthways without removing the base/root
2 tbsp olive oil
1 banana shallot, finely diced
1 cloves of garlic, peeled and grated
Finely grated zest of 1 orange
1 star anise
1 cardamom pod
¼ tsp fennel seeds
Salt and pepper
To serve:
150g good quality apple sauce
1 fennel, peeled into long, thin strips with a veg peeler
1 Braeburn apple, cored and cut into matchsticks
1 bag of watercress

Vegan Tofu with apple puree, watercress and fennel salad recipe

Give this tofu dish a go at home and impress all of your vegan guests. Full of flavour & texture, this is the perfect dinner party dish.

Method
  1. Take the tofu out of the packet and drain off the liquid. Pat dry with kitchen paper and slice into 12 strips. Place in a container and set aside.
  2. To make the dressing, put all the ingredients in a food processor or liquidizer and blitz together.
  3. Cover the tofu with the marinade and leave to infuse overnight or for a minimum of 4 hours.
  4. To braise the fennel, heat the oil over a medium-high heat in a pan (it needs to have a lid and be large enough to fit the fennel halves in a single layer, with liquid) and add the fennel halves, cooking for 2-3 mins on each side until golden. Remove from the pan onto a plate and reduce the heat to low.
  5. Tip the shallots in to the pan and sweat for 4 mins or until soft and translucent but without colour (you may need to add more oil). Add the garlic and fry for a further minute then add the rest of the ingredients and 200ml of water. Bring to a simmer then return the fennel to the pan, put the lid on and simmer for 15 mins, or until tender. Keep warm.
  6. Remove the tofu from the marinade (reserving the excess marinade for later) and drain the slices well on kitchen paper. Scrape off any bits stuck to the tofu. Season the slices with salt.
  7. Put a non-stick frying pan on a high heat and sear the tofu slices for 2-3 mins on each side until golden.
  8. To serve, spoon the apple sauce on one side of the plate and sit the braised fennel on top. Place 3 slices of tofu on the other side of the plate and drizzle with some of the reserved dressing. Place the raw fennel and apple into between the tofu slices. Garnish with watercress.
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