Tofu Lettuce Wraps

Ok, quick post on my absolute favorite meal right now. My mom made it for us last Thursday and we’ve recreated it twice since then. They’re kind of like the lettuce wrap appetizers at P.F. Changs, if you’ve ever had them. I’m really particular with my tofu, not a real big fan of the way most tofu recipes prepare it. It’s usually all too soggy for me. That’s why we always throw our tofu in the freezer as soon as we bring it home from the grocery store. After it’s defrosted and cooked, previously frozen tofu has a much thicker, “meatier” consistency. Ok, here we go with my mother’s amazing recipe…

1. Start with two blocks of previously frozen tofu that has defrosted in the fridge. If you’re pressed for time, you could always defrost in the microwave but that takes forever and the idea of our food being microwaved for 10+ minutes kinda gives me the heebie-jeebies. Squeeze all the liquid you can out of the defrosted cube of tofu and then squeeze some more. You want this sucker to be really dry! Cut into extremely small cubes.

2. Start with a couple tablespoons of canola oil in a wok or large pan. Pan fry all your tofu for about 10 minute until the edges start to brown. Meanwhile, finely cube half an onion and half a bell pepper. Check on your tofu, add a bit more oil if you want the tofu a little crispier. When tofu is to your liking, add diced bell pepper and onion. Cook for a few minutes to soften.

3. Start seasoning. I used mostly low sodium soy sauce, some liquid smoke and a little bit of no salt seasonings but you can really add any other spices you want. You’re going to want to add it bit of everything and then taste a tofu cube and then probably add more. This is a lot of tofu and since it has no real flavor of it’s own, you’re going to feel like you’ve added a ridiculous amount of seasonings.

4. When you’re happy with your seasoned tofu, chop up a handful of cilantro and stir into mixture. Remove from heat.

5. Serve with iceberg lettuce slices, crispy asian noodles, lime wedges and one of my favorite things ever, sriracha sauce. Go easy on that sauce, though. It sure does open up those sinuses!