Noor’s Black Lime Tofu from Ottolenghi, Flavour

Noor’s Black Lime Tofu recipe is taken from the taste sensation recipe book FLAVOUR by Ottolenghi. It is a celebration of vegetables and full of recipes that elevate humble ingredients like the carrot, mushroom or celeriac to show stopping centrepieces.  I made Noor’s Black Lime Tofu a couple of times during my Veganuary experiment and it is my favourite recipe that I made during the whole of Veganuary! The simple pickled red onion is a flavour game changer and I’m now a little bit obsessed with pickling! I served the Black Lime Tofu with Thai sticky rice for an extra decadent twist and a sprinkling of peanuts to add a little bit more crunch.

Serves 4 as a main Ingredients: 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar2 tsp caster sugar1 small red onion, thinly sliced into rounds on a mandolin, if you have one, or by hand (60g)600ml sunflower oil, for deep-frying2 blocks extra-firm tofu (560g), patted dry and cut into 2cm cubes2 tbsp cornflour2 onions (300g), roughly chopped6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped60ml olive oil2 tsp cumin seed, roughly crushed in a pestle and mortar2-3 dried black limes, blitzed in a spice grinder to get 2 tbsp (10g- use a food processor if you don’t have a grinder, and pass through a sieve)(if you can’t get any black limes, subsitute with 1tbsp lime juice and 1 tbsp lime zest)2 tbsp tomato paste20g parsley, roughly chopped250g baby spinachSalt and black pepper

Method: 

1. Put the vinegar, 1 teaspoon of sugar, the red onion and ¼ teaspoon of salt into a small bowl and mix well to combine. Set aside to pickle while you continue with the rest.
2. Heat the sunflower oil in a medium high-sided sauté pan on a medium-high heat. Toss the tofu in a bowl with the cornflour until well coated. Once hot, fry the tofu (in two batches) until crispy and lightly browned, about 6 minutes per batch, then transfer to a plate linef with kitchen paper and set aside.
3. While the tofu is frying, prepare the sauce. Put the onions and garlic into a food processor and pulse a few times until very finely minced but not pureéd. Put the olive oil into a large sauté pan on a medium-high heat. Add the onion mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add the cumin, black limes (or regular lime zest and juice) and tomato paste and cook for 1 minute more.  Add 400ml of water, the remaining 1 teaspoon of sugar, 1 ¼ teaspoon of salt and generous grind of black pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thick and rich. Add the crispy tofu, parsley, and another grind of black pepper and stir to coat. Add the spinach in increments, stirring until just wilted, about 3 minutes.
4. 4. To serve, transfer the mixture to a shallow serving platter and top with the pickled red ion (or serve straight from the pan).

And there you have it: the tangy taste sensation that is Noor’s Black Lime Tofu! Let me know if you try the recipe and how you like it! Find more vegan recipe inspiration in my Veganuary 2021 Roundup.