SESAME BROCCOLI AND TOFU
WITH BUTTERBEANS
© Recipe excerpted from TENDERHEART By Hetty Lui McKinnon, 2023 Knopf Doubleday. No part of this recipe or image may be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher.
Serves 4
1-pound (450 g) block of medium-firm tofu
1 large head of broccoli (about 1 lb/450 g), cut into florets, stem peeled and cut into discs a scant ¼ inch (5 mm) thick
1 garlic clove, grated
1 cup (250 g) cooked butter beans (about one 15 oz/425g can, drained)
2 teaspoons sea salt
¼ teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon rayu (Japanese sesame chili oil) or 14-½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
2-3 tablespoons toasted white sesame seeds
2 green onions, finely chopped
Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil and season well with salt (taste it—it should taste salty, but not as salty as sea water). Add the whole block of tofu and let it simmer over medium heat for 3-4 minutes, until softened. Remove the tofu with a large slotted spoon (I like to use a traditional Chinese spider ladle) and drain in a colander.
To the same pan of water, add the broccoli and simmer for 3-4 minutes, until the broccoli is just tender, but still a little crisp and bright green. Drain immediately and run under cold water until completely cool to stop it from cooking further (alternatively, you could plunge the drained broccoli into an ice bath). Drain again.
Place the block of tofu in a large bowl and gently squeeze with your hands to break it up into rough chunks (it doesn't have to be uniform at all). Squeeze out any excess liquid from the broccoli florets and stem and add these to the bowl as well. Add the garlic, butter beans, sea salt, white pep-per, rayu oil or red pepper flakes, sesame oil, sesame seeds and green onion and, using a large spoon (or your hands), toss well to ensure that everything is com-bined. Serve immediately.
Leftovers: Use any leftovers for fried rice. Leftovers can be kept in the fridge for up to 3 days.