Indonesian Steamed Rice with Tofu.md

Indonesian Steamed Rice (Nasi Goreng) with Tofu

This is my twist on thevegetarianhannibal's recipe for Nasi Gorang, which is a sort of flavored, steamed dish of rice and veggies. I like this recipe because it has a fairly mild flavor, nothing too spicy or bold, but it still manages a to have a complex taste that'll leave you wanting more! I clarified/edited some parts of that recipe, and also added in some peppery pan-fried tofu that goes well with the salt-and-pepper flavor of the dish. It may not be super authentic but it sure does taste good!

Modified From:

thevegatarianhannibal's Nasi Goreng recipe

Tofu recipe from The Korean Vegan p. 243

Yield:

4-5 servings

Ingredients:

Tofu:

• 1 ~14oz block extra-firm tofu
• 1/2 cup potato starch
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• neutral oil for frying (e.g. peanut or grapeseed)

Steamed Rice:

• 1 cup uncooked rice. I recommend parboiled rice for this, but white rice will also work.
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small yellow or purple onion, chopped
• ~1.5 cups cooked corn (canned works well)
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 medium broccoli flower, chopped, or ~2 cups broccoli florets
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 10 g ginger, minced (~4 tsp once minced)
• 1/2 cup vegetable broth
• 2 tsp sumac

Seasonings:

• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp black pepper (can use pre-ground pepper)
• 1 tsp (non-smoked) paprika
• 1 tsp turmeric

Directions:

First, we need to start some long-running things. Place the tofu block in a tofu press and press out water for ~10 min. If you don't have a tofu press, no problem, just put the tofu on a plate, cover the top with a paper towel, and stack some books or other heavy objects on top. Begin cooking the rice according to its package directions.

Now it's time to prep. Chop up the onions into one prep bowl. Chop the broccoli and red pepper into another bowl, and then drain the cooked corn and add it to the same bowl. Mince the garlic and ginger into a third bowl. Measure and mix together the spices in the Seasonings section into a fourth bowl.

Next, we can prepare the tofu. First, begin preheating a large pan or wok over medium-high heat to fry the tofu. Then, place the dry ingredients under the Tofu section into a large bowl and mix them together. Next, chop the block up into bite-size cubes and drop them into the bowl with the starch. Mix well, until each cube is coated. Finally, pour 2tbsp of oil into the pan.

To fry the tofu, pour some of the cubes into the pan, but not so many cubes that they are pressed against each other (this will make them stick quite badly). If your pan is not large enough to fit all the tofu, you will have to do the following process in several batches.

Mix up the pan a bit so that the starch on each cube soaks up some oil. If all the oil in the pan gets soaked up, add more -- you want there to always be at least a bit of visible oil in the pan. Once mixed, let the tofu sit until the bottom of each cube is browned; this took around 3.5 minutes for me. Then, mix the pan up so that a different side of each cube is touching the bottom. Let it sit for the same time, then mix and let sit for a bit less time, maybe 2 minutes. After the third cycle, remove from the pan and transfer to a plate covered with a paper towel.

Now, you can start cooking the steamed veggies. This can also be done in parallel with the tofu, if you think you can handle managing both pans at once. Heat a large pan or wok over medium-high heat and pour in the olive oil. Once the pan is hot, saute the onions for 4-5 minutes to soften them.

Next, add garlic and ginger to a clear spot on the pan, along with some additional oil. Let them cook for 30-60 sec, until fragrant.

Then, add in the veggies and the mixed spices. Cook on high with the lid on for 4-6 min, stirring frequently, until the broccoli pieces begin to soften. Remove the lid, add the vegetable broth, and cook for another few minutes until the broccoli pieces are soft enough to eat.

Finally, add the cooked rice and sumac and cook for a few minutes more. If you want more of a fried rice, you can cook for longer until the rice starts to brown. Or, if you're more of a steamed rice fan, you can just cook it enough to get the rice hot and have it absorb some spices.

Now, turn off the heat and add the tofu on top. We don't want to get the tofu wet and make it lose its crunch, so serve the dish without mixing it further.