North Vietnamese Tofu Brochettes

The health benefits of soy are well documented. The latest Vegetarian Times says that women who include soy in their diets are less likely to develop breast cancer, and might reduce the risk of fibroids. The weaker phytoestrogens in soy compete with the harmful estrogen in a woman’s body, effectively blocking the “docking” of these estrogens that can lead to cancer.

So why not throw some tofu on the barbie? This recipe for North Vietnamese tofu brochettes originally included fish, but as I’ve often said, anything you can do with fish, I can do with tofu. The basting sauce, made with dill and green onions, was delicious, just the thing for a warm spring day.

While the tofu is marinating, I highly recommend taking a 6 mile hike, to increase your health benefits even more.

I served this with saffron rice and stir fried green beans with hoisin sauce and almonds. Peek below to find out how to make North Vietnamese Tofu Brochettes.

North Vietnamese Tofu Brochettes

1 lb firm tofu, cubed into 1 inch pieces
1 onion, grated
2 garlic cloves, minced
1-inch piece ginger, minced
1 red chile pepper, minced
1 teaspoon turmeric
3 tablespoons canola oil
3 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
2 tablespoons mirin (rice wine)

Basting sauce:
3 tablespoons canola oil (ior other vegetable oil)
4 scallions (green onions), chopped
½ bunch fresh dill, chopped

salt
pepper
¼ cup peanuts, toasted and crushed
lime wedges

10 or so bamboo skewers

Combine the grated onion, garlic, ginger and chile in a bowl. Add the turmeric, three tablespoons of the oil, the tamari/soy sauce, and the mirin. Stir to combine, then add the torfu. Marinate in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours or overnight.

To make the basting sauce, heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a sauce pan, and add the scallions and dill. Saute for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Soak the bamboo skewers in water for 30 minutes. (This helps them avoid scorching.) Heat your barbecue grill, and while it’s getting warm, prepare the brochettes:

Add the tofu to the skewers, about 3 pieces to each skewer (unless you are using short cocktail skewers, then you could put on one each skewer.) Season with salt and black pepper.

Grill the brochettes on the grikll for 5-7 minutes on each side, basting with the basting sauce. Remove to a platter, scatter the peanuts on top and serve with lime wedges.

Comments

[Hannah]

That's a very nice picture, even if the tofu does look dark and brooding.

[KathyF]

Yes, I should have tried to lighten it up.