After months and months of COVID-19 restrictions, California fully reopened today. It’s both exciting and unnerving. Despite being vaccinated, I’m not ready to hang out in crowds or wander maskless … just yet.
In fact, my friend and I headed to Napa County on Saturday and the place was hopping! We tried to get a table at Farmstead Restaurant and Coqueta NV, but others beat us to it. I wasn’t too disappointed: The preview of post-pandemic life was a shock to the system.
Fortunately, we had a good back-up plan: ordering tacos de pescado from La Calenda for the first time (five new destinations down, 27 to go) and a large bucket of fried chicken and rosé from Ad Hoc to enjoy in the comfort of an air-conditioned car. The ambiance wasn’t ideal, but the food was impeccable.
Following the afternoon of indulgence, I craved home cooking and prepared a big plate of honey walnut tofu with sesame roasted broccoli. Served with coconut rice, it’s a hearty and (somewhat) healthy meal. Just be warned: The candied walnuts are highly addictive.
Recipe adapted from Eat Cho Food.
- 1 pound broccoli, stems peeled and cut crosswise into ¼" pieces and florets cut into bite-size pieces
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¾ cup short-grain white rice
- 1 cup cold water
- ¾ cup full-fat coconut milk
- 1 cup walnuts
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons spicy honey, divided
- 2 teaspoons canola oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided, plus more, to taste
- ¼ cup Kewpie mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
- 1 16-oz. package firm tofu
- ½ cup sweet potato starch
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- Place broccoli on a baking sheet. Drizzle with oils; sprinkle on sesame seeds, salt and pepper; and toss to coat. Bake for 20 minutes or until broccoli is browned and fork tender.
- Soak rice in cold water for 30-45 minutes. Drain.
- In a medium sauce pan, combine the rice, water and coconut milk. Bring to a boil, cover and then reduce heat to low. Simmer until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender, about 30 minutes. Remove from heat; let stand, covered, for 5 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
- In a medium bowl, combine the walnuts, brown sugar, 2 teaspoons honey, canola oil and ½ teaspoon salt; toss to coat.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Pour the walnuts onto the parchment paper and spread in a single layer. Bake for 20 minutes, remove from the oven and stir gently; break up any large clumps. Bake for an additional 10 minutes and remove from the oven. Let the walnuts cool completely.
- In a medium bowl, combine the Kewpie mayonnaise, remaining 2 tablespoons honey, sesame seeds and a pinch of salt; whisk until smooth and set aside.
- Remove tofu from package, cut into small triangles and place on a double layer of paper towels. Place two more paper towels on top of tofu and gently press with a fry pan (or another weight) to remove excess liquid. Let stand for about 15 minutes.
- When you are ready to bake the tofu, increase oven temperature to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and coat with cooking spray.
- Lightly toss tofu in sweet potato starch, place in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet and coat with cooking spray. Season tofu with remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.
- Remove tofu from the oven and transfer to bowl with mayonnaise and honey mixture; toss to coat. Sprinkle on candied walnuts. Serve with sesame roasted broccoli and coconut rice.
