Wine drunk tofu with sweet sour vegetables

Tofu is a regular feature in our meals...but i usually buy the readymade baked tofu...and use the extra firm tofu that is water packed just for baking or scramble. But, i have been lazy to go and do grocery shopping..to be honest a little scared, as i seem to spend lots and hoard stuff like crazy..the minute i step in whole foods...buying everything in sight! that store does it to me..i wanted to practice restraint ( yeah...just practice..it is very very hard!!). I decided to do the tofu baking myself and this way i control the ingredients.

The baking process is very simple...but the important part is flavor. You must like the way the marinade tastes to enjoy the final product. So, here goes my recipe..as usual everything can be substited.

Ingredients:

Marinade

red wine -1/4 cup (i used cabernet sauvignon)
olive oil -2 tbls
hoisin sauce - 1 tbls
crushed red chilly flakes - 1 tbls
salt -1 tsp

Other

vegetables - 2 cups (i used brocolli,carrots,snow peas,sugarsnap peas,corn)
brown sugar - 1 tbls
rice wine vinegar - 1 tsp.(optional)
peanuts - 2 tbls (toasted)
almonds- 2 tbls
raisins - 1/4 cup
sesame seeds - 1 tbls (toasted)
green Chilly sauce - 1 tbls
red chilly sauce -1 tbls
sunflower oil - 1 tbls
salt - 1/2 tsp.

Method:

1. Drain the tofu over a few paper towels and place a heavy book on it. Let the tofu remain this way for 30 minutes.

2. Prepare the marinade by mixing all the marinade ingredients together and keep aside.

3. After the tofu has been drained for 30 minutes, slice the tofu into pcs and place it in a baking dish in one layer and pour the marinade over the tofu. Let the tofu stay in the marinade for 1 hour.

4. Preheat the oven to 400F and bake the tofu for 30 minutes ( close the dish with an alluminium foil). After the 30 minutes are done, flip the tofu and bake for 20 minutes more without the foil. Baked tofu is ready people!!

5. In a large wok, heat 1 tbls of oil, when it starts to smoke add the veggies and 1/2 tsp. of salt and the brown sugar. If you feel the veggies are getting too dry, you can add the marinade on it to go along.

6. When the veggies are cooked, but have a crunch to them, add the peanuts,raisins,almonds,sesame seeds, green chilly and red chilly sauce and coat the veggies well.

7. Serve this on a bowl and top it with tofu pcs. Do eat the veggies hot..as they become limp when cold..and they do not taste good.

This dish has grapes fermented in form of red wine and also 1/4 cup of raisins so it is going to Swapna of Swad who is hosting AFAM and the theme is grapes.



Notes:

1. All the tofu draining and marination can be done a day earlier. If you do not have the time for allowing to marinate..it is ok..you can bake it the minute you add the marinade to the tofu.

2. Please use the wine you would drink for the marinating the tofu.You can use white wine or altogeher skip this and add more soy sauce instead.

2. Extra tofu pcs. can be stored in ziplocks, but be consumed in a few days. You can also freeze the tofu and thaw it when you want.