Hearty Tofu-Veggie-Skewers with a Garlic-Turmeric-Dip (vegan)
(*ad: in cooperation with pandoo)
…Did someone say something about a barbecue??
The still lingering rumor that vegans can only eat side dishes and salads when it comes to barbecues will be proven wrong today! Also the assumption that tofu is boring and tasteless can be forgotten immediately please, thank you. The thing is, when it comes to tofu it’s basically all about the marinade (just like it is with meat too btw!). The tofu will soak up any sort of marinade it’s given and can therefore be made into, well, into everything you want to make out of it!
What we want to make out of it today are these hearty tofu-veggie-skewers! And because everything gets better with a little bit of sauce there’ll also be a garlic-turmeric-dip made out of soy yoghurt on the side.
…Marinated, grilled tofu cubes, sitting among little pieces of your favorite veggies, which can then be dipped into a fresh and creamy flavorful dip…
If that’s what side dishes are, then count me in.
now let’s get to the recipe:
Hearty Tofu-Veggie-Skewers with a
Garlic-Turmeric-Dip
Ingredients:
for the tofu-veggie-skewers:
200g natural firm tofu
2 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp soy sauce or tamari*
1 garlic clove
1 red chili pepper
1 1/2 tsp maple syrup
1 tsp lemon juice
a pinch of salt, pepper, paprika powder and ground turmeric
2 tbsp sesame seeds
some vegetables of your choice! (e.g. zucchini, bell pepper. eggplant, mushrooms, corncobs,..)
vegan feta cheese (optional)
for the garlic-turmeric-dip:
200g unsweetened soy yoghurt
50g vegan mayo
1 tsp tahini
1 tsp maple syrup
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp paprika powder
a pinch of pepper
1 tsp lemon juice
about 4-5 leaves of wild garlic*
Instructions:
Start by preparing the garlic-turmeric-dip. For that wash and finely chop the wild garlic leaves first, then combine remaining ingredients for the dip in a bowl and stir until you get to a homogenous, creamy consistency. Add the garlic pieces and place in the fridge until used.
For the tofu-veggie-skewers, start by pressing the tofu between two plates or cutting boards lined with some clean kitchen towels for about 10-20mins. Pat dry to remove as much excess liquid as possible.*
Chop garlic and chili pepper finely and combine with the olive oil, soy sauce, maple syrup, lemon juice, sesame seeds and spices. Stir up to a marinade and adjust with additional spices if you like.
Chop up the pressed tofu into cubes and add to the marinade. Let it soak in the fridge for about 30mins while stirring 1 or 2 times in between so that all of the tofu cubes are equally covered in the marinade.
Prepare your chosen veggies by washing and cutting them. If you’re also using vegan feta cheese, then chop that one into cubes as well.
After the tofu is done soaking, thread it onto skewers together with the vegetable pieces. Brush the remaining marinade over the finished skewers and and grill or pan-fry them for a few minutes until the tofu is slightly crispy on the outside and the veggies are tender. *
Serve your tofu-veggie-skewers together with the garlic-turmeric-dip, some toasted white bread or on top of a salad and enjoy!
Have fun barbecue-ing!
*Notes:
If you want to make this recipe gluten-free you can sub the regular soy sauce for tamari!
I was originally using wild garlic for this recipe but as the season for wild garlic is usually rather short you can easily sub the wild garlic for regular garlic and use for example fresh chives as decoration for the dip!
Pressing the tofu will help drain excess liquid and therefore make the tofu more firm, crispy and flavorful in the end. The less liquid remains inside the tofu, the more marinade it will be able to absorb. If you want even better results, you can also freeze the tofu before pressing as the freezing and defrosting process will drain even more liquid from the tofu!
If you don’t have skewers or don’t want to use them, you could also just pan-fry the marinated tofu and veggies together in some oil and serve it over some rice or potatoes!
Did you make this recipe?
leave a comment or tag me on Instagram @choartemi