Tofu Cuon

Grilled + marinated tofu, rolled up and dipped into hoisin goodness! You’ll need:

Grilled tofu

Romaine lettuce, cut or ripped into about 4 inch long pieces

Cucumber

Rice paper

Somen noodles

Bean sprouts (optional)

Shredded carrots (optional)

Hoisin dipping sauce 

Grilled tofu

Zest of 1 orange

1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice

1/4 cup rice vinegar

2 tspns sesame oil

1/2 tspn soy sauce

1 tspn sugar

1 in. piece of fresh ginger, grated

1 minced garlic clove

1 tspn chili garlic sauce (look for a plastic jar that looks like it’s made from the brand that makes Siracha — in Vietnamese it’s called “tuong ot”)

1 block extra firm tofu 

Cut the tofu into 1/2 inch slabs and place on some paper towels. Place more paper towels over the tofu and put something heavy (look a heavy wooden cutting board) on top of the tofu. Press for about 15 minutes and throw away the paper towels.

Mix the rest of the ingredients together. Marinate the tofu in this mixture for at least 20 minutes. Heat a nonstick grill pan. Grill the tofu for about 3 minutes per side. Slice each slab in half lengthwise. 

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Hoisin Dipping Sauce

1 clove of garlic, minced

2 tspns. vegetable oil

1/4 cup hoisin sauce

1/2 cup water

1 tbspn. peanut butter (smooth or chunky, it doesn’t matter)

Chili garlic sauce, to taste

Heat up the vegetable oil in a saucepan. Add the minced garlic and sautee until translucent. Add the hoisin sauce and water and stir until well combined. Add the peanut butter and chili garlic sauce and stir. Let simmer for about 5 minutes. Add more peanut butter if you want a thicker sauce, add more water if you want it to be more watery.

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To make the rolls, dip the rice paper in a huge bowl of warm-almost boiling water. Place the rice paper on a flat dish. Lay out your ingredients at the end of the rice paper closest to you. I like this order: lettuce, cucumber, any other veggies, a small amount of noodles, and lastly the tofu. Fold the two sides of rice paper toward the middle. Roll up and you’re ready to eat!

About 4 rolls per person makes a filling meal.  You can also eat these as appetizers.