{"id":738,"date":"2020-02-21T22:22:11","date_gmt":"2020-02-21T22:22:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/recipesmomy.com\/?p=738"},"modified":"2020-02-21T22:22:13","modified_gmt":"2020-02-21T22:22:13","slug":"jerk-tofu-wrapped-in-collard-leaves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/recipesmomy.com\/?p=738","title":{"rendered":"Jerk tofu wrapped in collard leaves"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The method of cooking fish in banana leaves inspired this recipe. Banana leaves play the dual role of imparting a floral, sweet, and grassy flavor to the fish as well as keeping it moist. In this recipe, I am more interested in highlighting the slightly bitter-earthy taste and the chewy texture of the collard leaves themselves, along with the tofu that has been soaked in a Jamaican-inspired marinade. Check the technique: After removing the fibrous stems from the collards, I blanch the leaves to soften them a bit. After that, I wrap the leaves around the marinated tofu, adding a sprinkle of crispy garlic before closing it up. Next, I sear the collard packets in a little peanut oil, then serve them over cilantro sauce with a garnish of cilantro leaves and crushed peanuts. If you are having any doubts about the awesomeness of this dish, I will share a quote from Kate Williams, the recipe tester for this book: \u201cMy tofu-hating husband loved this, so that\u2019s really saying something!\u201d Use a quality extra-firm tofu like Nasoya. This dish is best eaten with a fork and knife.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ingredients:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

2 (14- to 16-ounce) blocks extra-firm tofu, pressed and patted dry<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2 cups Jerk Marinade<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons fine sea salt, plus more as needed<\/p>\n\n\n\n

16 large collard leaves, tough part of the stem removed<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1 cup arrowroot powder<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peanut oil, for frying<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00bc cup Garlic Chips <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cilantro Sauce <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cilantro leaves, for garnish<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crushed peanuts, for garnish<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Directions<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Place one block of the tofu on a cutting board. Cut it in half horizontally, then cut vertically down the center to yield four pieces. Repeat with the second block of tofu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pour the marinade into a large baking dish, adding just enough water to ensure that it is runny, if necessary. Place the tofu in the marinade in one even layer. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight, flipping the tofu every 30 minutes for the first 2 hours. Remove the tofu from the marinade, scrape off any excess, and transfer to a large plate. Strain the marinade through a fine-mesh sieve and set aside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a large pot, bring 2 quarts water to a boil over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the salt. Blanch the collard leaves, one at a time, for 30 seconds each, then lay them flat on clean kitchen towels to dry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Combine the arrowroot and the remaining 2 teaspoons salt in a pie plate. Mix well. Coat each side of the tofu pieces with the arrowroot, shake off any excess arrowroot, and transfer them to a second large plate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lightly coat the bottom of a large cast-iron skillet with peanut oil and heat over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add half the tofu and fry until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Gently flip each piece with a spatula and fry until golden brown on the second side. Lightly sprinkle both sides of the tofu with salt and transfer to a rack. Repeat to fry the remaining tofu. Wipe the skillet clean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On a clean work surface, arrange two collard leaves lengthwise, overlapping each other by an inch or so, and place one piece of tofu in the center of the leaves. Smear 2 heaping tablespoons of the reserved marinade on top of the tofu, sprinkle a heaping teaspoon of garlic chips on top of the tofu, then fold the leaves around the tofu to create a packet. Repeat with the remaining collard leaves and tofu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the same skillet, warm 2 tablespoons peanut oil over medium-high heat, tilting the pan to coat it evenly with the oil. Place the packets in the skillet, folded-side up, and cook for about 1 minute. Gently flip each packet with a spatula, cover the skillet with a lid or some aluminum foil, and cook for about 5 minutes to warm through.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To serve, spread some cilantro sauce over four plates and place two of the tofu packets on each plate. Garnish with cilantro leaves and peanuts and serve.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The method of cooking fish in banana leaves inspired this recipe. Banana leaves play the dual role of imparting a floral, sweet, and grassy flavor to the fish as well as keeping it moist. In this recipe, I am more interested in highlighting the slightly bitter-earthy taste and the chewy texture of the collard leaves […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":739,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[14],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/recipesmomy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/738"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/recipesmomy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/recipesmomy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/recipesmomy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/recipesmomy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=738"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/recipesmomy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/738\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":740,"href":"https:\/\/recipesmomy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/738\/revisions\/740"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/recipesmomy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/739"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/recipesmomy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=738"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/recipesmomy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=738"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/recipesmomy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=738"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}