Savory Banana Tofu for One

You know that tofu has very little flavor on its own, right? This is going to sound crazy, but if you put savory flavors with the gentle and creamy sweetness of a banana, you really have something. You can buy plum sauce in the Asian section of most grocery stores, but try making your own: Plum Sauce while plums are in season.

7-ounces of firm tofu (about half a block)

2/3 of one very ripe banana

2 TBLSP dry white wine

1 clove garlic (more if you’re brave)

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

¼ teaspoon garum masala (or curry powder)

Salt to taste

½ TBSP peanut butter

½ TBSP plum sauce

2 ½ teaspoons vegan sour cream

2 TBSP water

1. Slice the tofu so that you have two long slabs about 1-inch high each. Press them between two plates (put a can or more plates on top of the stack) for about 15 minutes to reduce the amount of water in there.
2. Meanwhile, heat your waffle iron (yes, your waffle iron) and spray it well with cooking spray. Cook the tofu in there until it’s slightly golden and quite firm to the touch. Slice it into bite-sized pieces and set it aside.
3. In a food processor, whirl the banana, white wine, garlic, pepper, garum masala, and salt until it’s fairly smooth. Add the peanut butter, plum sauce, and sour cream and whirl again. Don’t taste it. It’s pretty weird at this point. Don’t worry. Cooking changes everything.
4. Empty the sauce into a skillet large enough to hold the tofu (don’t put the tofu in yet, though). Add the water to the empty food processor, and whirl just enough to clean the remaining bits out of it. Add that to the pan. Heat it through. It doesn’t need to be sizzling or boiling. Just hot.
5. Plop the tofu pieces into the sauce and heat until just cooked through. It’ll only take five or so minutes.

Serve over rice or pasta. I like it with some fresh sprouts or other greenery, but you play around, see what suits you best.