Okay, truth be told, nothing tastes quite like steak, or chicken for that matter! But if you would like to cook up a quick and easy healthy alternative that comes pretty close to the meaty taste of steak, this recipe is for you! This tofu dish can be used in much the same way you would serve sliced steak; alongside broccoli or potatoes, or put on top of a salad, or used as the “meat” inside a taco. And how does only four ingredients sound when you have a busy night ahead? Even my dubious husband loved this recipe!
McEvoy Ranch's new Extra Virgin Cooking Olive Oil is the perfect oil to lightly fry up this tofu. Cooking the tofu on high heat, in this healthy olive oil, gives it a crispy outside, but the tofu stays soft and delicious inside. The steak “rub” seasoning is the secret magic to this dish.
INSTRUCTIONS
Preparation
Take the tofu out of the package and drain off all water. Take a clean cloth or dish towel and wrap it around the tofu, making a tight little package. You can place it on top of a few sheets of paper towel if you want to protect your counter - a lot of water will seep out of it!
Place a heavy flat object on top of your tofu/towel package to weigh it down (a cast iron skillet would be perfect). Be careful not to pile items on top that could topple over, as the tofu can sometimes lose water unevenly and get unbalanced.
- Let the tofu rest under the weight for about 30 minutes to dry it out.
- Unwrap the towel, and place it in a bowl or a container. Then, with a very sharp knife, gently slice the tofu (on the shorter side) making ½ to ¾ inch slices that resemble steak slices while still leaving it essentially in the same “brick shape”.
- Pour the soy sauce over the top of it, making sure some runs down in between your slices.
- Sprinkle your steak seasoning evenly on top of the tofu and put it in the refrigerator to let it soak up the soy sauce. An hour should be plenty of time. If you are super strapped for time, just start cooking it up!
Cooking
In a medium skillet, heat up 3 tablespoons of your McEvoy Ranch Extra Virgin Cooking Olive Oil on high heat (8 on a scale of 10). You want the oil sizzling hot but not quite smoking. Heat the oil for at least a minute. An easy test to see if the oil is hot enough is to quickly run your fingertips under water, then flick a tiny bit of water into the pan and if it sizzles it’s hot enough. If not, wait and try again in 30 seconds.
- Add the tofu slices one at a time, into the pan using tongs, and set the timer for 5 minutes.
- When the timer dings, flip each piece of tofu over carefully in the pan. It should have a crispy “skin” and be nicely browned.
- Set the timer for 4 or 5 more minutes (the bottom should look the same as the top when ready). After about 2 minutes, while it’s cooking, pour the extra soy sauce from your container into the pan and let it finish cooking in the ‘sauce’.
- No need to “rest” this steak! Dig in and I think you’ll be surprised…
