Roasted Broccoli and Whipped Tofu With Chile Crisp Crunch

By Alexa Weibel

Updated February 12, 2025

  • Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
30 minutes
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
20 minutes
Rating
5(1,969)
Comments
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The concept here is simple, but the results are truly spectacular: Broccoli florets are tossed with olive oil and soy sauce, steamed in the oven until softened, then crowned with crunchy chile crisp bread crumbs. The broccoli is bundled up in aluminum foil, then cooked, so that it tenderizes swiftly and retains moisture. Meanwhile, chile crisp, panko, cashews and olive oil are toasted in a skillet until seasoned and crunchy. (This mix would also be stellar over peanut noodles, roasted vegetables or salad greens.) The optional base of two-ingredient cashew cream (tofu and cashew butter) adds lusciousness and protein. This dish has got heat, but it’s more about texture.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

FOR THE BROCCOLI

  • 1½ pounds broccoli (about 2 medium heads), cut into 1-inch florets

  • 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

  • 2 teaspoons soy sauce

  • Salt and black pepper

  • 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced

  • ½ cup coarsely chopped cashews

  • 1 tablespoon chile crisp, plus more for serving if you like

  • ⅓ cup panko bread crumbs

FOR THE CASHEW CREAM (OPTIONAL)

  • 14 ounces drained silken tofu

  • 1 cup cashew butter

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

52 grams carbs; 800 calories; 34 grams monosaturated fat; 10 grams polyunsaturated fat; 11 grams saturated fat; 58 grams fat; 11 grams fiber; 1184 milligrams sodium; 33 grams protein; 7 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil. Add the broccoli, drizzle with 3 tablespoons olive oil and the soy sauce, season lightly with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Arrange in an even layer, then dot with the garlic.

  2. Step 2

    Tightly wrap the broccoli mixture with another piece of aluminum foil, sealing shut, and bake until crisp-tender, about 15 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    While the broccoli bakes, prepare the chile crisp bread crumbs: Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium skillet over medium. Add the cashews, season to taste with salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 3 minutes.

  4. Step 4

    Add the chile crisp to the cashews, then stir in the panko and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the panko is toasted, 2 to 3 minutes. Season to taste and transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.

  5. Step 5

    If using cashew cream, add the tofu, cashew butter and 6 tablespoons water to a small food processor; blend until fluffy. Season generously with salt and pepper, then spread it on a serving platter or shallow bowl.

  6. Step 6

    Arrange the cooked broccoli on top, drizzle with additional chile crisp, if desired, and sprinkle generously with the chile crisp topping. Serve immediately, with any additional chile crisp crunch on the side.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
1,969 user ratings
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Comments

Daniel

This was amazingly good, and made for great leftovers as well. It was tasty straight from the fridge. For the cashew butter, I made my own - I put about 1 1/2 cups of roasted salted cashews in the food processor and pulverized them into a powder. Then with the motor running I added a teaspoon or two of oil, and it pretty much immediately turned from cashew crumbs to cashew butter after adding the oil. From there, I added the silken tofu, checked the salt levels and adjusted. Super easy!

Greg

Cooking the broccoli in a foil pouch does not yield crisp broccoli. The next time I make this dish, I will roast the broccoli without covering it.

Tomrely

Go on, live dangerously.. throw some cashews in the blender and keep your seat belt loosely fastened. What's the worst that could happen?

Beth

I can't believe NYT limits the lengths of comments. TLDR - Great potential with some modifications. Lose the top layer of foil, so you actualy roast rather than steam (add garlic towards end). Buy raw cashews (pre-roasted increases burning risk). Use a normal food processor - I dirtied a mini and a Vitamix before I grabbed the Cuisinart (maybe because my tofu was 16 oz?). Cashew cream needs some acid (I used lemon) and more salt than you think. I wish the recipe specified a baseline.

Lucila

I made this tonight with a few substitutions. I can't eat cashews so replaced with peanuts, and for the cream with peanut butter+sesame paste. Realised way too late I was out of breadcrumbs so substituted rolled oats, which worked. Inspired by the intro, I used the cream to coat a bowl of noodles, served topped with the broccoli and crisp. After all these swaps: is it the same dish? idk but it was tasty.

Kobe

As usual, I put in WAY more garlic (at least 10 cloves), a dash more tamari and added heaps of nutritional yeast. For the crisp, I mixed Harissa with cashews to roast and then added breadcrumbs. I think it still could've had more bang. We combined it with another recipe on here (honey-glazed mushrooms with udon) and it mixed and marinated as leftovers very well.

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Credits

By Alexa Weibel

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