FOOD’s Amazing Cilantro Tofu Sandwich

By Martha Rose Shulman

Updated April 11, 2016

  • Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
30 minutes
Rating
5(414)
Comments
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My friend Judy Ornstein has a popular neighborhood cafe on Pico Boulevard in Los Angeles called FOOD. I love all of the meals I’ve had there, but my absolute favorite signature dish that they make is a cilantro tofu sandwich. The tofu is dipped in a delicious cilantro-spiked marinade, briefly baked, then topped with a to-die-for roasted corn relish. Alayne Berman, FOOD’s chef, shared the recipe with me. I’ve scaled the recipe down from 10 pounds of tofu to 1 pound, which will make four sandwiches. They are hearty, and I usually make a meal of half a sandwich, but the nutritional information is for a whole one.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 sandwiches

  • A 1-pound block of organic extra-firm tofu (find one that is not too dry)

FOR THE MARINADE

  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce, preferably tamari

  • ½ tablespoon minced ginger

  • 1 garlic clove, minced

  • ½ tablespoon minced shallot

  • ¼ teaspoon minced jalapeño

  • ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds, lightly toasted and ground

  • 1 ½ tablespoons honey

  • 2 ¼ teaspoons lime juice

  • ½ teaspoon lime zest

  • 3 tablespoons canola oil

  • ½ generous bunch cilantro, finely chopped

FOR THE GRILLED CORN RELISH

  • 1 large ear white corn

  • ¼ large red bell pepper, roasted

  • ¼ large yellow bell pepper, roasted

  • ¼ generous bunch cilantro, finely chopped

  • Pinch of cumin seeds, lightly toasted and ground

  • Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

FOR EACH SANDWICH

  • 1 4-ounce slice of tofu

  • ¼ large or ½ small Hass avocado, thinly sliced

  • ½ to ¾ cup corn relish

  • Sliced heirloom or good roma tomatoes, in season only

  • 2 slices seeded sandwich bread

  • 2 teaspoons Vegenaise

  • Arugula

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Pat the tofu dry with paper towels and cut laterally into 4 equal squares, approximately ⅓ inch wide. They should be just the right size for the sandwich bread.

  2. Step 2

    Line a sheet pan with parchment. In a large, wide bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients for the marinade. Pat each square of tofu with paper towels, then dip into the marinade, making sure to coat both sides. Transfer to the baking sheet.

  3. Step 3

    Bake the tofu for 7 to 10 minutes, until the edges are just beginning to color and the marinade sets on the surface of the tofu. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

  4. Step 4

    Meanwhile, make the corn relish. Grill the corn until it colors lightly, and allow to cool. Remove the kernels from the cob. Peel, seed and dice the roasted peppers. Combine peppers, corn and remaining relish ingredients in a medium bowl. Salt and pepper to taste.

  5. Step 5

    For each sandwich, spread a thin coating of Vegenaise on each slice of bread. Top the bottom slice with a piece of baked marinated tofu. Fan thin slices of avocado over the tofu (the avocado helps the relish adhere to the sandwich). Top the avocado with ½ to ¾ cup relish. Top the relish with slices of heirloom or good roma tomatoes and a handful of arugula. Top with the second slice of bread.

Tip

  • Advance preparation: The marinade and the corn relish both keep for 2 days in the refrigerator.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
414 user ratings
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Comments

Clara

Flavors are there, but I definitely agree with others that written as is, the tofu won't impart much flavor. Instead, 1) press the tofu and 2) leave it marinating overnight. Better yet, cut out steps & time by cooking it stovetop using a technique called "red braising," a Chinese cooking technique where you cook tofu/meats in liquids stovetop. Cook tofu in all of the liquid for 15-20 mins with lid on. Most of it will have been absorbed into the tofu, yielding for a much more flavorful result.

Hollis

I let the tofu marinade overnight and feel like that was a good idea! It made it very flavorful and tasty.
I also once made this as an arugula salad when I was out of bread, and that was very tasty as well.

Faye

I think everything up to the 1/2 bunch of cilantro, plus the soy sauce below, is the marinade; I also threw all of it in the mini-processor instead of mincing.

Seana

30 minutes to prepare this recipe is a gross underestimation. Due to the precise natures of the amounts, simply mincing, juicing, zesting and toasting for the marinade took almost an hour.

Barbara

The tofu was necessary as a platform for the fabulous corn-roasted pepper relish. This was a winner.

Eliz.

NEW TIP: After overnight marinade and roasting, return tofu slabs to the marinade to cool. Go run an errand and then assemble the sandwich(es). Thank you for all the recommendations, folks!

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