Grilled carrots and tofu with harissa
This makes a striking addition to a barbecue spread. Strictly speaking, it’s not all cooked on a grill, but most of the various elements can be made well in advance, leaving just the tofu to be braised in the sauce and assembled just before serving.
Prep
10 min
Cook
25 min
Serving size
4-6
Ingredients
100g silken tofu
2 tbsp tahini
Fine sea salt
50g rose harissa
1 tsp maple syrup
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp soy sauce
5 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
20g fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
3 spring onions, trimmed, whites finely chopped, green tops julienned and put in a bowl of ice-cold water
1 tbsp olive oil, plus ½ tsp extra
1 x 280g pack extra-firm tofu, drained and patted dry
250g bunched baby carrots, tops trimmed
1 lime, halved
Method
1. Blitz the silken tofu, tahini and a quarter-teaspoon of salt in the small bowl of a food processor until smooth, then set aside.
2. Put the harissa, maple syrup, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, chopped spring onion whites and a tablespoon of oil in a medium saute pan on a medium-high heat, and cook for five minutes, until the oil splits and the sauce is slightly reduced and fragrant.
3. Put a griddle pan on a medium-high heat and ventilate the kitchen. Cut the firm tofu lengthwise into 2cm-thick pieces, to give you six slices in total, then cut each piece in half lengthways, to give you 12 slices in total. Grill the tofu in two batches for a minute on each side, until charred, then transfer to the pan of sauce as they’re ready. When all the tofu is in the sauce pan, stir in 100ml cold water and simmer on a medium heat for five minutes.
4. Meanwhile, toss the carrots with the extra half-teaspoon of oil and a quarter-teaspoon of salt, and grill, turning as necessary, for five to 10 minutes (the timing will depend on the size of your carrots), until charred and tender. Gently stir the carrots into the tofu pan, to coat in the sauce.
5. Spread the tofu cream on a medium serving platter, then arrange the hot tofu and carrot mixture on top. Drain the spring onion tops, scatter these on top, squeeze over the lime halves and serve immediately.