San Diego, CA |
Cleveland, OH |
I wish I would have taken a picture of this at the end of the night. It was empty. Most of the desserts were made by the baker at Angel Food Bakery; some of the desserts were made by friends and family of the bride and groom. The actual wedding cake was my favorite. It had 8 or so layers, each a different shade of orange, with key lime frosting between the layers. One of the best wedding cakes I’ve ever had.
So, the recipe I have for you tries to capture summer. Poke (po-keh) is a traditional Hawaiian appetizer usually made with fish (ahi). When a co-worker shared Tofu Poke with me, I fell in love. I think you will too.
This is cold, so it works best if you have cooked the rice in advance. It does taste good when room temperature, which makes it perfect for a potluck. The tofu is seasoned simply with sesame oil and soy sauce. Try to use low sodium soy sauce if you can. I used shoyu for a smoother flavor. Tamari is also a good choice – especially if you want to make this gluten free.
Make this at least a few hours ahead of time to let the flavors meld. It tastes great up to one day later. I found when I ate leftovers that were more than a couple days old, it tasted less bright.
I used wild rice to add a earthy flavor and color contrast to the dish; however, any type of rice will work just fine.
Happy cooking!
- 12 oz extra firm tofu
- 2 tablespoons shoyu
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
- 1 cup green onion, sliced
- 2 tablespoons cilantro, minced
- 1/2 cup uncooked wild rice
- Cook the wild rice: Bring 4 cups water and 1/2 teaspoon salt to boil in a medium saucepan. Stir in the 1/2 cup uncooked wild rice, cover, and return to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer for 30 minutes. Turn off the heat and let sit for about 30 minutes. Wild rice is done when the rice has split and is tender. Chill.
- Remove tofu from package and rinse with water. Wrap in a towel and place something heavy on top of it (like a large can of tomatoes). Set aside.
- Heat a small skillet over medium high heat. Add the sesame seeds. Stir constantly until brown and aromatic. Remove from heat and place in a medium bowl along with the green onion and cilantro.
- Dice the tofu into 1/2 inch squares and add to the bowl. Stir in the shoyu. Once mixed well, add the oil. Stir in the wild rice. Taste and add more shoyu if needed. Chill for 1-3 hours before serving.