Shortcut Silken Tofu with Ginger Syrup
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 45 g | Chubby 1 ½-inch section ginger
- 60 ml | ¼ cup agave syrup or mild-tasting honey
- 65 g | ⅓ cup firmly packed light brown sugar or palm sugar
- 120 ml | ½ cup water
- Two 450g | 16 oz packages silken tofu
Instructions
- Prep the ginger: Use a swivel peeler to peel (or a sharp-edged spoon to scrape) the skin off the ginger. Thinly Very thinly slice the ginger crosswise then smash the pieces with the broad side of your knife blade (or use a small heavy saucepan or meat mallet).
- Make the ginger syrup: In a small (2-quart | 2L) saucepan, combine the ginger, agave, sugar (coarse chop if using palm sugar), and water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then lower the heat to around medium-low to briskly simmer until fragrant and slightly thickened, about 6 minutes. To test: coat the back of a metal spoon and drag your fingertip across and a faint line should hold. Turn off the heat and let sit for about 15 minutes, uncovered, to intensify flavor and thicken to a maple syrup-like consistency. Set a mesh strainer over a small bowl, pour through the syrup, press on the solids, then discard the ginger. You should have a generous ½ cup (120ml). Use soon or transfer to a jar and refrigerate for up to 1 week; return to room temperature to use.
- Scoop the tofu: Gather six small bowls (what you’d serve rice or ice cream in). Pour out any excess water from the tofu tub. Wield a broad, shallow metal serving spoon in a horizontal motion to scoop up large, thin pieces of the tofu, dividing them among the bowls. (It’s normal for the pieces to be irregular in shape and size.)
- Warm the tofu, assemble, and serve: To warm the tofu, put as many bowls of tofu in the microwave. Using high power, microwave the tofu for 20-second blasts until the tofu has slightly warmed through. Expect watery whey to release; you can pour it out to avoid diluting the syrup but it’s normal to let the whey’s delicate tang to add to the overall flavor. Pour about 1 ½ tablespoons of syrup over the top of each bowl. Enjoy with a spoon to get tofu and syrup in each mouthful.
