Yakitori tofu

Ingredients

• 1.5 lbs tofu (Freeze before marinating, see instructions)
• 12 scallions (reserve the green parts for the sauce and cut each white part into 3 and reserve for the skewers)
• Vegetable oil

For the yakitori sauce (Tare)

• ½ cup soy sauce or tamari
• ½ cup rice wine
• ¼ cup sake
• ¼ cup rice vinegar
• ¼ cup water
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and chopped
• 6 garlic cloves

To serve:

• Shichimi Togarashi (see recipe)

Method

1. Soak about 12x (5 inch) bamboo skewers in water for 30 minutes before using so that they won't burn.

To Make Yakitori Sauce:

1. In a small saucepan add the soy sauce, rice wine, sake, rice vinegar, water, brown sugar, ginger, garlic and the green part of the scallions. Using the BLACK+DECKER® kitchen wand™ immersion blender attachment, blend all the ingredients to make a smooth sauce.
2. Bring it to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 15-20 minutes until the sauce has reduced to about a third.
3. Let it cool to room temperature before using. The sauce will thicken with a glossy shine as it cools. Reserve a third of the sauce in a small bowl for final coating.
4. Cut the tofu into 1 inch cubes and marinate in the Yakitori sauce for at least 10 minutes.

To prepare the Yakatori Skewers:

1. Cut the white and light green part of the scallions into 1 inch pieces.
2. Thread the tofu and scallions onto the soaked bamboo skewers. Each skewer will hold about 4 cubes of tofu and 3 scallion pieces.
3. Brush each filled skewer with a good amount of the yakitori sauce and repeat 4-5 times. The tofu should have a good coating to maximize the flavor.

Grill:

1. Grease the wire rack from the grill or cooling rack to avoid the chicken sticking on the grate. Place the skewers on top.
2. Set the grill to high and wait until the heating elements are hot. Grill for about 8 minutes. After 2 minutes, flip and brush with teriyaki again. Repeat flipping and brushing every 2 minutes until they are done cooking. They cook quickly so you will probably only need to flip around 4 times.
3. Finish with a good coating of yakitori sauce and a sprinkle of shichimi togarashi.
4. Remove from the grill and enjoy.

BBQ

1. Heat the BBQ coals until hot and white
2. Grill for about 8 minutes
3. After a minute, flip and brush with teriyaki again. Repeat flipping and brushing every 2 minutes until they are done cooking. They cook quickly so you will probably only need to flip around 4 times.
4. Finish with a good coating of yakitori sauce and a sprinkle of shichimi togarashi.
5. Remove from the grill and enjoy.

Griddle Pan

1. Heat the griddle until smoking hot lightly oil
2. Grill for about 8 minutes. After 2 minutes, flip and brush with teriyaki again. Repeat flipping and brushing every 2 minutes until they are done cooking. They cook quickly so you will probably only need to flip around 4 times.
3. Remove from the grill.
4. Finish with a good coating of yakitori sauce and a sprinkle of shichimi togarashi

Instructions for freezing the tofu:

1. Drain the tofu well. Before you freeze tofu, it is best to open the package and get rid of all excess water. This will help give it the perfect texture. You can absorb the remaining water and moisture by placing it on a clean tea towel or absorbent kitchen paper. Remove as much moisture as possible.
2. Once the tofu is dry to touch, it is ready for freezing.
3. Place the pieces of tofu in an airtight, freezer-safe container and freeze. It will take around 3-4 hours to freeze completely, but overnight is best.
4. Remove the frozen tofu from the freezer and leave out to thaw. Make sure you take the tofu out of the freezer several hours before cooking it as thawing at room temperature can take some time. The tofu may change color, turning a bright yellow - this is quite normal.
5. Once it returns to the room temperature, it is ready to use.