Sesame Tofu Sandwich with Spicy Basil Tahini

You might notice a banner at the top of my site this weekend — I'm running a sale on Pinterest for Food Bloggers! If you know anyone you think could benefit from learning about how to use Pinterest to grow their blog (not just for food bloggers!), feel free to pass along the sale code!

Over the last few weeks of living in Bali, I've put my introverted self to the test quite a few times — I'M TALKING TO STRANGERS. Don't tell my parents. It's probably not safe at all, and that's probably why I shy away from it all.the.time. I'm fine being social, but if given a choice I'd probably rather be alone with my thoughts without others poking holes in my brain. Just sayin'. BUT: we're living somewhere new, trying to meet people, AND it seems like this place is just conducive to chatting with strangers. So many people are on vacation that they just strike up a conversation, I assume with the hopes of sharing their dream vacation experience with a similarly-enchanted couple.

How often does this happen? Um, like every time I sit down. I grabbed a smoothie {alone} yesterday and immediately the couple at the table next to me started talking to me. OK! I left the smoothie place to get my hair cut: the woman next to me was chatty chatty! OK! We went out to dinner: the couple across from us were fabulous dinner companions! OK! I'm doing it! It's like taking off the training wheels! LOOK MA! I'm still using my hands (don't worry).

My point here is to say that I've introduced myself as a food blogger many many times in the last few weeks. I go through the usual rigmarole of explaining that I don't do restaurant reviews, but rather cook, photograph, and share recipes online. Without fail, almost everyone makes a comment about how I must be an amazing cook — usually this comment is directed to Derek with a "lucky you!" overtone. Well, yeah lucky him, and yeah I can cook, BUT — this is a big but — I'm not a chef, trained in anyway, or better than most home cooks out there. I'm just willing to put it all out there for the entire world to see, whether that's a weird oreo cookie butter or a totally normal stack of waffles. I'm just sharing. With that: I'm still learning.

While I've been learning more about Asian cooking in the last few months, a few things have come to my attention. We've already talked about using ALL THE HERBS in EVERYTHING. That's a big winner. I've also learned that they key to Asian food is all about the sauces. Seriously. It's ALL about the sauces, and what punch they pack onto whatever you're serving. Related to that last piece of insight, I've realized that every component of a meal/dish has it's purpose — and sometimes that purpose is NOT to be overly flavorful. Sometimes you need something gentle and in the background to use as a vehicle for some amazing sauce. Um, HELLOO backup dancers! Right? They're supporting the main attraction, perhaps adding more of a textural or structural feature to the dish.

This brings me to the tofu in this sandwich. So many people are like "ew tofu so gross no flavor blah blah blah" — yes, I know. It can be gross. It can be cooked in terrible ways that will make you never want to eat tofu ever again. It can be downright paste-like. OR, it can be delicious. It can be a soft background noise to the lead singer in a ROCKIN band of a sandwich? How's that metaphor working? A little? A lot? Not at all? We'll keep moving.

The flavor of this sandwich is centered around the tahini. It's bold. It's got a kick. It's not a background dancer whatsoever. IT IS AWESOME. Spread that stuff on nice and thick. Make sure your bread is amazing — this helps all situations. All situations of any sort. Like, your car broke down and you don't have AAA and you need some help and nobody will answer their phone: eat some good bread. Life is better. Back to the sandwich: get some good bread! Just do it. Then layer some scrumptious juicy tomatoes and some crunchy fresh cucumbers (these are my favorites!), and finally top with your tofu — which has been lovingly prepared in sesame oil for a flavor that plays well with the tahini. I ate this baby open-faced, as my tofu was prepared in big ol' chunks, but you could slice your tofu into flatter steaks and make a darn good sandwich out of this!

If you want to check out some other tofu recipes that I adore here are a few to try:
Lemongrass Tofu Vietnamese Farro Salad, Thai Basil Tofu Scramble with Lemongrass Rice, and Peanut Ginger Stir Fry. Enjoy!

Sesame Tofu Sandwich with Spicy Basil Tahini

• Author: by Mary
• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 10 mins
• Total Time: 15 minutes
• Yield: 2-4 1x

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• For the Tahini
• ⅔ cup tahini
• 2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 large garlic clove
• 1 small Asian chili
• ½ cup fresh Thai basil leaves
• 1-2 tablespoon water
• Tofu
• 2 Tbsp sesame seeds
• 1 package firm tofu
• ½ to 1 cup toasted sesame oil
• ½ cucumber, sliced into thin rounds
• 2 tomatoes, sliced into thin rounds
• 4 slices of wholegrain bread

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Instructions

1. First, make the tahini. Combine all the tahini ingredients (wait on the water to see if you need it) in a blender or food processor, and pulse until smooth. Add water as needed to achieve your desired consistency.
2. Next, toast the sesame seeds in a dry frying pan over medium heat. Stir them around until they begin to brown, then remove from heat and transfer to a separate bowl.
3. Drain the tofu and slice into your desired shapes. I recommend ¾" thick steaks that fit to whatever size bread/buns you're using.
4. In a heavy frying pan, heat the ½" of the toasted sesame oil over medium heat. Once it's quite hot (wait about 3 minutes), fry the tofu in batches. Let cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, flipping once golden all over. Immediately dip the fried tofu into the sesame seeds, and set aside. Alternatively, you can liberally sprinkle the sesame seeds over the hot tofu.
5. To assemble the sandwiches, spread a generous layer of tahini on one piece of bread. Layer tomatoes and cucumbers, then top with tofu and any remaining sesame seeds.

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