I'll admit I was a bit thrown when I saw a dish online combining mushrooms and tofu, but being the sort of girl who'll happily try any random food combination once (not always successfully) I thought I'd give it a whirl. And thank god I did. Because this is a stellar combo. The umami and saltiness of the mushrooms and cashew nuts give a bit of needed heft to the more neutral-tasting tofu, and it all comes together beautifully. I've used a similar sauce to the one used for miso aubergine here, which is admittedly a bit of an extra faff given the ingredients but works very well. If you can't be bothered or don't have the ingredients, I'd recommend adding a bit of fish sauce and soy sauce to the pan instead.
What's the A to V?
Tofu is an excellent source of calcium, and a rare example of a complete plant protein, although mushrooms are also surprisingly high in protein and a good source of vitamins B2 and B3.
Ingredients (serves 4):
A neutral tasting oil like sesame or sunflower
1/2 a white onion (or 3 shallots), finely sliced
3 cloves of garlic, chopped into rounds
250g of mushrooms (the choice is yours)
A handful of cashew nuts
200g packet of tofu (ideally smoked or pressed, not silken)
A generous couple of handfuls of spinach or bok choi
200g baby aubergines, or 1/2 a standard aubergine (optional)
2 cm of fresh ginger, peeled (optional)
Finely chopped coriander and a sprinkle of sesame seeds to finish
For the sauce
2 heaped tsps of miso
1 tsp of honey
2 tsps of mirin
1 tsp of rice vinegar
2 tbsps of cold water
Method
Drizzle your oil into a pan or wok, and heat.
Add your onion and a pinch of salt, and cook on medium heat until soft and translucent. Then add your garlic, and diced aubergine (if using).
Once the aubergine have started to brown add your mushrooms and season everything with salt and pepper. Stir well.
Meanwhile, chop your tofu into small, 1 cm cubes. Briefly turn the heat up in your pan before adding the tofu - you want to brown the tofu chunks. After about a minute, turn the heat down, and add in your spinach. If you're using ginger, grate this into the pan once you've added in the spinach.
In a separate bowl or rammekin, mix together the ingredients for the sauce, using the back of a spoon to make sure everything is properly combined. The final consistency should be a thick-ish sauce, but you may need to add a bit of extra water to get the right consistency.
Add to your pan along with your cashew nuts, and give everything a good mix. Cook on medium-low heat for a further 3-5 minutes.
Serve with rice or noodles, and a sprinkling of coriander and sesame seeds.