To Build a Plate: Lemon Tofu with Coconut Rice

I decided to flavor freestyle in the kitchen this afternoon as I was preparing dinner. What started as plans for a simple tofu and rice meal turned into a plate with layers of depth that I am quite proud of.

Allow me to walk you through it.

I began with a broth for the tofu, just grabbing what was available on hand.

Tofu Broth:

Vegetable Broth

Lemon

Sour cream

Sazon Goya with Coriander and Annatto

Salt

Flour

Since the coriander in the Sazon Goya seasoning has a citrusy and floral flavor profile, I added a small proportionate amount of the sour cream to calm down the kick from the citrus. I did still want citrus to be the star of the plate, however, not so much that none of the other flavors have a chance to shine.

Once the tofu has been added to the broth, a small amount of flour is added to allow the broth to cling to the tofu.

Since my planned dish of tofu and rice includes two soft-textured foods, I wanted something that would add a crisp contrast.

Corn Tortillas:

Corn Tortillas

Paprika

Salt

I decided on corn tortillas that I made crispy in the oven. The starch would not only add a texture component, but it would also ground the dish from the airy and bright citrus flavors that we see strongly in the tofu mix.

I seasoned the corn tortillas with paprika to add a slight ting of heat. The level of heat is subtle enough that it would be acceptable for a three-year-old, yet enough of a heat anchor that it would cut through the brightness of the lemon. Paprika is also not overwhelming on the palette like cayenne, so it still maintains the overall theme and direction that I envisioned the plate heading in.

While not planned for, the colors yellow and red together are used in advertising to evoke feelings of vibrancy, energy, and happiness. They are thought to evoke and increase the appetite. Who doesn’t want to be hungry before a good meal?

Moving on, the flavor profile I landed on for the rice would be to be slightly sweet to nicely contrast the strong lemon and slight heat.

Coconut Rice:

Brown Jasmine Rice

Pea Milk

Nuts

Coconut Flakes

Honey

I went with brown jasmine rice because it is already a slightly sweet and nutty grain of rice that I thought would accentuate nicely the sweet flavor profile I was looking for. I decided to add nuts because I wanted additional crunch than the corn tortillas would provide. I did not want to overwhelm the plate with corn tortillas because I did not desire to draw too much attention to them as to keep the attention on the lemon tofu, so they needed a crunchy complement. The nuts also keep the sweetness from carrying you away, allowing you to stay grounded into the flavors of the plate.

I used honey as the sweetener rather than brown sugar because I wanted something akin to a soft and compassionate sweetness, rather than take over your taste buds sweet. I wanted to still be able to feel the citrus from the previous bite of lemon tofu for at least a moment upon taking a bite of the rice. Using brown sugar as a sweetener would have completely overwhelmed this dish with sweetness, and I would have had to use less than a tablespoon of rice on the plate to counteract that effect. Since I was designing a full meal, not a small plate, I needed to have a substantial amount of rice on the plate.

I would have used coconut milk if I had it on hand; however, pea and oat milk were the only options in my fridge. Thus, I added more coconut flakes than I would have if I had used coconut milk.

Nutritionally, we have a very well-rounded dish on the macronutrients front.

The tofu, nuts, and milk bring protein.

The rice, corn tortillas, honey, and coconut flakes bring carbohydrates.

The nuts and sour cream bring fats.

The brown jasmine rice and nuts bring fiber.

The honey brings sugar.

Overall, I am very proud of this dish. I did make broccoli in hopes of upping the micronutrients; however, broccoli would have completely overwhelmed the three prominent flavors on this plate. I did not see where I could have made it fit. I thought about blanching it and creating a light, neutral flavor with olive oil, salt, and black pepper, but by the time I thought about doing so, the broccoli had already been boiled to a texture too soft to enhance any aspect of the plate.

Ingredients:

Tofu Broth:

Vegetable Broth

Lemon

Sour cream

Sazon Goya with Coriander and Annatto

Salt

Flour

Corn Tortillas:

Corn Tortillas

Paprika

Salt

Coconut Rice:

Brown Jasmine Rice

Pea Milk

Nuts

Coconut Flakes

Honey