Caramelized Red Cabbage and Mushrooms with Tofu and Edamame
Tofu time! This dish is easy, healthy and so flavorful. This recipe brings together tender caramelized red cabbage and mushrooms with a little crunch of edamame all topped with slightly crispy tofu in a delicious tangy sauce. You wont miss the meat with this vegetarian dish, and leftovers for days are fabulous!
Inspiration, thoughts, recipe notes
Tofu time! I haven’t posted a tofu recipe on the blog yet, but I definitely eat a lot of it. I usually just make crispy tofu for myself and top a salad or veggies with it, and I can’t wait to post more recipes with this yummy and versatile ingredient.
This recipe was inspired by my love of caramelized veggies and tofu. Caramelization for any food is just the the result of food being exposed to heat, and specifically the sugar (love those carbs!) in food. This is true for meat, veggies and fruits. It also gives veggies that deliciously savory taste and makes them tender, juicy and deliciously browned. The key is that you want to cook the veggies to caramelize them on medium high with dry heat. There is a bit of olive oil in the pan at the beginning, but once that is gone the rest of the time you’ll be stirring in dry heat and getting that toasty, buttery caramelization. Here is a great article about caramelization from The Spruce Eats, if you are interested (being a scientist, this always interests me!).
Anyway, this recipe is super simple to whip up and so delicious, flavorful, and so healthy. The tofu is a bit crispy and deliciously soaked in a tangy sauce before it hits the pan to cook and mixes so well with the caramelized veggies and that crunch of edamame and sesame seeds.
A few notes on this recipe. For the tofu, make sure you drain out the water as I’ve described in my recipe before you cook it. What I like to do is put one paper towel down and lay the tofu, cut in half lengthwise, on top of it. Add another paper towel on top of all of the tofu and add a skillet or cast iron pan onto it. Make sure the tofu is cut evenly so the pan can stay balanced and doesn’t lean onto one side and only drain part of the tofu. The more water you can drain out of it the better, which makes for crispier tofu. It’s ok to have some water of course, which will definitely happen, but this is especially important since we are also adding a sauce to the tofu before we cook it.
This recipe also uses one of my favorite easy sauces for Asian-inspired dishes. It is so easy with only four ingredients, and I use it in this recipe to coat the tofu, add to the caramelized veggies, and to top everything off with a bit more. I also use it in my delicious Coconut Rice Bok Choy Bowl recipe with Chicken, Edamame, and Sweet and Spicy Sauce recipe if you want to check that out too. It’s the sweet and spicy sauce in that recipe and it is so good.
Hope you love this recipe!
Caramelized Red Cabbage and Mushrooms with Tofu and Edamame
Ingredients
- 16 oz extra firm tofu see notes for prep!
- 16 oz mushrooms sliced
- 16 oz shredded red cabbage
- 1 cup edamame if frozen, thaw completely
- olive oil
- a pinch or two salt and pepper
Tangy Sauce
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon garlic chili sauce add more if you like it spicier!
Optional Garnishes
- 3 green onions chopped
- sesame seeds
Instructions
Prep the tofu
- Drain the tofu and slice each block in half, lengthwise. Put the tofu onto a paper towel, cover it with another, and put a slightly heavy pot or pan on top to drain all of the water out. Let this sit for 30 minutes. Cut the tofu into small bite sized cubes and set aside.
Make the tangy sauce
- Mix all of the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl or add to a small container, cover, and shake well. Put the tofu into a medium sized bowl and add 3 tablespoons of the sauce over the top and gently mix together to coat all of the tofu. Set aside.
Caramelize the red cabbage and mushrooms & cook the tofu
- Get two medium sized skillets and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to each. One will be for the red cabbage mushroom mix and the other for the tofu. Heat up the first skillet on medium high heat and when the oil is nice and hot add the mushrooms and red cabbage. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper and add 4 tablespoon of the sauce you made to the veggies. Mix together and cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the veggies are nice and caramelized, about 12 minutes. Add the edamame at the very end, mix to combine, and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
- After you get the veggies going, start on the tofu. Heat up the second skillet on medium high heat and when the oil is nice and hot, add the tofu. Pour the extra sauce over it after you've added it to the pan. Make sure the tofu is not on top of each other to ensure each side gets nice and crispy. Use tongs to flip the tofu after a 2-3 minutes on each side, or when the side touching the pan is nice and browned and crispy.
Put everything together and serve!
- Pour the caramelized red cabbage, mushrooms and edamame mix generously onto large plates. Add the tofu on top and garnish with green onions and plenty of sesame seeds. Pour the last bit of sauce on top of the mix, serve, and enjoy!