Sesame Tofu Kebabs

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Sesame Tofu Kebabs are marinated in a delicious tahini dressing & served with a Tahini Asian Slaw. Serve in a lettuce wrap for a great vegan appetiser!

Regular readers will have noticed we love al fresco meals here at the Kitchen Shed and I’m always looking for new and exciting recipes to add to our summer menu. Preparing for a BBQ a couple of weeks ago (in the rain under the gazebo – so pleased the hot sunny weather has arrived and fingers crossed it stays!) I realised my offering of vegan options was extremely limited. In fact I only had one vegan menu item and as tasty as my Easy Bean Burger is, I wanted to offer my guests a choice. Looking to keep away from more beans and not being able to include cheese, I decided to go with tofu.

I acknowledge tofu has had a bad press over the years but these days there are so many good brands to choose from it really can be delicious – personally I love the soft creamy texture. Bearing in mind the al fresco BBQ “theme”, using tofu as a vegan kebab seemed an ideal route to follow. I’ve gone with Chinese flavours (I seem to be obsessed with sesame, ginger and soy sauce this year) and used a firm sesame seed smoked tofu – a firm tofu saves all that pressing malarkey needed with a soft tofu.

The crunchy coated tofu and mushrooms with a hint of spicy heat made for a perfect contrast against the creaminess of the soft tofu centre and proved a huge hit at the Kitchen Shed. I served the kebabs on a bed of crispy Asian Slaw in lettuce leaf wraps, with the leftover tahini marinade as a dressing. I made small kebabs to serve as an appetiser but you could make six larger portions and use Romaine lettuce leaves if you were serving the kebabs as a main dish.The kebabs can be cooked on the BBQ or griddle and I’ve already got Sesame Tofu Kebabs in mind for an appetiser during Christmas or New Year.

Sesame Tofu Kebabs are so easy to make. Simply mix the marinade/dressing together and add the tofu and mushrooms, leave for about 15 minutes.

Assemble your kebabs and cook on a hot griddle before serving in a lettuce wrap – mouth wateringly delicious!

I hope you enjoy Sesame Tofu Kebabs as much as we do. Here’s the recipe in quick printable format so you can have it to hand while you try it out.

5.0 from 2 reviews

Sesame Tofu Kebabs

 

Print

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

8 mins

Total time

23 mins

 

Sesame Tofu Kebabs are marinated in a delicious tahini dressing & served with a Tahini Asian Slaw. Serve in a lettuce wrap for a great vegan appetiser!

Author: Tales From The Kitchen Shed

Recipe type: Vegan

Cuisine: BBQ

Serves: 6 standard or 12 small

Ingredients

Tahini Dressing (for marinade & Asian Slaw)

• 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) tahini paste
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) rice wine (I used Shaoxing)
• 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) water
• Juice of 1 lime
• 2 cloves garlic - crushed
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 2 teaspoons grated ginger
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• Optional: ½ teaspoon chilli flakes

Kebabs

• 400 g (14 oz) firm tofu (I used a smoked tofu) cut into 2 cm chunks
• 12 small chestnut mushrooms sliced in half

Slaw vegetables:

• ½ small white cabbage shredded
• 1 red onion, halved and finely sliced
• 2 carrots julienned or grated

Instructions

1. You will need 6 or 12 skewers.

Dressing & marinade:

1. Whisk the Tahini dressing ingredients until incorporated.
2. Place tofu chunks and mushroom halves into a bowl and carefully toss with 4 tablespoons of tahini dressing. Set aside for 15 minutes or so to marinate.

Make your Tahini Asian Slaw:

1. Pour 6 tablespoons of the tahini dressing over your slaw vegetables.
2. Mix well and refrigerate until required.

Assemble your skewers:

1. Thread 4 to 6 pieces of tofu and mushroom on to a skewer, don't thread the chunks too closely together.

Cook your tofu kebabs:

1. Spray with a cooking spray before cooking on a preheated griddle or BBQ for about 6 to 8 minutes, browning on all sides until golden brown.
2. Remove from the BBQ or griddle and leave to cool down a little for about 5 minutes (otherwise the kebabs will wilt the lettuce)
3. Serve in a lettuce wrap on a bed of Tahini Asian Slaw and sprinkle with extra sesame seeds.

Notes

Use a firm tofu.
Use lettuce leaves (such as Little Gem or Romaine) which can hold the kebab & slaw.
Total time doesn't include marinating time.
Don't forget to soak wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes before use.

3.5.3208

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I’m linking Sesame Tofu Kebabs to: Fiesta Fridays co hosted this week by Jhuls at The Not So Creative Cook and Colleen at Health, Hope, Love & Luck.