Brown Sugar Tofu & Brussel Sprouts

You know how you should never attempt to shop for food on an empty stomach?  There should be a similar adage for medicine — never attempt to name pathology when you’re hungry.  The following is a list of terms that sounds more like a grocery list than a collection of medical findings:

• Chocolate cyst
• Oat cell carcinoma
• Strawberry hemangioma
• Cherry hemangioma
• Blueberry muffin rash
• Maple Syrup Urine Disease
• Heinz bodies (okay, that one’s a stretch)
• Café au lait spots
• Strawberry tongue
• Cherry red spot
• Nutmeg liver
• Caseating (cheesy) granuloma
• Onion-skinning

In other news, I finally figured out how to pan-fry tofu  nicely, thanks to one of our favorite cookbooks.  Ari always does a good job but my tofu has a tendency to sputter and spit and give me little oil burns whenever I try to cook it.  The solution for me is to both press and freeze the curd–this dries it a little and also gives it a meatier texture.  And although nothing in our medical school textbooks has been named after the ingredients in this dish, I’ve been told that brain tissue does have the consistency of soft tofu.  Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients (adapted from 101cookbooks)

• 8 ounces extra firm tofu pressed, cut into cubes, frozen, and thawed (see below)
• Enough oil to coat the bottom of a 12” skillet
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 + 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• Salt
• 1-2 Tbsp Sriracha, chili sauce, or hot sauce
• 1/3 cup hulled sunflower seeds (or any nut chopped to that size)
• 15 brussels sprouts — cut off the end and then slice the globe
• Rice, noodles, or tortillas

For the tofu: Split the block of tofu in half, then place the halves on a cutting board with paper towels on top and below.  Put a cookie sheet on top of the halves and balance a few cans on top.  Let sit for 30 minutes.  Afterward, place the halves in tupperware and carefully cut a grid in each half (you’re making cubes, but not separating them).  Freeze for at 1-2 hours or overnight.  Pull out the tofu and thaw it on the countertop or in the fridge.

Heat the oil in the 12” skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the tofu and half-cover it to protect your skin against any oily backlash.  Fry the tofu on each side, turning gently until all sides are golden.  If you find that your tofu cubes are going to touch each other, you might have to do this in two batches.  When the tofu seems golden-brown and firm, add 3 Tbsp of the brown sugar and the Sriracha/chili sauce, and 1-2 tsp salt.  Carefully incorporate, and then add the seeds/nuts and let them toast for a minute.  Lift the tofu and seeds onto a paper towel-lined plate, and add the brussel sprouts (you shouldn’t need to add more oil if you didn’t drain the skillet).  Lightly sautee the brussel sprouts to wilt them slightly without letting them go limp.  At the end, add the last Tbsp of brown sugar.  Serve with your carbohydrate of choice and more hot sauce if desired.

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