Tofu is simmered in a rich, flavorful sweet chile mulato sauce.
Tofu in a Sweet Chile Mulato Sauce might not be the most photogenic recipe that I have ever made, but it is so good you guys! The chile mulato sauce only has a few simple ingredients, but it is packed with so much flavor. You can find the dried mulato chiles at your local Mexican grocery store or online. Mulato chiles are very complex in flavor. The flavor is rich with notes of raisin, cherry, and chocolate. Mulato chiles are also part of the famous mole "trilogy" used in mole sauce. When you taste this sauce, one of the first flavor notes you get is chocolate. You would swear that there is some Mexican chocolate in the sauce but it's the rich, deep flavor of the chiles that give the sauce a sweet, chocolate flavor.
In order to help make this Tofu in a Sweet Mulato Chile Sauce a little more photogenic, I shot the photos with this gorgeous napkin from Beautiful Ingredient. The napkin is not only beautiful, it's eco friendly. It's made from organic cotton/recycled hemp fabric. These napkins by Kari from Beautiful Ingredient would have a lovely holiday gift this season. Kari is kindly offering a 15% discount off all orders of $25 or more for the rest of this month! Use the this code when ordering HOLIDAYVB1012.
Now, let's get back to this tofu in chile sauce. I like using tofu because it takes on whatever flavors you are cooking with. Before adding the tofu into the sauce, I like to pan fry it. Pan frying the tofu allows the tofu to hold up when simmered in the sauce. You can cut the tofu into whatever shape that you like. I have made this with rectangle and cubed tofu. I prefer the latter. To add a sweet fruit element to the sauce, raisins and diced apples are added. The sweetness of the fruit pairs beautifully with the sauce.
For serving, I like to place the Tofu in a Sweet Chile Mulato Sauce on a platter garnished with lightly fried plantain slices. This dish is perfect served alongside rice and tortillas for mopping up any extra sauce.
I think that you'll find this Tofu in a Sweet Chile Mulato Sauce to be:
Rich in flavor
Earthy
Chocolatey & fruity
Simple Ingredients
A filling main entree
& perfect for the holidays
Tofu in a Sweet Chile Mulato Sauce
Tofu is simmered in a rich, flavorful Mexican chile sauce. I like to serve it alongside rice and tortillas. A great main entree for a vegan or vegetarian.
Ingredients
For the tofu:
- 2 Pounds Extra Firm Tofu, pressed and drained
For the sauce:
- 3 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
- 3 Mulato Chiles, stemmed and seeded
- 1 15 ounce can Fire Roasted Tomatoes
- ½ Medium White Onion, roughly chopped
- 2 Garlic Cloves, peeled
- ¼ Cup Raw Pecans
- 2 Cloves
- ¼ inch piece of Mexican Canela
- 1 teaspoon Grated Piloncillo
- ¾ teaspoon Sea Salt
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
- ¼ Cup Raisins
- ½ Cup Water
- 1 Golden Delicious Apple, finely diced
For the plantain to garnish:
- 1 Plantain, sliced
- Vegetable Oil
Optional:
- Cooked rice
- Warmed tortillas
Instructions
For the sauce:
- In a large, heavy deep sided saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Once the oil is hot fry the chiles for 2 minutes, flip over and cook 1 minute more. Remove chiles and transfer to a paper towel lined plate and pat dry. Add the chiles to a high speed blender. Keep the oil in the pan; the tofu will be fried in it later.
- To the blender, add the tomatoes, onion, garlic, pecans, cloves, canela, piloncillo, salt and pepper. Blend until completely smooth. It'll take a few minutes. Set aside until needed.
For the tofu:
- Cut the tofu into desired shape. I prefer to cut the tofu into cubes. Season with salt and pepper.
- Using the same pan and oil that you fried the chiles in, heat the pan over medium high heat. Working in batches, pan fry the tofu about 4-6 minutes minutes on each, or until lightly browned. The cooking time will depended on the size of the tofu. Transfer the tofu to a large plate. Lower the heat if the oil gets too hot.
- Once all the tofu has been browned, lower the heat to medium. Carefully pour in the blended chile sauce. Stir and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the raisins, browned tofu, and water. Stir to evenly coat the tofu in the sauce. Bring to a simmer, cover and lower heat. Cook for 10-15 minutes.
- Remove the lid and add the diced apple. Cook for another 10 minutes.
For the garnish:
- After you add the apple to the sauce, over medium heat a thin layer of vegetable oil into a skillet. Once hot, add the plantain slices and cook until browned on each side, about 2-3 minutes per side.
For serving:
- Transfer the tofu and chile sauce to a large platter. Top with the plantain slices. Serve with rice and tortillas if desired.
Kari kindly gave me one of her napkins for my blog. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Xo Jeni
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