Hanoi-Style Tofu

Rinse and dry all produce. Drain the WildWood tofu and wrap in paper towels. Let the tofu sit until you are ready to cook. Place a large pot of salted water onto boil. Peel and mince the garlic and shallot. Slice the scallion. Chop the cilantro leaves and tender stems. Roughly chop the peanuts.

Add ½ cup water to a medium skillet and sprinkle turbinado sugar evenly over the water. Cook over medium heat, gently swirling pan occasionally (do not stir) until the sugar melts and the mixture smells of caramel, about 6 to 8 minutes.

Stir 2 tbsp vegetable oil, garlic, and shallot into the caramel and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove from the heat and slowly whisk in 1 ½ cups water. Whisk in the tamari, 2 tsp of cornstarch, and a pinch of black pepper. Return the skillet to low heat and simmer until the sauce has thickened, about 10 to 12 minutes.

Add the rice noodles to the boiling water and cook until tender, checking for doneness after 4 minutes. Drain, rinse with warm water, and shake to remove any excess water. Shred the carrot with a box grater. To a medium bowl, add the carrot, red cabbage, green cabbage and rice vinegar. Toss rainbow slaw to combine and season with salt.

Cut the tofu into 16 sticks. Place a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat with ¼ cup oil. Add remaining cornstarch to a plate. Once oil is hot, toss tofu in cornstarch, shake off any excess, and gently place in the skillet. Cook until browned on the bottom, about 3 to 4 minutes. Flip tofu and cook until the second side is crisp. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and season well with salt.

Add the cooked rice noodles to the rainbow slaw and toss together. Place a heaping pile of the rainbow slaw onto a platter. Add the Hanoi-style tofu and drizzle with some of the Vietnamese caramel. Garnish with scallions, cilantro, and peanuts and serve with remaining Vietnamese caramel. Bon appetit!