With stocks running low in the kitchen and five year old Violet hungry in the afternoon, I happened upon a delicious, freakishly easy, and not unhealthy snack. I simply cubed firm organic tofu (we buy ours at Trader Joe’s) and dressed it in Kikkoman soba tsuyu noodle dipping sauce (my wife spied and scored this at Whole foods). Basically a 2-ingredient tofu salad. The sauce is a bit sweet, a bit salty, the slightest bit tart in a balance that’s oddly elegant for a bottled, mass-produced condiment. Perhaps not surprisingly for something so lovely, it contains no preservatives, so once opened it must be used within 3 days. Next time I might chop up some vegetables to boost the visual and health appeals. Still, the power of this dish lies in the sauce: Violet retrieved a spoon from the kitchen to get every last bit of it out of her bowl.
—Hugh
What a wonderful idea. and I think you are right – super tasty and super quick seems to be the key with feeding kids. Which makes me think that lassi might be a good idea, too (I wrote an entry on my blog yesterday on it, if you want a recipe). The mango version would be a good way to get both fruit and yogurt into your little one – always a bonus!
Hugh – you obviously have to drive down to Marukai in Gardena, where you can get this brand of dipping sauce (or choose from a dozen others, none with English labels) AND even better score some buckwheat “dipping” noodles. My kids are mad for this dish. Check it out.