Tofu and Quince Larb

Yields: 10 Servings

From The Hodo Kitchen

For our inaugural Tofu Disruption event, we served bites of tofu larb (traditional spelling is "laab") at our welcome reception. In the original recipe by the chef, he added shrimp but we have veganized the recipe below. Don't forget the quince which adds a good amount of tartness and crunch to the whole mixture!

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Ingredients

• 2 (10oz) packages Hodo Organic Extra Firm Tofu. Get your hands on some at our SF Sat Farmers’ Market– Saturdays at Ferry Plaza

• 2 quinces, peeled, poached and diced small

• Water to cover

• Juice of 1/2 lemon

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 5 kaffir lime leaves, vein removed, chiffonade

• 1 cup cilantro leaves and stems, chopped

• 1 cup green onions, sliced thinly

• 1/2 cup mint leaves, chiffonade

• 1/2 cup Vietnamese cilantro leaves, chiffonade

• 2 Tbsp toasted rice powder (from 3 Tbsp glutinous rice)

• Chicharron for garnish

Dressing

• 4 Tbsp fish sauce, substitute with soy sauce or tamari if that's what you have in your pantry

• 6 Tbsp palm sugar

• 3 cloves garlic, minced fine

• 4 Fresno red chilies, seeded and chopped finely

• 2 limes, zest and juice

Instructions

1. Crumble tofu into pea-sized pieces.

2. Prepare the quince:  Peel and dice quince small and drop into a pot of water with lemon juice.   Add sugar, and bring to a simmer and boil till quince is tender.  Remove from heat, shock in cold water.  Drain and pat dry.

3. Preparing the dressing: Whisk together lime juice, fish sauce and sugar and till the sugar is dissolved. Then mix in fresno, lime zest and garlic.  Set aside.

4. Preparing the toasted rice: Dry-fry the glutinous rice (without any oil) under medium heat till golden brown.  Remove, let cool slightly and grind into a powder with a spice mill, or a mortar and pestle.  Set aside.

5. Assembly:  Mix in the rice powder, herb mixture, quince and dressing tofu and toss to combine.  Let sit for 10 minutes for the flavor to come together.  Serve with a piece of chicharron.