Recipe Review: Tofu with Thai Peanut Sauce from Vegan Fire and Spice

I got two new books from Amazon this weekend: Vegan Fire and Spice and Vegan Soul Kitchen. I plan on doing general reviews on each of these, but I'd rather make at least a few recipes from each before judging. I'm super excited to get going though--everything in these books look great. Tonight, I decided to make Tofu with Thai Peanut Sauce from Fire and Spice. This is my first recipe review, so bear with me as a figure out a good way to assess the recipe.

Tofu with Thai Peanut Sauce- Vegan Fire and Spice (by: Robin Robertson)

[Photo coming soon]

Notes/Method:
We already had some slabs of tofu freezing in our freezer so I used frozen tofu. I threw in a splach of rice vinegar to try to make up for some of the missing sherry. I made a ton of substitutions, mostly do to laziness, which are detailed below.

Simplicity of Ingredients: 5/5
The only ingredient that I think might be difficult to find is the bamboo shoots. However, we didn't use them (my roomie doesn't care for them and they didn't sound too appetizing to me either). The only ingredient that I could not get my hands on was the sherry--but only because I'm a mere twenty years old. Certainly not Robertson's fault.

Ease of Preperation: 4/5
This recipe was pretty simple. I made the sauce a couple hours ahead of time and left it in the fridge until I was ready for it. I only dirtied two pans (one for the tofu and sauce, one for the rice noodles) plus the food processor. I had some problems while cooking, but I think it was mostly me. One, I was baking bread at the same time, which decided it needed to come out of the oven at a crucial time for the tofu. Two, either I had the heat up a little too high or there just needs to be more liquid (having some sherry may have helped).

Versatility: 5/5
Usually, before I begin cooking I read the recipe over and over and do some prep work. Not this time. I decided to just start and found myself scrambling. The garlic got thrown in a little late. I realized halfway through frying the tofu that I had no ginger or scallions. I decided not to use the bamboo shoots but add in some broccoli instead. As previously mentioned I had no sherry. Instead of serving over rice I served with rice noodles. My peanut butter was crunchy not creamy and my peanuts were whole, not in peices. Regardless of all these substitutions and the fact that I was only half-paying attention to my frying tofu, the food turned out great.

Taste: 4/5

I wasn't happy with the way the sauce tasted when it was still hot in the pan. But when I sat down to eat dinner a couple hours later, the sauce was way better. The rice noodles I used soaked up the sauce and the tofu, though not quite as golden brown as I meant to get it, was perfect. This meal was super filling and really delicious. I would definately make it again, but I would probably make some adjustments (see below).

Notes for the future:
The sauce was a little thick in my opinion (just a little) and it took some work to really coat all the noodles and tofu. I think the sauce could benefit with a little coconut milk, just to thin it out a bit, and maybe some dessicated coconut on top. Also, the recipe calls for just a tablespoon of oil for frying the tofu, but I needed to keep adding oil to prevent mine from sticking.

Overall, I'm really pleased with the way this turned out, especially for all the changed I ended up having to make. I can't wait to try more from this great book!