Feature Recipe | Roasted Pineapple Sauce with Crispy Tofu

Pineapple is a staple for juicing and smoothies in our household, but this dish has helped cement its place in my list of go-to weeknight recipes! Lately I’ve been coming across plenty of recipes for everything roasted – from nectarines to radishes — so I decided it was time to explore roasting this glorious fruit! Once roasted, pineapple takes on delicious caramelized notes and the pinch of brown sugar added toward the end of roasting elevates its sweetness. This roasted pineapple sauce features crushed garlic, red onion, pineapple juice, tamari sauce, brown sugar and red wine vinegar blended together with fresh, golden pineapple that is roasted and caramelized to perfection.
In this dish I pair the sauce with roasted veggies and crispy pan-fried tofu but this sauce is pretty versatile and would add that WOW factor to just about any base ingredient.

Feeling saucy? Why not try one of our recipes that spotlight a deliciously dazzling vegan-friendly sauce:

Soy Curl Chick’n with Rosemary Lemon Sauce
Mongolian Style Sauce with Soy Curls
Creamy Alfredo Sauce

Enjoy~

Preparation

• 1/Prepare tofu marinade; let tofu marinade for 30 minutes (longer if time allows!)
• 2/Preheat oven to 400F
• 3/Cook 2 cups dry rice (or noodles) as directed

Ingredients

Roasted Medley: 

• 1 small ripe pineapple (peeled, cored), diced into cubes
• 2 bell peppers, coarsely chopped (or other veg)
• 1 pkg brown mushrooms (225g), coarsely chopped (or other veg)
• Olive oil
• Himalayan pink salt
• Dried rosemary
• Brown sugar

Quick & Easy Tofu Marinade:

• 350g package extra-firm tofu (pressed & drained); cut into cubes
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/3 cup tamari sauce
• 2 Tbsp cane sugar
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• Pinch of Himalayan pink salt

Tofu Coating:

• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 2 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1 Tbsp dried rosemary
• Olive oil (for pan-frying)

Sauce:

• 3 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 red onion, finely chopped
• Olive oil
• 1 cup pineapple juice
• 1/3 cup roasted pineapple chunks
• 2 Tbsp tamari sauce
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp red wine vinegar
• 1.5 tsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp red chili flakes
• Himalayan pink salt

Instructions

Prep It

1/Prepare roasted medley:
-Add chopped pineapple, sliced bell pepper and brown mushrooms to a parchment paper-lined baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil and a pinch of salt. Bake at 400F for 30 minutes.
-At 30 minute mark remove tray from oven. Drizzle with olive oil. Add a few pinches of dried rosemary and salt. Sprinkle pineapple with a scant amount of brown sugar (optional). Bake for 30 minutes.
-At 60 minute mark remove tray from oven; let cool. Set aside.

2/Prepare tofu marinade:
-Add garlic to your Thermomix mixing bowl. Using a spatula, scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl to collect the minced garlic at the base of the bowl.
2B/Add tamari sauce, cane sugar, olive oil and salt to the TM bowl. Your marinade is now ready.
2C/Transfer prepared marinade to a shallow bowl. Add cubed tofu to the bowl and ensure all pieces are evenly coated in marinade.

Let tofu marinate at room temperature for 30 mins (longer if time allows!)

• 3/Pan-fry the tofu:
  3A/Add flour, cornstarch and dried rosemary to a large plastic/Ziploc bag. Add the marinated tofu pieces, seal the bag, and shake until the tofu is evenly coated.
  Important: Remove excess marinade from the tofu before tossing in the plastic bag to avoid clumpy results. Save the excess marinade for another batch or freeze and use another day.
  3B/Transfer the cornstarch mixture-coated tofu cubes to a skillet on medium-high heat. Pan fry the tofu (using olive oil) until well cooked and crispy. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to soak up excess grease; set aside. Important: Pan fry the tofu in batches to avoid overcrowding the skillet. The end result will be crispier tofu!
• 4/Prepare sauce:
  4A/Add garlic and red onion to your Thermomix mixing bowl. Chop 5 sec/Speed 7. Using a spatula, scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl to collect the minced garlic at the base of the bowl.
  4B/Add olive oil to the TM bowl. Sauté 3 min/120C/Speed 1.
  4C/Add remaining ingredients (pineapple juice, 1/3 cup roasted pineapple chunks, tamari sauce , brown sugar and red wine vinegar) to the TM bowl. Blend 25 sec/Speed 5. Then Cook 3 min/100C/Speed 1.
  4D/Add cornstarch, chili flakes and a pinch of salt. Simmer 3 min/85C/Speed 1 (Note: If using a Thermomix use the simmering basket).
  4E/Replace simmering basket with lid. Blend 45 sec/Speed 7. Your sauce is now ready!
• 5/Assembly:
  Plate your cooked rice/noodles. Top with roasted pineapple, bell peppers and mushrooms. Add crispy tofu cubes. Drizzle prepared sauce on top.

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