After five relentless heatwaves, almost one after another, we are finally having some much needed rain and cooler temperatures so I am turning towards cosier meals like this polenta with tamarind tofu, tomatoes and corn.
This simple polenta with tamarind tofu and summer vegetables is still summery yet also a bit more cosy. It uses ripe end of summer tomatoes and sweet sweetcorn and my windowsill basil that has enjoyed this unprecedented amount of sunshine. To be honest, this was my plan originally, to make a dish featuring polenta, corn and tomatoes. While tasty this kind of dish has hardly any protein so I decided to add a generous amount of tofu bathed in a sweet and sour tamarind glaze that complements sweet corn so nicely.
This dish is easy to make, satiating, full of flavour and plant protein too. I hope you will give it a go!
- 280 g / 10 oz pressed tofu, I use Tofoo*
- 20 ml / 1½ tbsp soy sauce, divided
- 2 tbsp cornstarch or potato starch (optional)
- 20 ml / 4 tsp tamarind paste
- 15 ml / 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 45-60 ml / 3-4 tbsp oil, divided
- 1 corn on the cob
- 1 large garlic clove
- 150 g / 5 oz cherry tomatoes
- salt and pepper
- 100 g / 3.5 oz instant polenta
- 30 g / 1 oz vegan butter
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast (optional)
- fresh basil, to serve (optional)
- Cut tofu into bite size pieces, season with 1 tbsp (15 ml) of soy sauce and set aside for 10 minutes.
- Cut kernels off the corn cob and cut cherry tomatoes in half so that where the stem comes out of is on one half.
- To make tamarind glaze, mix tamarind paste, maple syrup and the rest of the soy sauce in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Once the tofu is seasoned, sprinkle it with a thin layer of cornstarch and fry in 1-2 tbsp (15-30 ml) of oil until golden on both sides. Lift out of the oil and set aside .
- Pre-heat a tablespoon of oil in a small pan, once hot add corn kernels. Fry until charred on all sides, stirring now and then. Season well and transfer out of the pan.
- Clean the pan, pre-heat another tablespoon of olive oil, once warm grate a clove of garlic into it. Reduce the heat to a whisper and sautee the garlic until fragrant and no longer raw, stirring often. Arrange tomatoes, cut side down, on top of the garlicky oil. Increase the heat to low-medium and allow them to sautee until just softened but not falling apart. Flip them over gently, season with salt, pepper and a good pinch of sugar.
- Bring 2½ cups (600 ml) of water and half a teaspoon of fine salt to a gentle simmer. Pour in polenta in a slow, steady stream while whisking the whole time. Swap to a wooden spoon and stir polenta while it’s getting thicker.
- Once polenta thickens, cover it with a lid and lower the heat to very low. Allow it to bubble gently for 5-10 minutes. Keep the lid on and let it stand for 5 minutes, before stirring in vegan butter, nutritional yeast and more salt if needed.
- While the polenta is resting, add fried tofu back to the pan with the tamarind glaze you prepared earlier. Coat all the tofu pieces in the glaze and allow the pan to heat up gently until sugars in the glaze caramelise and thicken.
- Divide hot polenta between two plates, top with tamarind tofu, charred corn and garlicky tomatoes and their pan juices. Garnish with basil.
CORN & TOMATOES: If you wanted, you could roast both corn and tomatoes in the oven instead. I suggest using 2 corns or else the corn will dry out too much, coat it in olive oil and roast at 200° C / 390° F for about 10 minutes, then add halves tomatoes coated in oil, seasoned with salt, pepper and half a teaspoon of garlic power and roast for another 10-15 minutes, until jammy but not falling apart.