This is another "Creature of the Black Lagoon" looking dish, not because I lack in photography skills but by the nature of its ingredients. It is hard to make tofu and chunky peanut butter visually sparkle...
That being said, it was a very tasty protein to serve on top of a bowl of steamed rice along with various Japanese pickles and a green salad, and very filling. I cooked half of a block of firm tofu and ended up eating half that amount. I cut the remainder into cubes and will have them with a glass of wine tonight on the front porch, weather permitting. Stay tuned for what I do with the remaining half of the plain tofu as well!
1/2 block of firm tofu, drained, cut lengthwise from the whole block and then quartered
1 Tbsp chunky peanut butter
1/8 tsp freshly ground ginger
1 tsp sake or white wine
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp chili crisp oil (store bought is fine as well) including some of the aromatics in the container (Szechuan peppercorns, chili peppers etc.)
1 tsp rice wine vinegar
Granulated sugar to taste (I added a generous pinch, you may need more to get the balance of flavors right for your palate)
Mix all of the ingredients, except for the tofu, together in a deep dish.
Add the tofu to the dish. Turn to coat all sides with the mixture and then set aside for an hour or so to marinate, turning from time to time to expose the tofu to the mixture on all sides.
When ready to eat, preheat the oven to 375.
Place the dish containing the tofu and the sauce in the oven and bake for thirty minutes, turning at the halfway mark, until the tofu is heated through and the sauce is bubbling and starting to caramelize.
Serve as mentioned above, spooning a bit of sauce over each piece as you do so.
Inspiration recipe, here.