Thai-Style Grilled Tofu 'Steaks'

with grilled eggplant and peppers / rice

Make marinade - Grate the garlic and lemongrass with a microplane (or finely chop). Finely chop cilantro leaves. Whisk together garlic, lemongrass, cilantro, soy sauce, cooking oil (portion for the tofu), and sugar. (Note: You can also combine all of the ingredients in a food processor or blender and pulse until evenly chopped.) (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)

Tofu - (If prepping right before cooking, get oven heating while tofu marinates.) If tofu is packaged in water, press out liquid first, like in this video. Then slice into 1/2” / 1.3 cm thick 'steaks'. Spread tofu out in a shallow dish and pour marinade over top. Turn tofu to coat. Marinate tofu for at least 20 minutes and up to one day, turning once or twice as it sits. (Can be done up to 2 days ahead)

Rice - For white rice, rinse until clear. Fill a saucepan or Dutch oven (or rice cooker) with rice, water (use 2:1 ratio for water to rice), and some salt. Cover with lid and bring to a boil. Once water boils, stir, lower heat to a low-medium, and cover. Check white rice after ~20 min; brown at ~45 min. Rice is done when it's absorbed all the water. If it's not done, leave the cover on until all water has been absorbed. Take cover off to release steam and fluff with a wooden spoon after 5 minutes. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)

Bell peppers / Eggplants - Slice into cubes of a similar size. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)

Limes - Slice into wedges.

Heat oven to 425F / 218C. Place one rack in the lower part of oven (for tofu) and one in the upper part (for vegetables). Brush two sheet pans with some oil or spray with nonstick cooking spray.

Toss bell peppers and eggplants with oil (portion for vegetables) and some salt and pepper. Spread out on first sheet pan and bake on the top rack of the oven, stirring halfway through cooking, until very tender, 20 to 30 minutes (depending on size).

Next, spread tofu out in a single layer on second sheet pan. Drizzle marinade from the bowl over top. Season tofu with some salt and pepper. Bake on the lower rack of the oven until tofu is cooked and golden brown on top, 18 to 22 minutes. Reserve half of tofu for Thursday's meal.

If rice was made ahead, reheat in the microwave.

Serve tofu and vegetables over rice with Sweet Thai Chili sauce on the side for dipping or drizzling over top. Serve lime wedges on the side to squeeze over the dish. Enjoy! (If you'd like to get a head start on Thursday's meal, chop the reserved tofu into bite-sized pieces.)