Sweet and Sour Smoked Tofu and Pineapple en Papillote

Sweet and Sour Smoked Tofu and Pineapple en Papillote (from Vegetarian Times, Servings: 4, Total Time: 1 hour)

Ingredients

·         1 cup basmati rice

·         1 10-oz. pkg. frozen spinach

·         2½ tsp. toasted sesame oil, divided

·         2 tsp. toasted sesame seeds

·         ½ tsp. low-sodium soy sauce

·         1 6-oz. pkg. baked smoked tofu, diced

·         1 cup diced fresh pineapple

·         2 tsp. sweet chile sauce

Directions

1.       Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut four 15-inch lengths of parchment paper, and fold each in half. Set aside.

2.       Cook rice and spinach separately according to package directions. Transfer rice to bowl, and stir in 1 ½ tsp. sesame oil and sesame seeds. Drain spinach, squeeze out liquid, and stir in soy sauce.

3.       Open folded parchment sheets like a book, and arrange ½ cup rice to one side of crease on each sheet. Top rice with ¼ cup tofu, ¼ cup spinach, and ¼ cup pineapple. Drizzle with ¼ tsp. sesame oil and ½ tsp. chile sauce. Fold parchment over food so edges meet, then crimp and seal edges with small overlapping diagonal.

4.       Transfer packets to large baking sheet, and bake 10 minutes. Cool 2 minutes before serving.

When I first saw this recipe, I thought it would be kind of difficult to make – I’ve never heard of en Papillote.  I’m glad that I did not let that initial thought keep me from making this dish – it is good to try new things!  After I got all of the ingredients ready, the rest was easy (actually, it all was pretty easy).  I think that the most time-consuming part is dicing and waiting for the basmati to cook.

Both my husband and I thought that this dish was pretty bland, as is.  He added a bit more soy sauce to his and I added some more sweet chile sauce and some Sriracha to mine.  We were both plenty happy then!  Without those additions, you can taste the sesame oil and seeds and a little bit of the sweet chile sauce, but not enough to overcome the spinach and rice. The pineapple adds a bit of crunch to this otherwise soft dish.  I think that if I make this again, in addition to adding more soy and sweet chile sauce, I will not use the baked tofu. I don’t know that it added that much taste over regular tofu – I’d rather use regular tofu soaked in a combination of soy, sweet chile and Sriracha and go from there.