Oh, tomatillos, where have you been all my life? I had them for the first time in last year’s CSA baskets, and they’ve returned again a few times this year. The taste is similar to tomatoes, but they’re sweeter, drier, and fleshier. Plus they have the added fun of being neatly packaged in papery husks. A marvelous species indeed.
For this stir fry, Yusuke began by sautéing cubes of firm tofu in olive oil until slightly browned. He removed the tofu from the pan and wiped out the extra oil.
Next, he cooked chopped eggplant in fresh olive oil until cooked.
Next, he added minced garlic and tiny slivers of fresh chili pepper.
The tomatillo was added next.
And finally, powdered kombu dashi (a stock made from seaweed) offered umami. No additional salt was needed.
The original inspiration for this recipe was fish and tomatoes, but tofu worked nicely. On the side, we had miso soup with turnips and their greens.
Chez Yusuke 