My recent trip to New Orleans was quite inspiring when it came to trying and exploring new and dynamic flavors. I was exposed to amazingly delicious Creole and Cajun cuisine (I learned that these are distinct from one another) and wanted to explore making a vegan version of a New Orleans classic, Crawfish Étouffée.
The étouffée sauce is traditionally made with butter and a meat or seafood stock, but I used soy butter and a veggie broth instead. I also made it with pan fried tofu instead of crawfish. I based my recipe off of Emeril’s recipe (because who is more of an expert than he is when it comes to classic New Orleans cuisine ?!). https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/crawfish-etouffee-1-3645763
I thought this rich, yet plant-based étouffée would go well with a nice garlic bread to soak up the sauce. While the traditional étouffée is served with long grain white rice, I didn’t have that at home and I have Basmati rice, which serves a similar thickness and texture. This is not an authentic étouffée recipe, but I thought it turned out to be very soothing and delicious while keeping its plant-based integrity.
If you try making any of these recipes, I would love if you could tag it on Instagram or FB @chivegfood!
Tasty Tofu Étouffée Recipe
Course: Dinner, Recipes, TofuCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Medium4
servings30
minutes30
minutesThe étouffée sauce is traditionally made with butter and a meat or seafood stock, but I used soy butter and a veggie broth instead. I also made it with pan fried tofu instead of crawfish.
Ingredients
- Etouffée
Basmati rice
soy butter
flour
lemon juiced
Tamari
vegetable broth/stock
diced tomatoes
hot pepper sauce
small-medium sized onions (finely chopped)
medium celery sticks chopped
Banana Pepper or bell pepper (I prefer banana peppers)
Baby Bella mushrooms
garlic finely chopped or minced
parsley for garnish
green onions chopped
bay leaves for the sauce
thyme (fresh or dried)
salt
black pepper
red pepper
paprika
cayenne
“Slap Ya Mamma” cajun seasoning
- Tofu
tofu
Tamari sauce
liquid smoke
olive oil
Directions
- Start to prepare the rice according to the directions on the package.
- Please see my other recipes for preparing tofu, make sure it is drained for about 30 minutes.
- Add the olive oil to the pan and once it’s warm, put in the tofu.
- Sauté on each side for about 5 minutes.
- Once you flip it over once, add the Tamari and Liquid Smoke sauce.
- Once the tofu is browned, take it off the stove, and keep it warm while you make the étouffée.
- In a large saucepan (that has a bit of depth to it since you’re making a thick sauce with a lot of veggies), melt 4 tbsp of soy butter and whisk in the flour – do this slowly and whisk the flour in tablespoon by tablespoon.
- Once your roux is made, add in the onions, celery, Banana or bell pepper, and mushrooms. Sauté for about 5 minutes, then add in the garlic, bay leaves, half of the parsley, and green onions and sauté for about 1 more minute.
- Now it’s time to make the sauce! Add the stock, diced tomatoes, Tamari, hot sauce, and all of the spices/seasonings to the pan, stir, and bring to a boil.
- Once it comes to a boil, gently stir the top of the sauce, reduce the heat to very low and simmer for about 30 minutes uncovered, stirring occasionally.
- At the end, stir in the lemon juice, the rest of the green onions, and parsley. You can simmer the sauce for an additional 10 minutes.
- Add and stir in the remaining 2 tbsp of soy butter. Taste and see if you’d like to add the spices of your choice.
- Throw in the tofu at the very end so it doesn’t lose its crispiness.
Notes
- See my recipe below for some tasty garlic bread!
- Want more spice? Add more hot sauce!
- If you don’t have tofu, tempeh also works.
Garlic Bread:
The garlic bread soaks up the étouffée perfectly even if you eat it with rice. My garlic bread recipe is based off of this recipe: https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/garlic-bread-106583. I have always found it to be simple and flavorful.
Ingredients:
- 1 baguette or loaf of Italian bread
- 4 cloves of garlic that are finely chopped or minced
- 1/4 cup of soy butter
- 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
- 1 handful of finely chopped parsley
- 1 tsp of salt
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Put the bottom of your loaf in foil and cut the bread into diagonal, horizontal slices, but not all the way through so it’s still a cohesive, attached loaf.
- As you’re waiting for the oven to preheat, melt the soy butter in a bowl in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Stir in the oil, basil, garlic, and salt with the butter until it is smooth. Then add in the parsley.
- Using a brush, dip the brush into the paste, and polish it on both sides of each of the garlic bread slices. Then completely wrap the bread in the foil.
- Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, open the foil and bake it for 5 more minutes so you get that crispiness.
![fullsizeoutput_1bea.jpeg](https://chiveg.files.wordpress.com/2018/06/fullsizeoutput_1bea.jpeg)
Bon appetit! Enjoy a New Orleans classic without as much of the ethical/health guilt!
Hungry for more recipes? Check them out here.
Nice !!
Thank you!
This looks so good!
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