How to make vegan tofu meat sauce spaghetti in Japan

I'll ask my students what kind of pasta they like the best, and 9 times out of 10, the answer is "meat sauce pasta!" Unfortunately for me, because I don't eat meat, I find it hard to share in their excitement... Until I experimented and made my own basic vegan meat sauce spaghetti! Feel free to use this as a base and add whatever makes your spaghetti sauce special!

Ingredients:

1 block of tofu "meat" (recipe below)

1 tbsp canola oil

1 large white onion, diced

1 bulb garlic, minced

1 c red wine

2 cans cut tomato

To taste, oregano, salt, red pepper flakes, and basil

Tofu "Meat":

1. Freeze your tofu, preferably overnight. You need to change the molecular structure of the tofu to make it chewier, and freezing it is the easiest way to achieve this.
2. After frozen, remove from package and place (still frozen) in saucepan with boiling water. Boil for about 2-3 minutes, or until the water starts to turn yellow.
3. Remove from heat and drain. Rinse hot tofu under the faucet with cold water until it's cool enough to handle with your hands.
4. Refill the pan and bring to a boil again, repeating the process about 3-4 times, or until your water remains clear when you boil it.
5. Squeeze excess cold water out of the tofu block by placing the full block between your palms and gently squeezing. Let sit for 10 minutes.
6. Crumble the tofu between your fingers into small-medium crumbles, squeezing any additional water out. Do this over a colander to catch any crumbles that fall from your hands when you squeeze.

Tofu "Meat" Sauce Spaghetti

1. Add oil to a saucepan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add tofu crumbles, mixing to help the tofu absorb the oil.
   
   
   
   
2. After browning the tofu (add more oil if it starts to stick to the bottom of the pan), add the onions. When the onions get soft, add the garlic. Stir frequently.
   
   
   
   
3. Add red pepper flakes (optional) and salt and cook until fragrant.
4. Add wine slowly, ensuring the tofu will absorb the wine rather than just boil in it.
   
   
   
   
5. Cook out most of the excess wine, so only a small portion remains. Then, add both tomato cans at once.
   
   
   
   
6. Stir, and reduce heat to low. Add the additional spices and let simmer for a minimum of 30 minutes. If the sauce gets too low, add some water or wine and reduce your heat.
   
   

Apologies for my messy stove top! This recipe is super easy and, because you boiled out all the tofu flavor, doesn't taste like tofu at all! It absorbs the flavors of the sauce and it's delicious!

Like I said before, add or subtract whatever makes your own brand of red sauce unique. Sometimes I'll add bay leafs when I have them on hand, and even turmeric! It's so simple so it's very versatile. Let me know what you think!