Hyrule has a vast amount of vegetables and herbs growing throughout its lands. As a result, the citizens of Hyrule have developed a number of vegetarian dishes. A meal of only vegetables and herbs, without meat or fish, is not uncommon in Hyrule, particularly in the northern woodlands, the forests of Faron, or In Kakariko Village.
This dish is made by sautéing or frying herbs and local vegetation with Goron spice to create a sweet, spicy, and vitamin packed meal.
“A fragrant mixture of herbs and spices. It's easily recognized by its unique aroma.”
To bring this dish to life, we’ll be using butternut squash, carrots, and bok choy to represent the vegetables and herbs on the plate. We’ll also be adding in some glazed tofu (which we will hide under the vegetables) to kick this dish up a notch to a more “well rounded” vegetarian meal. It’s a tasty veggie packed meal with a lot of Goron Spice kick. I recommend a bowl of rice along side this one to round it out.
Ingredients
Tofu and Vegetables:
1 block of firm tofu
1 ½ lbs large carrots, peeled and cubed
1 ½ lbs butternut squash, peeled and cubed
3 tbsp Goron Spice
1 block of firm tofu
1 ½ lbs large carrots, peeled and cubed
1 ½ lbs butternut squash, peeled and cubed
3 tbsp Goron Spice
Olive oil
Tofu Glaze:
¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
¼ cup water
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp of ginger, grated
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp Goron Spice
¼ cup water
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp of ginger, grated
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp Goron Spice
Bok Choy:
4-5 bok choy, halved
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp water
2 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp mirin
½ tsp sesame oil
½ tsp Goron Spice
Salt and pepper
4-5 bok choy, halved
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp water
2 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp mirin
½ tsp sesame oil
½ tsp Goron Spice
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
First we will prepare the carrots and butternut squash. Preheat an oven to 425°F. Toss the carrots cubes in 1 tbsp of Goron Spice along with 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a bowl until they are well coated. Use your hands to ensure each cube is coated in oil and spice. Repeat this process with the butternut squash cubes.
Arrange the carrots and butternut squash on a baking sheet covered in foil. Place the tray in the oven and allow the vegetables to roast for 25-30 minutes or until fully roasted and softened.
Now let’s prepare the bonus tofu! Use paper towels to dry the outside of the tofu block. Cut the block of tofu into large cubes. I recommend cutting the height in half and then cutting a 3 x 3 grid to create 18 cubes.
Season the tofu cubes generously with 1 tablespoon of Goron spice. You can gently toss them in a few tablespoons of the spice mix in a bowl, or you can generously sprinkle it over the tops of the cubes, flip them over, and sprinkle again across the cubes.
To cook the tofu cubes I recommend air frying. Arrange the cubes on a rack in the air fryer and fry at 400 °F for 15 minutes or until firm in the outside and the spice had cooked in. Grease the rack so that your tofu doesn’t stick. If you can’t air fry, you can pan fry them in vegetable oil for approximately 2-3 minutes per side.
While the tofu is cooking, make the glaze. Combine all glaze ingredients together in a bowl and whisk together. When the tofu is finished, warm a pan over low-medium heat on your stovetop. When warm, whisk the glaze to incorporate all of the ingredients again and then add it to the pan. Stir it around and add the tofu cubes as it thickens. Toss the tofu cubes through the glaze to fully cover the cubes. The tofu is ready to serve.
To make the bok choy, first whisk the garlic, soy sauce, water, rice vinegar, mirin, and sesame oil together in a small bowl. Add olive oil to a pan over medium-high heat. Add in the bok choy halves, cut side down. If you can’t fit them all without overcrowding, then seat them in batches. Season the bok choy with salt and pepper and allow them to sear for about two minutes. Flip them over and sear for an additional two minutes. If you need to cook the bok choy in batches, remove these from the pan and repeat with the second batch.
Return all the bok choy to the pan and pour the sauce over the top of the bok choy. Place a lid on the pan and allow the bok choy to steam in the sauce about two more minutes or until the stalks soften but before the leaves wilt too much. The bok choy is then finished.
To serve, stack two to three bok choy halves horizontally across the plate. Now place a few pieces of glazed tofu beside the bok choy and stack a small pile of the carrots and butternut squash on top of the tofu. I recommend serving this dish with some (Hylian) rice.
Learn more about the Herb Sauté dish from Breath of the Wild at Zelda Dungeon.