SCRUMPTIOUS Saturdays: Eggplant and Tofu Grilled Bundles

It's rare that a dish--in this case, "Tofu and Eggplant Hobo Bundles"-- I adapt doesn't work out too well (or can't be saved); my guess is that in this case, I am showing my amateur skills, rather than any weaknesses inherent in this Sunset Magazine recipe I tried out. It's still worth making: it's filling, and delicious--just not perfection. See my notes at the bottom.

Equipment: chopping boards, small chopping knife, large knife, mixing bowl, large squares of foil (at least one foot long, outdoor grill with fuel and lighting implements.

Ingredients: 3 green onion (scallions); 1 20 oz. container, firm tofu; 1 large eggplant (or 2 small); 2 tbsp. minced garlic; 2 tbsp. minced ginger root; 1/3 cup soy sauce; 5 tbsp. oil (any kind).

Directions:  Start the grill to heating. Cut the foil squares. Cut the tofu into even chunks (about 16). Chop the vegetables and add to the mixing bowl. Add soy sauce and oil. Mix gently to make sure all vegetables are coated. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least two hours, stirring and turning contents once. Spoon four portions onto the foil squares and seal up the squares into a purse. Place foil purses onto the grill, and cook until contents are tender (about 15-25 minutes depending upon size of grill).

Notes: Oh boy, where to begin? I would fry the tofu chunks up before adding them to the bundle; otherwise I would use tempeh chunks and let those marinate with the vegetables. The tofu just ended up as, well, hot sauced tofu--too soft. I increased the amount of soy sauce called for, and was glad I did. The ginger and garlic saved my effort from being too soggy, and tasteless (it was soggy, but very tasty). I might also add zucchini chunks, with the chunks large enough to withstand the heat in the bundle and not break down into mushiness, when cooked in this fashion. 


Ah yes, the recipe called for rice--which I don't eat. I did make some  brown Jasmine rice, just to see how it went. You can include brown-rice, or not and serve the cooked bundles over the rice. I'm tempted to propose putting the recipe constituents on some kind of a sieve, spatter cover or other porous, but grill-ready, implement, to simply grill everything, but I understand that the recipe was attempting to be campfire-friendly, with the foil purses re-purposed as a plate, once ready to eat...