A flavor-packed sofritas recipe that's inspired by Chipotle's version of the dish. Made with adobo sauce, fresh homemade sofrito, and "meaty" firm tofu. A great dish to add with rice, tacos, burritos or a salad.
First, defrost the block of tofu, drain, and press as much of its water from the block. Cut the tofu into small, 1-inch cubes.
Add about 1 tablespoon of oil to a pan or skillet over medium heat. Cook tofu on all sides until golden. Remove tofu from skillet and set aside.
In the same pan, remove from heat and toast cumin seeds for about 30 seconds.
In a blender, blend together the chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, sofrito, red wine vinegar, tomato paste, toasted cumin seeds, water, and salt. Blend until smooth.
In the same skillet add oil and heat over medium-high. Once the oil is hot, add the Chiptole sofritas sauce mixture. Cook and stir for a minute.
Add the tofu to the pot with the sauce and bring everything to a boil. Once at a boil, lower heat to simmer. Cook the sofritas, stirring occassionally for 15 minutes. Crush tofu into smaller pieces with a fork half way through.
Notes
Your pan or skillet should be deep enough to hold all of your ingredients, with a couple of inches on top to allow for evaporation. I used a cast-iron skillet.
If you’re unable to freeze the tofu prior to use, it’s fine. It’ll just be a bit softer. Be sure to press the water from the tofu.
This recipe is fairly spicy. If you prefer mild sofritas, either omit the chipotle peppers (keep the sauce) or use just one.
Freezing the tofu is very important in this sofritas recipe. This step will help yield "meatier" tofu. Additionally, the tofu will become porous, making it easier for the marinade to cook through the tofu.