Medicinal Spicy Tofu to Beat Brain Fog
Alice Sun•Sep 6, 2022
There are days where my mind just doesn’t feel sharp. When I’m in a funk of brain fog, I tend to turn to spicier foods to help me break out of that cycle. In Chinese medicine, sudden brain fog can be a sign of Yang deficiency, meaning that the person has lower Yang qi. Yang represents the active energies in the body that power metabolism, govern motivation, and action. When someone is Yang deficient, the person will usually feel groggy, colder, and clammier than usual, despite warm temperatures outside.
***PS I’ve included links to shop for some of the specialty ingredients — use code ASUN15 for 15% off!
Alice Sun (@alicecsun) shares a unique view into her life through the ways she uses food to nurture wellness, cross cultural divides, and bring people together, all through the medium of storytelling.
Instructions
Slice the firm tofu (1 block) into bite size square pieces and pat dry
Next, beat the egg (1) with the salt (1 Tbsp). Coat the tofu in the beaten egg, then set to the side while you quickly put the sauce together.
For the sauce, combine all the ingredients above and thin the sauce out with a few tbsps of water
For 1 block of tofu, I ended up using 2-3 tbsps of water to make enough sauce to cover everything
Now, fry the tofu (1 block) first on both sides till golden brown, then pour the sauce in
Turn the heat down to med/low and let the sauce cook and caramelize
Once the sauce has turned thicker, turn the heat off and garnish with sesame seeds (1 Tbsp) and scallion greens