Bitten Word readers cooked every recipe in the September 2013 Bon Appétit magazine. Here's their take on Seaweed and Tofu Beignets with Lime Mayonnaise.
Carrie of LifeWithCarrie: This recipe, consisting of beignets, homemade mayonnaise and a lemon jalapeno paste was indeed a challenge but it was such a fun process! The seaweed in the beignets was overpowering and frankly, off putting. The lemon jalapeno paste, however, was the winning component and will have a place in my kitchen. Check out my site for an in depth review of the recipe!
Rayleen: Fairly easy dish to make although many components to it. I love the lemon jalapeno paste. I will do that again for other dishes. I saved the discarded liquid too. The lime mayo was good and much needed for the beignets. The wakame was something I've never used and I like it better than dulse or nori. All and all, a nice appetizer but I probably wouldn't make the beignets again (too many calories).
Angela: The Lime Mayonnaise and Lemon Jalapeno Paste were delicious -- the beignets were "ehh" Pretty bland and not worth the effort or the fat...Both sauces would be fantastic on grilled shrimp, or salmon or veggies but the seaweed tofu beignets just weren't worth the deep fried splurge. (Photo by Kit Ely).
Karen: In our family we don't eat a lot of fried food, but this dish was fun to make and was delicious with a Japanese Coleslaw Salad (from the "Everyday Harumi" cookbook) and very rare grilled Big Eyed Tuna. My husband, a Southerner, liked the beignets best. He called them "Japanese Hushpuppies."
Carl: There was some trepidation about this--neither seaweed nor tofu are on my list of favorite ingredients, and it looked like a LOT of seaweed when mixed up. But it turned out OK. The seaweed didn't have that strong a flavor, and the tofu just mixed in with the batter. In the end, it tasted like a fried thing, which isn't at all a problem. The lime mayo and especially the lemon-pepper paste made this dish. One substitution: I have a serrano plant in my garden, so I used two serranos rather than a jalapeño. Longer, rambling discussion of the process on my blog.
Cassie: The mayonnaise was good, but I felt like stirring some lime zest and juice into a bit of Hellman's would have been sufficient and just as tasty. My Cuisininart had a hard time making the paste because the amount was so small, but it was the only real acid on the dish so that was important. Split household - I thought the beignets themselves were a flop. Just a mouthful of seaweed (you can see mine clearly took over the batter) flavor, soft, and mushy. My roommate thought they were "tasty". For the time required - about 90 minutes from start to finish - I'd skip these in the future.
Colleen and Dave: Seriously... after a summer including a 6 week cleanse leading up to a silent week of juice fasting on Mount Shasta (yes, we are crazy Californians), we were assigned fried doughballs? The adventure began with a field trip to the Asian market, which was incredibly fun and provided inspiration for future culinary endeavors, and ended with disappointing, flavorless seaweedy fried gut bombs that couldn't be saved even with chili paste, more lime zest and juice, and/or soy sauce.
Barbara Hartley: Made this a couple of times before this last--substituted club soda for fever tree ginger beer and fresh seaweed from the San Francisco Bay Area -- very yummy
Natalie: This savory take on the traditional sweet beignet was surprising, and delicious. The acidic flavors of the Lime Mayonnaise and Lemon-Jalapeño Paste really brighten an otherwise rich beignet. The recipe is easy, and sure to be a crowd pleaser at the next party (if only as being a fun game to see who is adventurous enough to try it!).
Get the Seaweed and Tofu Beignets with Lime Mayonnaise recipe at Bon Appétit
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