Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Tofu - Take 1

In my quest for finding yummy non-meat dinners, I have branched out into tofu. This is partially because I think Jake would rather eat his own hand than eat black beans YET AGAIN, even though I'm pretty sure I could eat them every day an not be sick of them. I make stir fry a lot, so I figured swapping out the usual chicken for some tofu in the mushroom & broccoli stir fry should be pretty simple. With the aide of my trusty 'How to Cook Everything Vegetarian' (gotta love Mark Bittman!) I learned what kind of tofu to buy (Extra Firm) and some fun gals in the Cooking group on Rav told me how to prep it and I was off!
It was a LOT of tofu. . . it nearly took up my whole stir fry pan!
Then the veggies went back in.
And voilĂ ! Finished stir fry.
And I actually liked it. Jake really liked it, but that's no surprise because he on occasion has ordered tofu out. I, on the other hand, am more skeptical. I'd only eaten it once, and didn't love it, but given this stir fry I'll give it a few more shots. Next time I'll try to crisp the outside of the tofu more. I kept it still in the pan as long as I could without burning the garlic in the hot oil, bu t then I had to stir to make sure I didn't ruin the whole dish!

The recipe, if you're interested (pretty basic stir fry - my own twist on the tofu & peppers recipe!).
2 blocks extra firm tofu - squeezed dry & cut into 1-inch cubes
1 bunch broccoli, cut to stir fry sized pieces (use the stem too! just peel the outside before chopping!)
1 lb mushrooms (I used baby bellas)
2 cloves minced garlic
1 Tbs chopped fresh ginger
~3/4 c stock (I used chicken)
~3/4 c white wine (nothing too sweet)
2 scallions - chopped
Soy Sauce
1 Tbs cornstarch + 1 Tbs water mixed to remove any lumps
Oil (I used plain vegetable oil)

Heat some oil (1-2Tbs) in a large pan on high heat. Add broccoli and cook until slightly soft (~5 minutes) stirring frequently and adding more oil if necessary to keep the pan from going dry. Add mushrooms and cook 1-2 more minutes, or until veggies are just under desired doneness. Remove veggies from pan and set aside. Heat more oil (another 1-2Tbs) in the pan and add garlic and ginger, stir, and QUICKLY add tofu (don't let the garlic burn, but do let the garlic and ginger have a bit of time before the tofu comes in). Let the tofu brown on all sides (7-8 minutes in the pan). Add wine & stock to the pan, turn heat to high and let the liquid reduce to half. Add veggies back to the pan and stir to combine. Add soy sauce (to taste, I used ~1/4c) and scallions, stir quickly and then push aside the stir fry to have a small spot in the liquid without chunks. Add the cornstarch/water mixture to the liquid and stir. Allow to thicken for 1 minute and then serve over rice!

2 comments:

Unknown said...

tofu is divine if cooked well. I maintain 3 days out of the week that we eat meat-free. My body doesn't digest meat well, and I totally think its better nutritionally for my growing boys. Their favorite way to eat tofu is cut super small, and then browned within an inch of its life. It'll get crispy and crunchy. Then we dump in a packet of taco seasoning and make tacos for dinner. I think its even better than ground beef, and they eat it like its their job!

Our second favorite way to eat tofu is a chocolate pie that I make with the silken tofu. I will happily give you the recipe if you'd like. Totally delicious and I am happy with the protein they are getting.

Yep, I am one of "those" moms.. Juuuuuusst shy of crunchy granola mom. lol

Anonymous said...

hey!

a tip for the tofu. if you cut it into slices and let them sit on a paper towel to get some moisture out of it, then coat it with some flour and fry it in oil, you will get a crispier outside.

the material & colors for the dresses are so cute.

oh, and your ring is so pretty!