Tofu Stirfry

This is the perfect recipe when you’ve got veggies and tofu to use in the fridge. Adapted from the “Leshan ‘Bear’s paw’ Tofu dish in my Sichuan Cooking book, I changed some of the technique. You can make this in 30 minutes.

Ingredients

1 package firm tofu

1 Tbsp Sichuan chile bean paste

1 Tbsp black bean garlic paste (or sambal oelek if you have it)

2 tsp finely chopped ginger

2 tsp finely chopped garlic

1 1/4 cup chicken stock

2 Tbsp coconut sugar

4 tsp light soy sauce

1 tsp potato starch (or corn starch), mixed with 1 tbsp cold water

4 tsp Chinkiang vinegar

2 Tbsp thinly sliced scallion greens

Handful chopped cabbage (other veggies that would be good are a head of bok choy, broccoli, peas, bamboo or chestnuts for crunch)

1-2 cups Dried shiitakes, rehydrated with hot water for 15 mins

3 tsp sesame oil

Jasmine rice, cook in rice cooker

Sriracha for serving

What To Do

Cook rice according to rice maker. Preheat oven to 400*. Drain tofu/press to get liquid out. Cut into cubes and place on parchment lined baking sheet and lightly salt them. Bake in oven for 30 minutes, turning half way through.

When tofu is halfway through cooking (after about 15 minutes), heat 3 Tbsp sesame oil in a wok or pan over mediu heat. Add chile bean paste and black bean garlic paste. Then add garlic and ginger and stir fry until it smells delicious. Add cabbage and whatever other veggies you want. Saute for a few minutes until they start to soften then add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add the sugar and soy sauce. Once tofu is done cooking add it and let it simmer for a few minutes to absorb the flavors, spooning liquid over it from time to time.

Give potato starch mixture a stir, then add to wok in stages, stirring in between each addition. Stir in the vinegar. To serve spoon rice in a bowl then top with veggies and sauce. Serve with scallion greens and sriracha.