You want a tofu-riffic vegetarian meal? You came to the right place. This dish has been an absolute family favorite and definitely a recurring meal. It is super quick and healthy, yet packs alot of savory and fragrant flavors from soy sauce and sesame oil! You can substitute the veggies used in this recipe for any other vegetables that may be lying around your house. My favorite thing about stir frying is that it is so easy to incorporate any leftover vegetables that you may have laying around.
Safety Tip: Tofu is high in water content, and they will spatter oil while frying. Use an oil splatter guard, or wear long sleeves and eye protection to prevent possible oil splatter on yourself or in your eyes.
Ingredients (Feeds 4-5 people)
-2 packs of firm tofu
-2 broccoli, cut into florets
-12 oz green beans, trimmed
-2 red bellpeppers, sliced
-Kosher salt, to taste
-Black pepper, to taste
-Neutral oil for frying (eg, vegetable oil, Canola oil)
-Garlic powder, to taste
Tofu Marinade
-2 Tbsp Maggi Seasoning
-2 Tbsp sesame oil
-1 tsp ground black pepper
Stir Fry Sauce
-3 Tbsp Maggi Seasoning
-2 Tbsp sesame oil
-1/4th cup water
-1 Tbsp brown sugar
-1 Tbsp corn starch
Procedure
Tofu Frying
1) Remove tofu from package and pat dry
2) Cut tofu into 4 x 5 squares (shown below)
3) Mix Tofu Marinade ingredients into a mixing bowl. Once mixed, marinade each piece of tofu for approx 10 minutes, being careful not to break the tofu during transfer
3) Add oil to a large pan and place on stove without turning the heat on yet. Add each piece of tofu into the oiled pan (you can probably fit about 1 package of tofu into the pan). Do not let the tofu pieces touch each other or they will stick to each other.
4) Once tofu is placed in pan, turn the heat on high and cook each side for about 3-4 minutes, or until each side is golden brown.
5) Place fried tofu in a dish lined with paper towel to get rid of excess oils. Place them in one layer or the tofu layered at the bottom will soften from oils on top layer.
Blanching Broccoli
1) Add water and a pinch of salt to a pot and allow to boil on high heat
2) Add broccoli florets into the boiling water and allow to blanche for 30 seconds
3) Immediately drain the broccoli from the water and place in an ice cold bath to stop the cooking process
Stir Frying
1) Add all the ingredients of the Stir Fry Sauce together in a mixing bowl
2) In a pan (preferably a wok), heat up about 2-3 tbsp of oil on high heat
3) Add blanched broccoli, green beans, and red bell pepper into the wok and cook on high heat, with occasional mixing, until vegetables begin to soften (Approx 10 minutes)
4) When vegetables have softened, add fried tofu and Stir Fry Sauce to the pan/wok and gently stir to avoid tofu breakage.
5) Once sauce has mixed, add (to your preference) salt and 1/2 the amount of garlic powder and black pepper to taste. Stir gently to mix without breaking tofu.
6) Remove from heat and serve with rice
Observations/Tips
-When frying your tofu, there is a pretty small window of error between golden and burnt tofu. When dealing with large number of tofu pieces, turn off the heat when flipping to avoid burning the tofu. Once all pieces are flipped, you can turn the heat back on. This method really helps you avoid having the first few pieces being perfect golden while the other half of the tofu are too darkened up
-Although this tofu is firm, it is still very easy to break during frying and mixing in with vegetables. It is especially fragile during the frying step, so take care when trying to flip. One method that works for me is to have a spatula angled and supporting the tofu, while the other hand holds a pair of chopsticks, which I use to flip the tofu on the spatula, and then place it back into the oil.
-Substitute or add other vegetables as to your preference! Sliced carrots, bok choy, and snap peas are some of my personal favorites!
Frankly Awesome Food 