I FINALLY figured out how to cook tofu like Kinaree (a local Thai restaurant) without deep-frying it. It was deliciously chewy and didn't have that slimy characteristic that I usually get. This was delicious. And although it used an extra pan (sorry Jeremy!), it didn't add any oil or anything. This tofu was definitely restaurant quality... I will be making it this way every time I make tofu going forward. (Possibly changing up the marinade... but definitely searing it on a griddle first.)
About a week ago I went shopping at Williams-Sonoma with a gift card I'd been given. I bought some ground szechuan pepper to try to make more authentic chinese dishes. This was delicious. I almost always eye-ball the sauce I make, so the amounts below are approximate. Especially for marinades and sauces, just give it a taste before you use it and you can adjust anything you need.
This is very versatile and you could make the sauce whatever you like. One of my favorite things about stir fries is that I almost never make the exact same thing twice. I change up the veggies I use, the meat, and the sauce. And it's fairly easy to make a big stir fry so that we have leftovers.
I served this with some brown rice. Nice and simple to make. As for timing, I seared the tofu first, then left it to marinate until I'd chopped up all the veggies. Once the veggies were prepped, I started cooking the rice. I didn't start cooking the stir fry until after the rice had been on the stove for about 15 minutes. That way the rice had some rest time before the stir fry was finished. All in all a delicious meal. :)
If you don't want a spicy stir fry, you can eliminate some or all of the crushed red pepper flake, sriracha, and szechuan pepper. (I've made this before without the szechuan pepper and it's still very tasty... so if that's too hard to find, you can leave it out. You can substitute black pepper... but it will be different.) If you don't want to use tofu, you could use chicken, pork, beef, shrimp, etc. Just marinate it before cooking (and adjust cooking as needed).
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| The Cooking Tofu |
2 c. shredded napa cabbage
2 stalks celery, sliced thinly
1/2 large green bell pepper, sliced into bite-sized pieces
2 carrots, sliced thinly on the bias
3 scallions, sliced
1 1/2" ginger root, divided (grate 1/2" of ginger for the marinade, mince the other inch for the stir fry)
2 tbs. minced garlic, divided
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flake, divided
1/4 c. plus 2 tbs. lower sodium soy sauce, divided
2 tbs. rice wine vinegar, divided
1 tsp. sriracha sauce
1 tbs. black bean and garlic sauce (I buy this at my local grocery store. Even Walmart has it!)
1 15 oz. can baby corn, sliced into bite-size pieces
1 8 oz. can diced water chestnuts (or whole, or sliced... just cut them as you want)
1 tsp. corn starch
1/2 tsp. sesame oil
1/2 tsp. ground szechuan pepper
1. In a large bowl (large enough to hold all the tofu), mix 2 tbs. of soy sauce, 1 tbs. of rice wine vinegar, grated ginger, 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flake, and 1 tbs. of minced garlic.
2. Heat a non-stick griddle over medium heat.** Place the tofu on the griddle and press down with a spatula. (It will hiss and spit a little... but you want to get rid of the extra liquid.) When the tofu is golden brown on one side, flip the pieces and brown on the second side. When finished, the tofu should be slightly crispy on the outside and much chewier in texture. Place the tofu in the marinade (made in step 1) and mix to coat. (Continue mixing the tofu and marinade whenever you have a chance during the next couple steps.)
3. Prep the veggies. When that's finished, start the rice. Make the sauce by combining the remaining soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sriracha, black bean sauce, and corn starch. Once the rice has been cooking for a few minutes, heat a wok over medium-high heat.
4. Add 1 tbs. olive oil to the wok. Add the remaining ginger, garlic, crushed red pepper flake, and all but 1 tbs. of the sliced scallions. Mix to combine for 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the bell pepper, carrots, and celery. Add 1/4 tsp. of the szechuan pepper. Cook, stirring frequently until the veggies start to get tender. Add the cabbage, baby corn, and water chestnuts. Cook until the cabbage wilts slightly. Add the tofu with any remaining marinade and the sauce you made in step 3. Stir to coat. Heat until the sauce thickens slightly and the tofu is hot. Stir in the remaining szechuan pepper. (Taste, adjust seasonings as needed.)
5. Serve with rice.
* To press tofu, wrap it in paper towels and place it between two plates. Weigh down the plate with some heavy cans (I used one large can of tomato puree). I sliced the tofu in half, then sliced each rectangle into two triangles to get the shapes I used. Lots of surface area to sear. :)
** If you don't have a non-stick griddle, you could try this with a non-stick frying pan. It might cause problems with the tofu sticking if you used something else.
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